Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square

Dupont Circle and Embassy Row, Washington DC

Superior Room
Deluxe Luxury Room
Superior Room
Superior Room
Deluxe Luxury Room
Superior Room

The hotel

Featuring a certain sense of pizazz throughout as well as numerous contemporary comforts and state-of-the-art facilities, the Sofitel Washington on Lafayette Square provides all the answers to your shopping, sightseeing and entertainment dreams. Head to the Opaline Bar & Brasserie for French-inspired cuisine and a specialty cocktail. All in all this is one Washington postcode that's worthy of your attention and not just because of the White House, the Washington Monument and the National Theatre which are all within a well-aimed stone's throw from the Sofitel's front door.

Amenities

  • Bar
  • Spa
  • Room Service
  • Fitness Centre/Gym
  • Laundry Service
  • Internet Access
  • Close to City Centre
  • Restaurant

Where is it

Situated on the corner of Lafayette Square bordering the White House and close to numerous downtown sites including Smithsonian museums, war memorials and vast green parks. Transfer time from Dulles International Airport: 35 minutes.

Hotel information

237 rooms and suites on 12 floors. All with air-conditioning, 55” HDTV, Bose© sound system, mini-bar*, coffee maker, separate bath and rain shower, hairdryer and iron and board. Superior Rooms are 370-400 sq ft and have 1 king-size bed or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children. 

Deluxe Luxury Rooms are 400-450 sq ft and have 1 king-size bed or 2 double beds, sleeping maximum 4 adults or 2 adults and 2 children.

Junior Suites are 426-475 sq ft and have a separate living area with additional TV, with 1 king-size bed in the bedroom and pullout sofa bed in the living area, sleeping maximum 3 adults or 2 adults and 1 child. 

Opaline Bar & Brasserie (classic French food, seasonal dishes and cocktails, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner). Fitness centre. In-room spa services*. Concierge. Laundry/dry-cleaning and ironing service*. Complimentary WiFi.

*Denotes local charge.

Please note: one person must be aged 21 years and over in each room at check-in.

Rating summary

  • Location Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Sleep Quality Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Rooms Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Service Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Value Image of the Tripadvisor rating
  • Cleanliness Image of the Tripadvisor rating

Traveller rating

  • Excellent (2492)
  • Very good (940)
  • Average (203)
  • Poor (88)
  • Terrible (38)
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Impeccable!!!!

Mar 27, 2021 Peg C

This hotel is just perfection! Worth spoiling yourselves. We stay any time we can find a good deal on Booking.com or Hotwire. we are woke up to the area and live in the DC suburbs so we don't spend a lot of money on vacations but when we have the opportunity we do like to patronize this hotel. Also their restaurant is amazing thing with constantly… Read more
This hotel is just perfection! Worth spoiling yourselves. We stay any time we can find a good deal on Booking.com or Hotwire. we are woke up to the area and live in the DC suburbs so we don't spend a lot of money on vacations but when we have the opportunity we do like to patronize this hotel. Also their restaurant is amazing thing with constantly changing perfections and new drinks and desserts it's really just wonderful. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Great location. Needs updating

Mar 19, 2021 Curious563637

My wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice hotel stay on our 15th anniversary. We stayed in the fancy (ie expensive) Prestige Suite. Pros: --great location to walk anywhere downtown. --valet parking was a nice amenity. --The front desk staff was friendly. Cons: --The room was big, but the quality of furnishings was just a step above a… Read more
My wife and I decided to treat ourselves to a nice hotel stay on our 15th anniversary. We stayed in the fancy (ie expensive) Prestige Suite. Pros: --great location to walk anywhere downtown. --valet parking was a nice amenity. --The front desk staff was friendly. Cons: --The room was big, but the quality of furnishings was just a step above a holiday Inn. I had read that the couches were dirty, but I couldn't believe the stains all over the couch. Very strange for a room that cost many hundreds of dollars a night. --It's still COVID time, but the hotel felt like a ghost town. The valet said the hotel was only 5% occupied when we stayed so you'd think they'd treat guests. Maybe its just a business hotel? --The hotel did nothing to make us feel special even after notifying them of our anniversary on reservation and calling head to tell them it's our anniversary. Obviously they dont have to do anything special, but that just shows the lack of customer service. --Since its COVID, there was no place to eat. They sent up a couple breakfast sandwiches like you'd get at the corner deli. No newspaper. Overall, it was fine, adequate, etc. I wish we hadn't spent the money. Not luxury at all. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Hotel may be showing her age, but still offers outstanding service in a prime location

Mar 7, 2021 maweberpa PA

We spent 4 days at the Sofitel in late February. This is our go-to hotel in DC due to its location near Lafayette Square. We booked a 40% off Black Friday rate avg. $200/night. We originally booked the junior executive suite, but opted to upgrade to the prestige suite for an additional $59/night due to the increased size and dining table. It was… Read more
We spent 4 days at the Sofitel in late February. This is our go-to hotel in DC due to its location near Lafayette Square. We booked a 40% off Black Friday rate avg. $200/night. We originally booked the junior executive suite, but opted to upgrade to the prestige suite for an additional $59/night due to the increased size and dining table. It was definitely worth it. We had room 1214 and I would highly recommend this corner suite. The room contains a king bed, corner couch and dining table, shower and tub and 2 55 inch tvs. The tvs come with google play which easily casts from most streaming services on your phone. We had no problem watching Amazon Prime, Netflix and Hulu. The hotel may be showing her age a bit and the furniture could use a bit of a refresh, but the customer service remains top notch. I had several email exchanges with the hotel prior to arrival and all messages were answered thoroughly, promptly and professionally. We arrived around 1 PM and our room was ready. Due to Covid restrictions housekeeping has been suspended, but the front desk was able to quickly handle any requests we had. Trashed placed in the hall was generally picked up daily. The restaurant was closed during our stay, but a limited breakfast menu was available. The food was outstanding, especially the breakfast pastries. It was nice not having to worry about a Covid safe dining option first thing in the morning. In room coffee is Nespresso and regular coffee (which was very good) was served with the morning menu. The mini bar is not stocked, but many items are available for purchase at the front desk. Most of the museums were closed during our stay, but we were happy to take advantage of the many outdoor monuments and parks. Unfortunately lots of fencing remains which limits your access to Lafayette Park, the White House, the Capital and the Supreme Court. In terms of dining, we were lucky to discover the atrium seating at the Old Ebbitt Grill on our first day. There are very high ceilings, the tables are comfortably spaced and it appears most people don’t know about it because 2 of the 3 times we went there we had the entire place to ourselves. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who isn’t comfortable with indoor dining. Try the Maryland crab soup. It’s tremendous. Also, the entre portions are quite generous and they are happy to plate for two. In summary, even though the hotel is aging a bit, the service and location more than make up for it. If you can get a good rate like we did, I would definitely recommend this hotel and specifically the prestige suite room 1214. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Nice digs, but many things lackinf

Jan 1, 2021 Catdaddy1129 Washington, DC

We stayed here for 2 nights in November 2020 for a milestone birthday celebration. We stayed in a Junior Executive suite, which was quite nice in appearance. Unfortunately, the appearance of the room was one of the only nice things I could say about our stay. Pros: -The check-in was very smooth and straightforward. -Room was spacious with… Read more
We stayed here for 2 nights in November 2020 for a milestone birthday celebration. We stayed in a Junior Executive suite, which was quite nice in appearance. Unfortunately, the appearance of the room was one of the only nice things I could say about our stay. Pros: -The check-in was very smooth and straightforward. -Room was spacious with high-quality fixtures and furniture. -The water pressure on the shower was divine! That said, so is the shower in my house. -Robes and slippers are available on request, which were very comfortable. -They have a 48-hour cooldown period between guests in any room, which initially made us feel better about being in the room (until you read below). -“Room service” breakfast was ordered in advance, then I went to the lobby to pick it up. Good portions and great tasting food! -The WiFi worked really well, so we could stream videos in our iPad with ease. Read below for why. Cons: -No valet parking on our first night here, which wasn’t too bad since they had a deal with a discounted parking garage 3 blocks away. As it turns colder this time of year, I had to pick up/drop off my wife (in heels) at the door then trek to and from the garage each time we used our car. -HDMI cables for Google Chromecast were disconnected from both TVs, so I had to manually disconnect them then repeatedly wash my hands since it was clear that the staff didn’t clean those items touched by previous guests. -Chromecast repeatedly disconnected in the living room and the bedroom. We had this big beautiful TV in front of us and here we are watching shows on our iPad for the first day in the room. -Food was left in the minibar by a previous guest that required the staff to remove and wipe down the minibar so we could use it -No ironing board in room. -Iron didn’t work, had to be replaced. -Safe didn’t work, so we couldn’t lock away our expensive electronics and jewelry -Outlet on one of the nightstands didn’t work, so we had to use our portable power bank to charge my wife’s phone overnight then charge the power bank on a different outlet during the day. I was trying to be patient because I know how things have to be a little bit different because of the pandemic, but the things that were wrong with the room have nothing to do with COVID-19. I do not plan to return to this Sofitel in DC. Read less
Image of the Tripadvisor rating Horrible Customer Service

Dec 27, 2020 supremeivy39 Washington DC, District of Columbia

I booked the prestige suite for my birthday weekend. Per their request, I checked virtually online the day prior, which required that I enter my credit card information. I did so and received a confirmation email that my reservation was complete and my credit card was charged. Upon my arrival on the next evening, my birthday, I was told by the… Read more
I booked the prestige suite for my birthday weekend. Per their request, I checked virtually online the day prior, which required that I enter my credit card information. I did so and received a confirmation email that my reservation was complete and my credit card was charged. Upon my arrival on the next evening, my birthday, I was told by the front desk that I had NOT completed online check in. I showed the woman my email, but she informed me that I was not checked in on their end and that they needed to charge my credit card since I had not paid. Once again, I showed her my confirmation email as well as credit card online statement that showed the hold for the room. Yet again, she tells me that despite seeing the email and the charge, they needed to charge my card AGAIN for the full price of the room! I questioned why would I receive an email AND a charge from their company on my credit card and they don't have a copy nor any record of my reservation, extremely disturbing! I was denied entry to the room until I paid for the room. I was on the verge of tears, but since I had a dinner reservation in the next hour and a balloon installation, I could not cancel my reservation. What is the point of offering and encouraging contactless check in for guests and then when they use it, your hotel can't find it??!! Pointless. In addition, when I get to the room, the couch in the living room was filthy. The cushions were soiled on both sides and even flipping them over was futile, because both sides were severely stained. For a hotel that charges $300+ for this room, I do not appreciate a dirty couch. They can afford to replace this couch before allowing any guests to book this room. The experience at the front desk set the tone for my entire trip. What was even worse was that no one did anything about it. I have emailed and called the hotel, no response. I would not recommend this hotel, def not a 5 star experience. Read less