I booked a stay at the Hilton Washington DC National Mall at the Wharf, and this place makes you feel incredibly underwhelmed. It's not the worst place I've ever stayed--it's certainly a step up from a Motel 6--but considering this is a Hilton, the experience was disappointing enough that I wouldn't recommend staying here unless you have no other options.
The rooms feel soulless, like an empty, cheaply renovated warehouse or perhaps office space that was hastily turned into a hotel. While you might think "warehouse" implies spaciousness, that's not the case here. The furniture is cheap, poorly assembled, and doesn't feel sturdy--especially the footrest, which wobbled so much it was practically unusable. The lighting in the room is terrible, making the whole space feel a bit dreary. The layout of the room (and the entire space) feels awkward, almost like no one considered how the design would make guests feel comfortable. The feng shui is just off, and the atmosphere is uninviting.
Cleanliness was a recurring concern. It wasn't filthy, but little dirty bits stood out--crumbs and leftover food on tables, sticky marks, and a general layer of dust on surfaces. The coffee machine had visible mineral buildup. There were urine droplets on the bathroom floor, which immediately raised questions about how well the rest of the room had been cleaned. While inspecting the room, still fully clothed with my jacket on, I opened the toilet bowl and saw what appeared to be pubic hairs in there. It was gross, disgusting, and completely unsanitary. To top it off, I found a dead bug on the floor and noticed large black scrape marks on the walls. There's also a mysterious dark brown stain on the floor near the entrance. I don't think it's poop, but the fact that I had to question it says enough.
When I first walked into the room late at night, all I wanted was to crash and get some sleep. The room was freezing at 65 degrees, and the thermostat wouldn't let me adjust the temperature higher. I called the front desk, and it took about 45 minutes for an engineer to finally get the heating to work. By that point, I was so exhausted that it made an already bad experience even worse. You would think at a Hilton the thermostat would work properly without requiring a late-night service call. I've since noticed in other reviews that I'm not the only one who has had issues with the thermostat--some guests report it not cooling, while others, like me, couldn't get it to heat. It's clearly a recurring problem that they haven't fixed. On top of this, the air conditioner is so loud it's nearly impossible to sleep, adding to an already frustrating experience.
This feels like a poorly executed attempt to turn office space into a hotel. A bed, chair, table, and TV were thrown into what feels like some random meeting room, and everything feels cheap. It's hard not to notice these things, and once you do, you start wondering about the cleanliness and maintenance of everything else--especially the bed and bathroom.
Again, if it's between this Hilton and a Motel 6, I'd choose the Hilton. But if you have literally any other option, I'd suggest going elsewhere. For the price, this experience simply doesn't live up to Hilton standards, and it leaves you questioning the brand's attention to quality and detail. read more