Kimpton Carlyle Hotel Dupont Circle by Kimpton Hotels

I normally don't write such horrid reviews, but I must say this was highway robbery!

Incurred a $57 "guest amenity" charge that wasn't clearly stated on HotelTonight app (you have to dig all the way below amenities, by the fine print). We were informed that this took into account amenities like WiFi and other features, none of which we used as this was only a quick weekend trip.

And no, this wasn't stated on receipt, email confirmation, nor the shopping cart. Customer service rep should have offered a reimbursement or at least a credit for the future. Very and blatantly misleading, sad since the location was ideal for our stay.

I am currently displaced because of a fire in my apartment building so I have been staying here for a little over a week now and have gotten very acquainted with the hotel and it's staff. The hotel itself has a great location, being right off New Hampshire in DuPont. Very walkable area. So many restaurants and places within walking distance. The actual hotel is cute, the rooms are modern and clean.

The customer service is awesome and the reason this is a 4.5 star review. I checked in on my birthday and Ashley, one of the members of the guest services team took it upon herself to have a chocolate mousse cake, bottle of cab, and personalized note sent to my room. How classy! Love when people go above and beyond with good customer service and she definitely did that!!! The rest of the staff has been really cool too, whenever I need something they don't hesitate to send someone up to service me. The housekeeping department has been wonderful, I feel like we have really built a strong rapport. They know my schedule so it works perfectly.

I love that the location is in the middle of all these embassies, so it gives me good scenery to walk by when I'm taking a smoke break. Probably would've never known about this place had I not been displaced so I'm glad I've gotten familiar.

The Kimpton Carlyle is the second Kimpton property I have stayed at. I liked it, but I didn't love it.

Before saying anything bad, lets talk about what I thought was good:

1. The customer service. I had many conversations with the front desk about the room, needing amenities, and whatnot and they were always friendly and helpful.
2. In true Kimpton style, they have the free wine happy hour from 5-6p. Who doesn't like a free glass of wine?
3. Kimpton always has the most comfortable beds on the planet.
4. Check out is at noon.

A few issues:

1. The building has one heating and cooling unit. So if the building has the heat on, you can't turn the a/c on if you're hot. When I stayed there, they had nothing on so neither the a/c or the heat worked. My room was a balmy 76 degrees which for me is terrible. I like a cold hotel room. They offered me a fan which I took and I had to sleep with the windows open to cool down the room.
2. The hotel doesn't really have any amenities. There is no pool or hot tub. It does have a small gym and the wifi wasn't that great.
3. The elevator was beyond slow and super small- something I am learning is a common theme in Kimpton hotels.

The hotel is located in Dupont Circle which is a great neighborhood. For the price you can't beat it. Not my favorite hotel I've ever stayed at but definitely not the worst. I wouldn't mind staying here again if I needed to, but it wouldn't be on the top of my list.

Good location, modern decor. You will find no coffee maker in your room. You have to dress up to go to lobby for some morning coffee - very annoying. Th bar service was pretty friendly and welcoming.

This hotel isn't as cool as the Ace Hotel in NYC, it doesn't want to be. It has a different vibe, a DC vibe. When you walk into the lobby, there is a small desk to the side. Luckily there wasn't anyone in the lobby so check in was a breeze. Once I was given the room key, I was told to help myself to happy hour. Happy hour?! There was a woman with a cart pouring reds, whites and prosecco! Oh yeah and they were huge pours!!

Once we had our *free* drinks, we went to the elevators to go up to our floor. Just pushing the button isn't going to get you upstairs. You need to wave your room key at the reader. Very nice in terms of security, there is a bar downstairs so this system could deter some creeps.

Our room? Very hip. The bathroom was packed with the best soaps and conditioner. I also loved the shower, very cool. No rub a dub dub in the tub, there is only a tight stand up shower.
The mini bar? I raided it! Great snacks & yummy treats.

Finally the bed. King size, it was nice but I'm not a king size bed guy. At night I couldn't find my wife. Its like a bowling alley mattress. haha

How the The Carlyle, a Kimpton Hotel gets you is parking your ride. Eye yi yi! $40 bucks?? You could park on the street for free but my car is oh so sexy, I need my baby protected by armed personnel.

Everyone is talking about Kimpton hotels. It must meet the Kimpton standard. I never heard of Kimpton hotels?? I dunno, I liked the hotel. The room was cool and I had brunch in the restaurant. Go Kimptons??!

In summation of this review, I had a great night stay at The Carlyle, a Kimpton Hotel.
*Make sure to say the Kimpton Hotel. It's that fan-say

Excellent value. Great little boutique hotel located in a very walkable neighborhood. All staff from the check-in to the folks we bumped into in the halls and elevator have been so gracious and welcoming (thanks, Brian).

Small rooms, however very clean. Comfortable king bed. Request a corner room for a fantastic view!!

All the Kimpton perks; free wine hour, AM coffee bar, in-room mini bar, room service, and dog friendly.

The adjoining restaurant is great, as well.

My husband and I were in town for a friend's wedding and we booked a room under her block at the Kimpton Carlyle. The location is perfect - easy walking distance to anything in the DuPont Circle area. I requested an early check-in and we were able to get our room keys right away when we arrived just before 2pm.

The hotel lobby is currently featuring some really incredible artwork - I was thrilled to see two originals by Takashi Murakami! Also, I'm a fan of The Riggsby and had another solid experience at their bar for a pre-wedding drink.

As for the rooms, ours was a decent size and had a massive flatscreen TV. I also loved the bed, which had a very firm mattress that may have been some sort of memory foam. The lighting could have been a bit brighter in the room.

And now, for my biggest critique, which seems to be a recurring trend: the bathroom door. In this case, it was a frosted glass pane which swung open and shut. It was not at all private, and there were gaps between the door and the walls. What the heck?! I hate this trend of peek-a-boo bathroom doors in hotels!

I won't ever give a hotel five stars if the bathroom isn't private the way it should be. Sorry! I'm not on board. With that off my chest, I really did enjoy everything else about the hotel.

I love the Kimpton Hotels. This one in DuPont Circle was perfectly located for getting around D.C. I was staying for a few nights with a friend in a double room. The room was modern, roomy enough for 2 nad clean. The shower was awesome, and the shower products were full size which I have never seen at a hotel. The staff at the hotel was great. Unfortunately, I was traveling from RI during one of our crazy winter storms and missed 3 flights! I was actually scheduled to stay for 4 nights but missed the first one. I was able to cancel ahead so I feared I would be billed for the night I missed. I mentioned it at check in and was told they would take the fee for the first night off, YAY! Also, how can you not love happy hour every night? The wine was actually quite good too. Kimpton Hotels (IHG) are among my favorite to stay at. I look forward to my next vacation.

Gorgeous boutique hotel with superb and friendly service, attention to detail, amazing ambiance, gorgeous rooms, comfortable and plush bedding, prodding, pillows, and duvet, amazing toiletries, and a fantastic restaurant inside, The Riggsby. I could not be happier with my choice to stay there this past Wednesday and highly recommend this lovely hotel to anyone and everyone in the area who is looking for quality & comfort. I also love the fact that they have extra added security because you can even go upwards or downwards in the elevator unless you hold your room key to a sensor pad in the elevator. Perfect. Another huge plus, there are always a few taxis waiting right outside to take you wherever you need to go. 5 stars all the way!!

I had a nice stay at this hotel.

My high points:
Cute lobby
Cute bar and restaurant with yummy things
Nice bath products
Comfy bed with good pillows
Free happy hour
Convenient location

What I didn't love:
Room was very small and not very cute

I'm gonna check out the Topaz next time