- pyromani
- First Reviewer
- 4 out of 5
- Avg. Member Rating
- 36
- Reviews
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2
- Photos
It get's no better !
- June 8, 2008
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
Wonderful hotel that has no faults that i can think of. Great, safe area with large rooms and a
professional , friendly staff. Nice outside pool area.We'll be back next year.
Editor Pick
Omni Shoreham Hotel
- March 5, 2008
- Rated 3 of 5 by
TLM2008 from Toronto, Ontario
The Omni Shoreham is a luxury hotel situated in the Addams-Morgan district of Washington D.C. and a short walk from the Woodley-Zoo Park Metro Station. Given the descriptors of the Omni that I had read and given the service standard of the Omni chain, in general, I was expecting a wonderful oasis when our taxi pulled up to the front door. We arrived; however, just as a giant and chaotic, teenage-filled anime conference was wrapping up on the premises. We walked through the door to find that the lobby had been cleared of all furnishings and was utterly devoid of any trace of promised luxury. Quite the opposite, the entire ground floor of the hotel was littered with teenagers: smelly, egocentric, loud and dressed in various bizarre costumes in homage to their favourite comic book characters. As we encountered staff person after staff person, from the doorman to the concierge, I expected someone to acknowledge this disruption to myself (a business traveller) and my family [“Terribly sorry, ma’am, but you’ll be happy to know the anime conference is wrapping up today”]. Startlingly, the craziness of the situation went unacknowledged by any of these hotel staff. Perhaps they were shell-shocked and now immune to the chaos of the situation. I have never been happier to get to the tranquility of a hotel room. The room was large and well-appointed and was an incredible contrast to the mayhem of the lobby. As a family with a toddler we were delighted to find that our room was without mini-bar but instead had an empty refrigerator which we were able to stock with baby’s milk and yogurt. It was never made clear whether this was done for our benefit when I mentioned on the phone that I was travelling with a baby or whether all the rooms were similar in this regard. Obviously, I can see how this could be a negative feature if you weren’t travelling as a family as we were, but I was very pleased! Similarly, our room was a handicap accessible room which meant it was large and with lots of open space. I don’t know whether this was a coincidence, or, again if it was a favour to us given our reservation but it was perfect for travelling with the kiddo. There was ample room to place the portable crib they gave us (several options as to placement), and there was tons of space for the munchkin to run around. I had requested a crib in two different conversations with the hotel and it was nowhere to be found upon arrival; however a quick phone call to housekeeping rectified the situation and a playpen was assembled and ready and waiting for us when we returned form our afternoon outing. A few nights later, we had the unfortunate experience of requiring a replacement crib when our son vomited all over the first playpen received. I was mortified to find myself contacting housekeeping a second time to replace the item at midnight but the housekeeping staff were quick to attend to us and were polite and efficient in giving us a second playpen. Thank goodness for service standards such as those exhibited by the Omni.
Despite the initial impressions of the Omni, there were several other “touches” that continued to elevate the hotel in my view. Evening turndown service was accompanied by a quick touch-up of the room, including emptying the garbage cans and the requisite chocolates on the pillow. We were also treated to milk and a cookie every afternoon which was a wonderful feature. We utilized both room service and visited the hotel restaurant on more than one occasion and both delivered good food and good service. I was amazed by how well our toddler was received in the hotel restaurant. The staff fussed over him, cooed at him and brought him crayons and didn’t even bat an eye when he took off running at one point. Although we did not order from the kids menu in the hotel, I was amazed by the child menu which was varied and really well priced (most items were less than $5). We also used the concierge for advice on multiple occasions. There were apparently two main concierges on staff and they were in complete contrast to one another. I found the female concierge to be generally unhelpful and impolite. When asked for a restaurant recommendation she offered only two choices (one of which was closed on Mondays, the day in question). She also sent me on a wild goose chase when I requested the nearest Laundromat. On the other hand, the male concierge was friendly, helpful and extremely cordial. As a result, I would describe the concierge services as neutral overall. Other negative comments: I had to specifically request the Omni “Kids” package that I had noted on the hotel website prior to arrival and it is an unfortunate circumstance that the only swimming pool on site is an outdoor pool. Similarly, I opted not to visit the on-site fitness centre but noted that additional fees applied: which I find repulsive given the room rates at the hotel. My other major pet peeve was the fact that room service trays were constantly hanging around the hall where our room was situated and it seemed to take the better part of a day for our own room service trays to be removed.
I travelled to Washington, D.C. and stayed at the Omni while on business, which means someone else was footing the bill for my 6 night stay. I have to take this into consideration when giving my overall rating to the hotel. It is not an inexpensive place to stay and is not the best located hotel in the city (although it is convenient to a metro station which helps remedy this drawback). Nevertheless, I would recommend this hotel simply because I was ultimately very pleased with the staff and the service we received throughout our stay.
From journal Washington, D.C.
Editor Pick
Omni Shoreham Hotel
- August 22, 2007
- Rated 4 of 5 by
CHIBulldog09 from New Haven, Connecticut
We stayed at the Omni Shoreham in Washington D.C. for six days, five nights. The hotel is located in the Adams Morgan area of D.C., very close to Dupont Circle. Our room was a nice room with two queen-size beds, and a brand new flat screen television, among other amenities.
To get to the hotel, we took a taxi from Reagan DCA, which cost about $25 + tip. The hotel is located very close to a metro stop on the red line (the Adams Morgan stop, which is right around the corner). In fact, it's so close that there really isn't a reason to rent a car if you're visiting D.C. to see the sights. Parking rates are high.
When we first got to the hotel, they had us on the far side of the hotel, in a very old room that was not very impressive. We had requested two queens and got two doubles, and so they were able to move us the second night to the much nicer room I described above. The staff, with the exception of check-in the first night, were very helpful and courteous.
Like all Omni hotels, everything seems to cost money -- don't expect any soda machines in the Omni Shoreham, but they'll be happy to send you a $5 soda via room service. You'll only find ice machines throughout the hotel. Additionally, access to the fitness center cost $10 a day or $18 for the stay, but there is a great public path for jogging right behind the hotel that felt very safe, easily 2 miles each way.
Even if you don't plan on frequently staying at an Omni, join their Select Guest program. It's free, and with it comes several nice benefits: free wireless Internet, free orange juice, coffee, or similar drink delivered in the morning, as well as a complimentary newspaper. But this is only if you're a select guest.
The hotel certainly seems very impressive when you walk in -- it has the feeling of a luxury hotel. Some of the rooms don't live up to the standard, but it is a very nice hotel. There's a diverse selection of great restaurants and bars nearby, and so there is no shortage of interesting places to eat. For the kids, there is a McDonalds and a Chiptole right across the street.
One final comment -- the staff were incredibly nice and helpful and accommodating. They helped make the stay very pleasant.
Highly recommend.
From journal Week in the Nation's Capital, Washington, D.C.
Great service at the Omni Shoreham!
- August 3, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
My husband and I recently took our 8 year old granddaughter to DC to see the sights, and we were lucky enough to choose the Omni Shoreham. Neither of us had ever been to DC before. This hotel is great - from its elegant lobby to the spacious rooms. It is an older hotel that has been maintained beautifully. The pool and pool area were wonderful! We highly recommend this hotel. It is in a nice part of DC with buses and the open-top tour bus stop at the corner. In addition, the Metro station is less than a block away. Very convenient. The most impressive part about this hotel is the service. All you had to do is ask and it was done. Out of a possible 10, it gets a 10!
Top notch and close to the zoo
- July 19, 2007
- Rated 5 of 5 by
a traveler from Travelocity.com
About 1 block from the Woodley Metro station and very close to the National Zoo. I have Select Guest and received a large corner room on a high floor. The lobby is huge and impressive, as is the professional service and beautiful pool area. Wireless internet access is spotty in some places and the rooms are showing a bit of wear and tear, but overall, an excellent experience.