Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC by IHG

Clean. Staff friendly

I chose this hotel based on proximity to Capital One Arena, and it was perfect for attending an event there – an easy walk across the street, no hassle with traffic or rideshares.
The hotel is a historic old building, nicely redone. Our room had a tiny closet but lots of drawers, a usable refrigerator, and basic amenities. There was only one robe, no slippers and no coffee equipment; on request, we were able to get a second robe and a coffee maker. Two bottles of water were provided, but not replenished during our stay. The room was huge and generally comfortable, though I didn’t like the bouncy synthetic pillows. One major flaw, however, was that half the blackout lining was missing from the curtain beside the bed – it looked like it had been damaged and instead of replacing it, they just cut off the damaged part. Consequently, I was awakened by early morning light. This is a cheesy, unacceptable maintenance shortcut. I mentioned it to the front desk in hopes they will eventually fix it, but I didn't get the feeling it was a priority.
The onsite restaurant was ok, but not great if you want just a light bite. I had the potato leek soup, hold the caviar; it was very tasty, but not worth $24. I asked if they had a green salad, was told if you order a steak or something you can get a side salad. I guess that meant no, if I was just ordering soup. Also, they had some kind of heavy perfume in the lobby area, which wafted into the restaurant, and my husband was very sensitive to it, so we chose not to eat there again or spend any time in the lobby. We found a great restaurant a block away, The Smith, for breakfast and also had a pre-concert dinner there.
We've stayed in a lot of Kimpton hotels, this one was a bit disappointing, but adequate for a short stay and perfectly located for our concert.

Very good breakfast.

The proximity to cap one arena and the staff

Poor experience at this hotel. The front desk staff were the worse I’ve ever encountered; extremely rude. Someone needs to remind them they are in the service industry. WiFi was non existent and was unfortunately there for a work trip. Rooms are ok but bathroom is very small. Could be cleaner as well. I would not stay again

Very confortalble, good position, perfect cleaned! Staff always available
Reccomended!

I stayed at this hotel and had a wonderful experience. The rooms were clean, comfortable, and well maintained, while the staff was always kind, helpful, and attentive to every need. The atmosphere was welcoming and relaxing, perfect for enjoying a pleasant stay. The location was also very convenient and strategic. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a positive experience and a place that truly feels like home.

I had a very pleasant stay at this hotel. The staff was incredibly kind, welcoming, and always available to help with anything I needed. The atmosphere was comfortable and relaxing, and I truly felt well taken care of during my stay. I highly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a great experience and excellent service.

We had a great stay at Kimpton Hotel Monaco. We really appreciated the excellent location, the quality of the services, and the professionalism of the staff. Over time it has become our reference point in Washington, and we will definitely come back again. Highly recommended.

Location

Location is good.
The coffee hour is good.

Nice furnishings

Wonderful time at the Kimpton Monaco as part of our visit to the Shakespeare Theater just across the street and around the corner. When the doorman led us up the broad steps and into the beautiful lobby of the former post office building, we knew we had chosen well. The super high ceilings and other beautiful architecture is memorable. Staff was uniformly pleasant and helpful. Their website should be more informative, for example mentioning the mini fridges in all rooms. Also a map of the close neighborhood showing streets, direction of lane traffic and where to access valet parking would be helpful (a phone call to the front desk did not find anybody familiar with how to approach the hotel from the Virginia direction, although it is very easy). But overall, we were very happy and would stay here again.

I had a deeply frustrating stay at the Kimpton Monaco in Washington, DC. While the property itself is undeniably beautiful, the overall experience was undermined by poor management, inconsistent communication, and multiple room issues.
Upon arrival, my reservation could not be located, which resulted in a lengthy check-in process. Thankfully, Jordan at the front desk was excellent and worked diligently to resolve the issue, easily one of the few highlights of the stay.
Unfortunately, the room experiences were consistently problematic. My initial room had a non-functioning refrigerator, missing sheer curtains, and extremely poor internet. After being moved and upgraded to a king suite, I expected an improvement, but instead encountered new issues: the refrigerator froze everything inside, and the suite was located directly next to the Paris Ballroom. Each morning, folding tables were set up immediately outside the suite door for conference breakfast service, creating significant noise early in the day. In the evenings, events in the ballroom continued late into the night. This is simply an unacceptable layout choice—placing suites adjacent to active event spaces when the ballroom itself could accommodate these setups shows a lack of thoughtful planning.
Communication from management was another major concern. Corrado Palenzona, the manager, appears to be new and largely unavailable due to ongoing training over the past ten weeks. As a result, issues were not addressed in a timely or effective manner. Compensation offered was limited to points, which did not feel appropriate given the number and extent of the problems.
Additionally, I have been waiting several days for a response from the Regional Manager, Markus Platzer, with no follow-up to date.
This hotel has strong potential and is visually stunning, but it is in clear need of consistent, present leadership. A thorough operational review and immediate corrective action are necessary to bring the guest experience up to the standard the property promises.

How close it was to the Capitol One Arena