Description: ‘Roughing it’ at the Hyatt Regency? It doesn’t sound like an experience one would expect to have at the high end hotel chain’s establishment on Capitol Hill, but it was the feeling that multiple construction projects conveyed to me as a guest.
Walking in the front entrance, I was immediately diverted down a make-shift staircase to the hotel registration desk. Unfortunately there was no apparent elevator access to this area and I was forced to clumsily handle my baggage and navigate the incline at the same time. Once to the desk (which was more of a temporary kiosk as opposed to a bona fide registration desk), I was curtly greeted by employees that had to yell over the construction noise to give me my room information. Not that I blame them for being cranky; if I was expected to work in a construction zone without earplugs, I would be cranky too.
Once given my room assignment I had to walk along about a ½ mile of make-shift corridor to where the elevators stood. Exposed wires and HVAC duct systems are not what I would liken with pleasant public ambiance, which was ironically what the hotel’s conference services website touted. The construction people obviously didn’t plan their project to ease the burden on hotel guests with all their bags checking in. Elevators were at times shut off during my stay.
I must say that I would have been extremely disappointed if I had been a participant in one of the numerous conferences going on in this building. I really do believe that this hotel should have been shut down for its extensive construction project instead of trying to carry on "business as usual."
Things looked a lot better in my room than they did in the public areas of the hotel. My room was about a five minute walk from the entrance of the hotel (due to the construction obstacle course), but once inside there was no evidence of noise or mess that there was outside. Rooms were modernly decorated and the bathrooms offered higher-end toiletry amenities.
The Hyatt Regency is located about a ½ mile away from the Capitol Building and is only a short walk away from the Union Station Metro stop. Parking here is inconvenient or very expensive, but most tourist attractions are easily within walking distance.
I would not want to stay here again due to the fact that the hotel could not get its basic services functioning properly in light of the construction confusion. The concierge did not get me a Fedex that I had been delivered for me for several days. After my departure, my eyeglasses that were accidently left behind were never found (nor do I think this hotel maintained a lost and found during the construction project). It seemed like they did not care about how the project inconvenienced their current guests which left me wondering why I would ever opt to stay here again.
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