This was my third time at the Fairmont Washington and it remains a truly wonderful place to stay. I was upgraded to a Capital permier Corner Suite which was quite beautiful--separate sitting and dining area, king bed etc. The hotel is smaller than some of the giant DC conference factories and so has an intimacy and warmth that make me want to return.

The conceirge staff, as always, were most helpful, and the room service staff were exceptional--even remembering from time to time where I liked the meal set up.

This is a great hotel in a truly amazing city.

We stayed in one of the regular rooms, with two "double" (not really that big) beds. The room was average to a bit larger, with a desk, small table, a couple of regular chairs, one arm chair, a clean ironing board and a good quality iron, and one small analog TV set. The room was clean and generally well maintained.
But, there were a variety of small annoyances during our visit that one should not have at a hotel that is this nice and this expensive: the shower head was damaged and only provided a hoselike deluge of water;
one day housekeeping service took the hotel robe we had left on the back of a chair and did not replace it;
the lobby bar was closed one night without notice, explanation, or apology;
the lobby ATM machine was out of order.
But, the person that checked us in, Deborah Arnold, was the smartest, nicest, and most efficient front desk person I have ever met.
We would definitely stay here again, but there are some minor improvements needed to reach perfection.

This hotel is beautiful and within walking distance to Georgetown but that's about it. It is far from everything else. The room was lovely and the view of the Westin was nice. Bed was incredibly comfortable.

Nice but I wouldn't recommend it

I really enjoyed my stay here. I have found Fairmonts to be pretty close in quality to Four Seasons and Ritz-Carltons, but a lot cheaper in price (if you search for a deal). This hotel was no exception. The service isn't quite up to the FS/RC level, but everything else was.

The hotel is in DC's West End, about five blocks east of Georgetown (a very pleasant walk) and the same distance north of the Foggy Bottom Metro station (located in the GW Med Center... easily missed because trees have grown over the sign... look for escalators going down). Located in what is for the most part a quiet residential neighborhood, the Fairmont is surrounded by other hotels... it's right across the street from the Park Hyatt and Westin Grand, and a block from the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott.

Our large corner suite was just renovated (we got an upgrade thanks to being members of Fairmont's Presidents Club) and was extremely tastefully decorated... on par with a new Four Seasons (except for the bathroom, which was just okay... small, with only one sink and the old marble from the previous decor). The bed seemed a bit firm, but was overall very comfortable. Although we were on a low floor, we were on a side street and heard no traffic noise. Don't know if the rooms on "M" street are as quiet, but the windows seemed very soundproofed. Alas, if you want a view, you don't get one in this part of DC, as the area is flat and every building is 10 stories high. We overlooked the Park Hyatt and some offices across the alley.

The lobby is large and beautiful, and is adjacent to a very attractive courtyard where you can have breakfast, lunch and/or drinks. I would have had breakfast there every day, if it weren't for the Starbuck's directly across the street. Incidentally, there's a Starbuck's and a CVS Pharmacy on virtually every corner of the city.

The only problem I had during my stay was finding a valet to park my car ($30 a night) pretty much every evening. I would drive up around 11/11:30 PM and there was no one (valet or bellman) at the front of the hotel. One night, I literally had to poke my head into the valet's office and ask to have my car parked. The valets were very pleasant, so I didn't mind too much, but it's something they need to work on.

From check-in to check-out, it was a great stay. For the price, I would totally choose this hotel over the Four Seasons in Georgetown, either Ritz-Carlton in the area or the Park Hyatt (although their Blueduck Tavern on the ground floor looked like a really stylish place for drinks/and or dinner).

Restaurant tip: At all costs, avoid Eric Ripert's Westend Bistro at the Ritz-Carlton a block away. The prices are low, it looks really nice from the outside and the hostesses were great, but our waiter was indifferent at best and the food was really not good. Also, if you get a window seat, you look out at an Exxon station and/or condemned buildings that are about to be torn down to build the 1 Hotel across the street.