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Omni Shoreham Hotel
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Woodley Park
2500 Calvert St NW
(between N 24th St & N 28th St)
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 234-0700
2500 Calvert St NW
(between N 24th St & N 28th St)
Washington, DC 20008
(202) 234-0700
- Nearest Transit:
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Woodley Park-Zoo|Adams Morgan (Red)
- Price Range:
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$$$
32 reviews for Omni Shoreham Hotel
A great hotel that makes you feel like some foreign dignitary walking the halls and lobbies. They have great highlights of bygone times at the hotel - from Clinton playing sax at his inauguration to the Beatles taking an entire wing on their US concert tour.
Walking into the lobby, it is pretty magnificent. Grandiose.
Then you get up to your room, and it retains a lot of the old hotel charm it was probably known for in the past. Glass door knobs. A window in the bathroom. Creaky wood floors. Lots of stately furniture.
Decent food service. They have a ton of meeting space as you go deeper into the hotel. And they've a beautiful patio and pool area in the back that overlooks some sweet homes in Woodley Park.
Close to the Metro line, and lots of food places in the area to eat. Or you can cross the Duke Ellington Bridge over into Adams Morgan and pig out on anything and everything.
The only downer? The hallways on the room floors looks like something from the Overlook Hotel in the Shining.
Cool place for a visit to DC.
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I stayed at this hotel a couple of times, both for a jappy jappy animu con..Katsucon to be exact.
The hotel itself is beautiful and the land outside is well kept. The layout is nice too, even though whole half and half set up is kind of annoying when you have friends staying on the other side of the place.
The staff could be a little nicer/friendlier but then again, I doubt I'd be the nicest person if I was dealing with 500 pound trolls beating each other with foam swords. They kinda seemed overwhelmed with the thousands of rabid obese girls whacking severely famished emo guys with wooden paddles while screaming for them to make out with eachother. Maybe I'm just bitter, but you'd think they'd learn after each year.
Check in/out is alright....they kinda file you through the whole process, although god forbid you have a complaint. Whatever, we're paying their paychecks, so they should just shut up and fix the problem.\
I have to say I enjoy the bar the best, they didn't card me when I went the one year, I think they were distracted by the drunken fat guy dressed as jack sparrow....whatever, worked out in my favor.
Other than that, I think it's an OK place...there's a bunch of restaurants a block or so over, full of people who like to gawk at the animu nerds. I guess I'd stay there again if I ever decide to dive back into the cesspool world of Katsucon.
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nestled upon over 10 acres of land and housing more than 800 rooms, the omni shoreham is breathtakingly gorgeous to say the least!
being my first trip to dc, i wanted to stay somewhere sort of posh. of course the omni was at the top of the list! to my surprise, it was also reasonably priced. (i didn't use priceline or any other travel website. i booked directly with the omni.) i was entertained by a sign on the back of my hotel room door. it stated the cost per night was $499 and $50 extra per person per night. that means, we should have paid $599 a night! HAHAHAHAHAHA YA RIGHT! i believe with taxes and everything the room came out to being somewhere along the lines of $150 a night. not bad! :D
not only was the room HUGE, but it had a patio, vanity room, and a walk in closet! HAZAH! all huge pluses when a single room is hosting three females! the hotel even had a pool! we were playing super tourists, so unfortuanatley the pool closed by time we were ready for it. did i mention the faboosh service and friendliness of the staff?! if only all hotels could model themselves after the omni, i'd likely never have any complaints.
overall, this is a great hotel! $15 cab fare to union station, across the street from the metro red line and located close to some cute restaurants. i would definitely go back to dc and stay at the shoreham!
Great lobby, BUT warm hot water for my showers, and slow & small elevators. Food is okay, pretty good value. Old hotel, but pretty much renovated. Great staff. Front bar and lobby are very nice looking. Free wi-fi in the lobby. This hotel has a lot of charm.
Fabulously wonderful breakfast with emphasis on food of exceptional quality. Outstanding service. Elegant and historic setting. It simply does not get better in the nation's capital.
I was thouroughly impressed by everything at this hotel. Our room was beautiful, the beds were comfortable, the staff were extremely helpful and nice. I loved the neighborhood, and it was a block from the red line making it really easy to get around.
I just want to say that the Omni Corporate has been helpful and accommodating in resolving my situation. They reimbursed the expenses I requested (out of pocket) and have apologized for the incident. Although I still would have liked to hear personally from the individuals in management at the Shoreham, I am grateful that the Omni corporate took our situation seriously and treated us with respect and kindness. I am willing to give the Omni another try.
Thank you to the people who were supportive of us during a difficult situation!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/9/2009
How can I post ZERO stars? Here was my experience at the Omni Shoreham Hotel:
After being treated… Read more »
This hotel is absolutely gorgous and I can't believe no one has uploaded photos of it yet. See the ones we just added.
The Beatles stayed here in 1962 and you can find full details about that on one of the poles in the back of the grand lobby.
I will not comment on the prices as this was booked by a company so I wasn't paying for it, but when staying here personally next time in DC we will look for a priceline rate... Also not sure of the normal rooms but the suites are massive with a large living room, (separate bedroom), tall ceilings, huge draped windows. Pure luxury.
The elevators are period sized. 4 people per. Nice and cozy.
Parking is high. $14 for an hour and it's -only valet-. You might get lucky and find some street parking, but don't count on that. If you like walking (exercise IS good for you :)) there are some residential neighborhoods where you can park and walk home, yet the walk can be expected up to two miles.
While I can't guarantee that staying here is going to cause you to see President Obama, we did. We headed down Connecticut towards Dupont Circle when suddenly the street was shut down by motorcycle cops. And sure enough, after 10 motorcycle Police here came the fake limo (license plate US2) with only a driver, otherwise empty, then the real US1 limo with Obama and one other person in the back (we could see him very clearly as he was only 30 feet from us) then all of the secret service black SUV's, etc. That was cool. I would have thought that the Presidential limo would have blacked out windows, but it doesn't. You can see right through it. They were speeding like bats out of hell and my wife summed it up quite well, by saying "Wow, that was like a gang!". We will never forget it, and it was a great way to welcome her father to the United States. :)
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We are Omni Select members and always try to stay at either Omni or Kimpton hotels when we travel. We scored a room at this Omni in DC at a great rate through http://Priceline.com. We were actually shocked that we got a room at this price.
When we checked in our room was not ready, so they upgraded/switched us to a king size smoking room. The whole floor reeked of cigarette smoke, but it was our choice to make the switch so I can't really complain.
The hotel is in the great area of Woodley Park and right across the street from the Metro so it's very conveinant with lots of stuff around within walking distance.
The staff was amazing and wicked friendly! The door was always held open for us when we came back to the hotel. I would definitely stay here again.
There were several conventions going on within the hotel, so there were convention people EVERYWHERE which was slightly annoying, but we didnt spend much time in the lobby so it was only coming and going that we had to deal with that.
Overall, a great stay
I stayed at this hotel through a convention. The room was large and spacious, the beds were to die for, everything was clean and the staff were pleasant.
Several inconveniences abound at this hotel:
1) Each wing has only 2 elevators, which, at a convention, makes for a lot of people waiting at every floor for the elevator. If you happen to stay here at the same time as a large convention, resign yourself to occasionally having to take the stairs.
2) To find the convention rooms in this hotel is not easy. They need better signage.
3) The breakfast we had that was provided through the hotel for the conference (this is NOT the room service, which I heard was delicious, but a buffet for about 1,500 people), was good, but was too often Mexican themed, which some people do not want to eat for breakfast.
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An older hotel but luxury at it's finest. Staff bent over backwards to tend to our every request. Worth every nickel. Room very comfortable.
This is a beautiful hotel. Lobby and other public spaces are very nicely appointed. The guest rooms have been updated with new bedding and flat screen TVs. The service was absolutely impeccable. Our needs were met promptly and cheerfully.
The metro is about 1.5 blocks away, the zoo about twice as far as that.
I was traveling with a 5yr. old, and he was given a little souvenir backpack with some little toys and a small package of gummy worms. If you don't want your child to have that, be prepared to jump in there before they hand it directly to the child. We don't 'do' candy for our kids, but they were too quick for me, so he lucked out! It was vacation, after all, so what the heck.
The pool and hot-tub supposedly close on Oct. 1 each year, but as we toured the hotel's common areas one evening around the 4th we noticed people swimming! We jumped in and had a great time, since the pool was still heated and was nearly empty. The grounds are very pretty and the pool area is quite nice and large.
We were there on an internet rate of about $150/night. We were given a 3rd floor room, overlooking the roof of the lobby and the street plus the condos across the way. If you care about a park view, be sure to ask. We didn't (5 yr. olds would rather see the cars, trucks, and maybe even FIRE ENGINES!!!), so we didn't.
I took the other Yelper's advice to join the Omni Select program, and it really was great! Every morning we requested coffee and OJ, which were delivered promptly and with panache. I tipped $2/day for this service. I'm not sure if that was adequate, in retrospect. Maybe I'll do $4 next time... Also, we got a paper (no, not a "USA Today," I said a PAPER- you know, with actual NEWS and whatnot), and complimentary in-room wifi. Be sure to have your Omni Select number handy at check-in. If you sign up right before you go, you won't have your card yet, so jot it down from the email.
Oh, and the business center charges are pretty exorbitant, BUT they'll let you print your airline boarding passes free! That worked slick (slickly?), and I really appreciated that little touch.
When I return to DC, I'll stay at the Omni again. That is to say...I'll be back!
Enjoy!
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Though heavily trafficked by crowds of convention goers and wedding parties, the Omni is a really lovely hotel. I live in the neighborhood and when my parents aren't staying at a Kimpton property, they choose the Omni for its proximity to the metro and also for its fine service.
The Omni's property in Woodley Park overlooks Rock Creek Parkway, and they have an absolutely stunning garden, which wins my mother & I over immediately. Add brunch on the patio overlooking the gorgeous garden and we're in heaven...my boyfriend and I came here recently for their tasty buffet-style brunch and garden seating and though it was pricey, it was worth it for the meal & the atmosphere.
The rooms are spacious & well appointed. I love the big, old hotel charm of the omni...with heavy fabrics and ornate decor. The beds are comfortable which was very important this trip as I had just had back surgery and needed some respite from my busy apartment. The Omni was the perfect place and I've spent considerable time lying near their pool enjoying the peace & quiet.
Kudos to the staff for their attentiveness! I've been hobbling around the property post-surgery and nearly everyone I see has assisted with doors, helping me up steps, etc. which has been really wonderful.
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I booked this hotel through http://priceline.com, but you'd never know it. The service was great. The rooms are large and the hotel was very accommodating for all my needs. The neighborhood location is great. The biggest drawback is the parking situation. I avoided the hefty parking fee by parking on the street (free on weekends) and also avoided the seemingly ridiculous wait for the valet parking.
Overall, this is a beautiful hotel steeped in history. It's especially great when you book on http://hotels.com, etc, and don't pay full price.
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Easy, quick, online check-in? Check.
2 Large King Beds (for little ole' 5'2 ME) with nice, fancy thread count sheets in non-smoking room? Check.
Fitness Center with machines made after 1975 (come on now, you KNOW you've stayed at hotels with archaic fitness centers)? Check.
Lovely smelling bathroom shampoos, conditioners, soap and other such sanitary products? Check.
MINT CHOCOLATES (that melted in my mouth every night- take your mind out of the gutter right now) left on my pillow EVERY NIGHT? Check, check, triple check.
I am sold. Yes, there are negatives about this hotel: you have to pay for the fitness center ($18 unlimited your whole stay). Staff was friendly. Gentlemen opened the doors for me all the time. Man, I felt like a w-o-m-a-n, which is nice, after months of only getting hit on by older (55 and up) ethnic (hey, I'm not hating, I'm armenian) cab drivers.
But overall, the OMNI provided me with a relaxing and comforting room to come 'home' to after each day of conference and meeting madness.
Every time I think of this place, I take a serious trip down memory lane. Let me tell you how it goes. It was summer, and my then-boyfriend (now ex) had an internship in DC over summer. We made a trip out of my birthday (belated), and I went to visit him for a lovely long weekend. We chose this hotel since it was conveniently located for what/where we wanted, and we were hoping for all the charm that the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston had.
Well, it was a really cute hotel. The rooms are large and elegant (actually larger than the Omni in Boston, if you're comparing), and I really liked the hallways - thick carpets, warm and welcoming lights, large mirrors in appropriate places, clean, stately. The bathrooms are clean, the rooms were clean in general, and the bed really comfy (I love mounds of soft, feathery, expensive hotel pillows!) The lobby was comfortable and spacious, they had a good cafe and a lot of nice facilities, from conference rooms to fitness areas, and I remember taking a sunny, pleasant walk across the grounds. The food wasn't bad either - we had a small daytime meal in their restaurant. I loved how there was so much history associated with the place.
But what really made me remember this hotel is the staff. They were absolutely, truly, exceptional. Always friendly, courteous, helpful. And maybe this is a little TMI, but let me tell you what really hit home with me. My ex (then bf) was diabetic, and after he was careless with his insulin one night, I woke up in the middle of the night to him having a seizure. My heart was pounding in such fear, I was so panicked, he had bitten on his tongue during the fit and there was blood all over the pillows, he was shaking and seizing up, pale as a corpse. In my panic, I calmed my breath and called the concierge, asking them to call 911 or send a doctor up there ASAP, please please please, and tried my best to figure out what to do without losing it.
The hotel manager was up there in an instant. The guy was an angel, honestly, helped me cover up the boy, calmed me down, was so soothing, professional, helpful, and did what he could to make the situation better, both emotionally and medically to his best ability. Help was up there very, very shortly after. The docs were wonderful - brought all their equipment with them, no need for emergency room hospital trip, and were just so amazing. They got him back to normal in such a short time, made me feel comforted in the meantime, and gave instructions on what to do. Room service was there within minutes after they left, with all the things he needed to eat following the situation. The concierge stayed, giving us the utmost attention until he was absolutely sure everything was ok with us before he left. He even called daily until we left to make sure (ex) bf was doing better.
I can't imagine what they must have thought of it. I know crazy stuff happens in hotels all the time, and I never imagined I'd be part of one such story. But I am so, so grateful that it happened in a place with such exceptional staff and service - and it is for this reason that I will remember the people here as outstanding. :) Thank you!
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I love this hotel. I wish I were able to stay during a non-convention weekend, since most things like some of the shops were closed and such.
But, this is a great place. I attended Katsucon, an anime/Japanese culture convention that is always held here. Even though the hotel was jam packed with anime lovers, lounging in the various hallways, eating pizza and carryout, being generally loud and having fun, the staff was allways attentive, nice and helpful.
I had made a mistake during booking my reservations. I booked one king, thinking I would get 2 king beds. How? I'm not totally sure. But, the Ahmed (Yea, I remembered your name! He was great), made sure that I was able to get the double that I wanted. Checking in and out were quick and easy, housekeeping was friendly and I even got free wifi and a paper outside my door in the mornings. :)
The hotel is beautiful. This year weather was pretty nice, so I found myself outside in the courtyard taking pictures of people in their customs. I didn't go out last year since it was cold. But, man, that place is huge and beautiful! Lovely landscaping and a few gazebos really impressed me. At night the trees that line the walkways are lit. I'm not sure if they just forgot the X-mas lights or what, but it still was pretty. I promised myself that next year, I will come back to take more pictures. Or even have a romantic dinner out there.
All in all, I give the Omni a 5/5. I wish I could give 10.
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Omni is one of my favorite brands, so maybe I'm biased but I think this is a really great hotel. The rooms are big and clean, and the bathrooms are cute. The hotel itself can only be described as "grand." I attended a conference here once and even the meeting rooms are beautiful. It's close to the Woodley Park metro, though tucked back a little further near the Rock Creek Parkway. Get ready to pay for the parking though -- it ain't cheap.
The Omni Shoreham was also the setting of a falsified article written by Stephen Glass, the defamed New Republic journalist. Random tidbit, but interesting to me all the same. The hotel is in the movie Shattered Glass, which is obviously a favorite of mine.
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When I was in 6th grade we studied Greek mythology. The first thing I could think of to compare the Omni to was a labyrinth! It's huge and so easy to get lost in.
The hotel is beautiful - and the rooms are spacious clean and bright. However, it sure as hell wasn't worth the 550$ rate that my room typically runs!
I was very very satisfied with my stay - the hotel is located close to Dupont Circle - the staff was nice and the room service was excellent. For 200$ it would have been a 5 star review - but just knowing that that room runs for 550$ a night - I would need like diamond encrusted shower curtain or something!
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Lots of pros & cons here. Part of me wants to give this hotel a 5-star rating, and the other part of me wishes a zero-star rating was possible.
Pros: most of the staff are extremely pleasant, accomodating and helpful. They seem genuinely nice, and very invested in making sure you have a wonderful stay. The hotel itself is lovely and charming. The beds are super-comfy... probably the most comfortable hotel bed I've ever slept in. I have really sensitive skin, and hotel sheets/linens usually make me break out in hives, but the sheets & linens here were soft, luxurious, and washed in something other than pure bleach (I'm all for getting the germies out, but some I swear some hotels must use just pure Clorox and spray starch to "clean" their linens). The food was great, and the service at the poolside bar was particularly outstanding. Room service was delicious and prompt. Lots of modern amenities in an inviting, picturesque, charming old hotel. Flat screen TV's, wifi access, and an I-pod jack in the alarm clock radio.
Now, for the cons: the front desk staff was EXTREMELY rude. Given that it's a convention hotel, you would think they would know what a credit card authorization form is and how it works. Apparently not. The hallways & rooms have the distinct, musty, unpleasant odor of an old hotel, and it seems that Omni isn't interested in changing that (maybe they think it adds to the charm?). The concierge is useless. They have a little cafe with coffee, sandwiches, snacks, etc, but it's only open from like 10:00am until 6:00pm... what the hell good does that do me? Everything else is open during those hours! Most (cheaper)hotels have a place like that that's open 24 hours, or at least from say 6:00am to 10:00pm, and not the other way around. And everything, from room service to the fitness center (yes, they charge you to use the fitness center!) is ridiculously pricey. Luckily, the company I worked for paid for my room, and they got a convention rate. I certainly wouldn't be forking over $500 per night of my own hard-earned cash for the experience I had here.
This is a charming hotel on the inside, and you would never have guessed it from its unattractive exterior. It is a nostalgic hotel with a long history. The foyer is grand and spacious. Historical memorabilia is decked throughout the main level. Numerous celebrities have frequented the hotel in times past.
The rooms are twice the size of typical hotel rooms. The furnishings and everything about the hotel is very antiquish.
The location is very nice too. It is close to the zoo, the subway, and a quaint shopping district with numerous restaurants. If you want to enjoy a hotel that is a little on the outskirts, this is an excellent choice.
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In the interest of full disclosure, I Hotwire'd this hotel so we paid way less than the usual rate. I'd recommend doing this if you're pretty sure you're looking at the Omni and not the Marriott.
Our room was really spacious for a hotel with an extremely comfortable bed, large desk, sitting chair with table, and large bureau with a flat-screen tv. We also had a walk-in closet that wasn't huge, but could easily hold a week or two's worth of suits. The room appeared to have been recently updated and remodeled and was very clean. The bathroom was a little small but very functional.
I signed up for the Omni Select Guest program, which is free, and I'd definitely recommend it. Each day you can have two beverages delivered to your room free of charge, along with a newspaper. You also get complimentary turndown service and can request robes. The beverage service in the morning was amazing - we ordered V8 and hot chocolate and got two glasses of V8 and a pitcher of piping hot water with hot chocolate mix delivered right at the time we requested it.
This is a convention hotel, so be prepared to have people with badges and nametags swarming the lobby. We were out doing the tourist thing most of the day, so it wasn't too bothersome, but did make the wait for elevators a little long.
I disagree with the Yelpers who complained about the distance to the metro - it's maybe two blocks. I don't know how much more convenient than that you can get. Yes, the metro station does have a ridiculously long escalator, but you know what? Take the elevator or (here's an idea!) walk down the escalator! I take public transit pretty regularly when I travel and I wasn't really bothered by this at all. You're also only a few stops from downtown and we were able to get to National in about 25 minutes during rush hour.
The staff at the hotel was courteous, handing out free maps and providing us with water while we waited for our luggage to be brought out of the luggage room. The Express Check-in was also very efficient.
I don't know that I'd recommend paying the $499 a night that was posted in our room, but for $134 we got a great deal.
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I flew into DC on a red eye so we got there (after a hair raising airport shuttle ride from the airport) about 8:00. I know check in is generally at 3 but I've checked into hotels early before but I didn't assume my room would be ready. And our room wasn't ready they took my cell number and said they'd call us when it was. We ended up floating around the hotel and eventually camping out in the lobby for hours. I'd check the desk a few times to see the progress there wasn't any. At 1:00 I figured after watching many many people checking out a room would have to be ready, it was but no one called us. So we get up to our room, nice size (like most older hotels, new city hotel rooms are smaller), great view and nice flat panel TV, (very important for my hotel stays). As we're waiting for the bellman to come up with our bags and we notice that the light in the entry way, the bathroom and the closet (which was big) were all flickering off and on for no reason. Then we noticed the we got no reception on the TV. We called down to the front desk and they said they would give us another room. When the bags come we notify him that we will be changing rooms but we notice half the bags are not ours and we're missing about four bags. The bellman says he will fix the bag problem and he calls down to the front expedite the room change. He escorts us to our new room and it's a different layout but still roomy but no view : ( but that's the least of our problems, because the the same problem the other room has this room has. A couple of the lights kept flickering and the TV had no reception. The bellman called down to the front desk again for us and informs us the front desk says there's no other room available at the rate we have. We told him if they think we are staying there in a room with disco lights and no TV they are sadly mistaken. So we go down to the front desk and the bellman meets us down there. First we get our bag situation straight. Then we go to the front desk to get the room straight. The bellman was actually more helpful and apologetic than the front desk clerk. Actually the person at the front desk never apologized. We finally got a room and it was a great size and with a great view functioning lights and TV.
The rest of the stay was good. It's worth signing up for their hotel member. You get a choice of morning papers, free morning coffee or choice of juices and a bread, (like toast or bagel) and turn down service at night. It's nice to come back to the room in the evening and little mint (which I don't like but still nice) on the pillow and the TV is on turned to the relaxation channel. I've never understood the process of turning down someones sheets. I guess you could be so tired at the end of the day that you wouldn't have the strength to pull your sheets back and you'd end up sleep on top of them?
The hotel grounds are lovely it's close to a metro stop and you have many choices of restaurants in the area. But I don't understand having to pay to use a hotel's fitness room. My tip never do it the person at the desk (no matter what hotel) never cares especially if you come in near closing.
Beside the experience with the front desk during check in our stay was nice. The front desk was busy but maybe they need to take a second and relax relate and release. Because it stuck in my head they never apologized for not calling us when our room was ready and the bellman was more instrumental in getting us a working room.
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Beautifully-appointed rooms decorated in an elegant style. The rooms are spacious, and hallways are luxurious with warm lighting and rich carpets... but be prepared to shell out $200/night or more for even the most conservative of rooms.
However, the bathroom is why the Omni gets only three stars from me. These bathrooms are old, with all old fixtures and sink. The tile floor is worn and freezes your toes! The window in the bathroom is a small, wooden-framed, sliding window that reminds me of my grandma's house--not what you should be reminded of when you're paying so much for a night at the Omni!
The hotel frequently hosts conferences, as it has many large conference rooms. Hotel staff are always good about setting up and attending to conference rooms. The hotel has several very large and elegant ballrooms that can seat several hundred. They're also able to transform the basement into an exhibit hall, albeit the ceilings are low.
The hotel has a very nice restaurant and several nice bars and coffee shops. But again, be prepared to spend $10 on a cobb salad from the coffee shop. The lobby itself is also very elegant, with beautiful couches, seats, and tables. One of the biggest downsides is the additional charge for wireless internet.
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Summary:
--location is terrible, unless you're spending a lot of time at the zoo
--factory hotel
--somewhat confusing layout
--pretty spread out
Yet Another Convention Hotel that's sometimes available on Priceline. Be prepared for a trek (relative) over the river and through the woods from the closest metro. If you're staying here to be a DC turista, be prepared for spending a lot of time on the Metro with slow escalators and deep, dark tunnels. On the other land, it can be cheap, which redeems a lot of sins. Say a prayer as you're dodging the badge wearers, all of whom have never walked in a setting with more than 2 people before.
The shared facilities are great but the accommodations are...meh.
I was here for a convention last weekend and there's plenty of space to host events. I like the antique vibe of the lobbies and event halls. The dinner served at the banquet was really good as far as hotel catering goes. The hotel has been around since the 1930's after all.
HOWEVER, I would just recommend thinking twice if you want to book a room here. Trust me, you can find better comforts in a way better location and at nearly half the rate. The interiors are dated, they only had TWO pillows in our King Delux room (where are those piles of pillows in all those different sizes that you would expect in a $250/night hotel?) the AC/Heater BLASTS on and can be a huge distraction when you're trying to catch zzz's, the doors seem to be 100lbs since you can hear every door slam on your floor, including the doors being opened/closed by housekeeping, the walls are thin as rice paper since my slumber was disturbed when presumably the alarm clock next to our room went off in Radio mode and kept on until I bet housekeeping turned it off the next day when they serviced it, AND...after a 5-hour red-eye from SFO on a time warp where it was 6AM EDT and my mind was still on 3AM Pacific Time, my attempt to "catch up" on some more sleep was rudely awakened by FIRE ALARMS blaring throughout the hotel only for the staff to slip a notice under my door later that day to let guests know that it was only a false alarm. Guess the silver lining is that they even have a fire alarm system.
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Large room. Clean bathroom. Great decor outside in the back with the stone steps and fountain. The complaint that my friend had was the fact that the hotel restaurant didn't have tablecloths on their tables...what's up with that? Great location with lots of nice places to eat around the hotel. If you can snag a deal like my friend did, definitely don't hesitate to stay here.
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Type/Quality: Sunday- Wed
Price/Quantity : A 2 star hotel masquerading as a 4 star. It is appropriate though, we do have our presidential inaugural balls here...nothing like government work aye? Price ranges $100-$300-$700
Service/Accessibility: Friendly but incompetent. Here is a list of the problems I have encountered since I've been here: a. the first room was a king sized bed for my mother and myself, n'uff said I'm still traumatized
b. they "forgot" our wake up call, both of them...luckily my paranoia made me set our room alarm.
c. The concierge didn't know which side of the hotel the shuttle service would be on and refused to find it out for us... well, he seemed more perplexed on why we didn't find this out ourselves... i think its because my mom wore bright orange and he thought she was doing the crosswalk where the shuttles were...
d. They took an hour to deliver our room service, it was really good though...
e. The concierge, they clearly need more training, took 3 hours to deliver our pre-mailed package, after 2 calls, and 2 complaints. *luckily we took a nap the beds are also fantastic.
f. They concierge, maybe they should just fire their asses, pointed at the bar and said they had food... this is after the bar stopped serving food.
g. our internet cable is broken.
h. okay one nice thing: the food is pretty darn good here...
Structure/Ambiance: The hotel itself is located on a nice property, and is well maintained. I actually had to wait for their unorganized service to realize their incompetence. The beds are nice, the rooms are fine.
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Our association's meeting is coming up (at this hotel); so it will be interesting to see how it will go. i agree about the conference facilities (being a labrynth)...and i thought our hotel coordinator was kind of off-keel. we shall see.
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Our meeting just ended there. Stayed Thrs night-through today. Granted I had heard many negatives and was tentative with my expectations. But really I am pleased to report that the experience was mostly great.
The Room:When I had checked in, I was booked in a double but I asked to switch to a king. no problem, no extra charge. I was on the 5th floor. The room itself, which overlooked the pool and Rock Creek Park beyond, was large. Plenty of room. Minimially furnished, which I was fine with. The wallpaper was bright and the carpet looked new. No minifridge which I considered calling down about to see, but Maid service brought ice and iced the beers that I had bought without me asking them to do so. They changed that ice daily which I appreciated. The bathroom was small (think a closet) but bright. I had to call down for a bathrobe, which was absolutely worth it. Very comfortable bathrobe. Big HD flat screen TV with HBO and other essential channels. There was wifi in the room but I had left my computer at home so I can't comment on that. I had to be up early each morning for the meeting, but the wakeup calls were prompt and there was a followup call 15 minutes later which I appreciated. chocolates and turn-down service in the evenings.
The Meeting: the staff made the difference. i know it's their job to be friendly and helpful but I felt they went above and beyond. They had some nice meeting rooms and some older ones. Staff was constantly checking in which we appreciated. We had some AV issues but nothing we couldn't handle. The hotel is convenient to CT. ave, the metro station (a block), and a host of decently priced restaurants; cvs. the food that they provided for the meetings was consistently delicious. I wouldn't hesitate to recommends them to anyone to have a meeting.
one con; their workout facility had an associated fee. i didn't partake.
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I'm yelping Simone out, the front office manager at the OMNI Shoreham. She needs to get a new job. Preferably one that's not in customer service. I mean, I hate my job and all too, but at least I'm doing something about it. Like staying at the Omni the night before a job interview so I could be as well-rested & polished as can be. But nope, I barely had time to iron my suit. In order to accommodate a bunch of teenagers checking in EARLY, I couldn't check out at 1PM instead of noon. Avoid this OMNI and other "convention" OMNIs like the plague. And especially steer clear if you own a pit bull.... a quote from this particular OMNI's pet policy,"no exotic or wild animals (i.e. snakes, pitbulls)." wtf. pitbulls are exotic... and wild?!?! Only in Washington DC... good grief.
OK I have stayed at the Omni Shoreham twice with conventions, once was booked threw the convention, the other was thew http://hotels.com. I had a better stay when I booked threw http://hotels.com, because I was related with "the Anime Convention Weirdos" The management were wonderful both times I stayed, the first time the room was not ready until 6PM, but I got upgraded to a sweet because i kept going up the chain of command has 12:00PM passed (my reserved check-in time) I also was told that I would have to pay $4.00 for the coat check to hold my bag. I would have seriously said this was the worst hotel I have ever stayed in if it were not for what happened that night. I had a friend sharing the room with me while at the anime convention and he came back to the room at about 2 AM, he was tripping on something, and went in to shock I called front desk asking for 911, and within 5 minuets they had a doctor in the room pumping his stomach, turned out hes allergic to ibuprofen, the part of this that makes me give them 4 stars in come check out i was dreading the bill after the doctor, the total was $90, and there was a note on it form the manger, stating he was sorry and wanted to offer us another night free because we had such a bad night, I took it and gave it to my mom and dad who had a wonderful night in DC.
My second stay my only compliant was that the room smelled like cheap Chinese food, but house keeping came and changed all the bed cloths, free-breezed carpet and found a box of take out shoved in the corner of the closet (ewe some people).
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I stayed at the Omni this month, and I would think twice about returning. I've stayed at plenty of older hotels, and I usually am willing to forgive a little mustiness or dated furnishings to get a little atmosphere. What I can't deal with are smelly rooms, and that's what we got when we checked into the Omni. We opened the door to our room, and we both grabbed our noses and said, "EEEW!" The room smelled sort of moldy and funky, like it hadn't been opened or used in years. Also, the tub surface was pocked and had several good-sized gouges or worn spots that were really unsightly. The door frame also had big chipped areas that had been painted over instead of repaired. We immediately called and asked for a new room, but we were told that the hotel was completely booked and that there was nothing to be done until later in our stay. We opened the windows to air out the room when we could and endured it for two nights, but after that, we insisted on a change because we were having trouble sleeping. The front desk agreed to the change and moved us to a much nicer, larger, and odor-free room later that day after a large convention checked out. But we still had two very unpleasant nights, and after we made the first call to the front desk, no effort was made to follow up to see how we were doing. I am giving three stars, though, because I really enjoyed the lovely gardens in the back of the hotel, which featured large hammocks underneath giant shade trees. Very nice way to spend a lazy summer afternoon.
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