The Madison Washington, D.C.

The Madison - A Nice Business Stay in May In May, we were back to Washington, DC, for a series of meetings, being held at the Madison Hotel (Hilton Family), 1177 15th St NW, and stayed for the first time, in that hotel. Though it is located a bit north of where we normally stay in DC, we were familiar with the neighborhood, but just not the hotel. The hotel, opened in 1963 as the Madison Hotel, and then became the Loews Madison, until it was sold, and the new owners entered into an agreement, to have it managed by Hilton. One claim to fame is that every US President, since John F Kennedy, has stayed in this hotel. We arrived from Phoenix and checked in, getting a few HHonors Diamond status perks, but not that many. We were assigned Room 825. Now, it’s a bit tough to describe The Madison. On one hand, it is a luxurious hotel, but some Hilton corporate touches are obvious, such as the Marketplace, a convenience store/coffee shop, off of the lobby. Then, there are quirky touches everywhere - make sure to check out all of the artwork, and sculptures in the lovely Executive Lounge - with little flights of whimsey, in otherwise staid surroundings. These aspects reminded me of a Kimpton property, such as The Grey in Chicago, where we had recently stayed. The Madison is just a different sort of hotel, with a bit of this, and that, and some of it in unsuspected places. Part luxury, part business corporate, part boutique, and then those flights of fancy, here and there - quite tough to pin down, and we stay in 100's of hotels, all over the world. Immediately, I was in for a bit of disappointment. I had planned to dine on-property at the PostScript Restaurant, just off of the lobby. I had read some nice things about it, and as my wife had a business dinner one night, I thought that this would be fine. It had fairly recently opened, having taken over for Jose Garces’ Rural Society. Well, this was not to be, as PostScrip had closed, and the place vacant. The hotel manager indicated that the space would not reopen as a restaurant, and that it would become an entertainment space, with both an interior room, and then a patio, which could be opened to the sidewalk, during mild weather - well scratch that idea, but I knew a few dozen restaurants within a very short walk (pays to know the neighborhood), so no issues there. Our room, #825 was quite small, but adequate. It had a comfortable King bed, a chest of drawers, a desk w/ a nice chair, and then there was an upholstered chair, and lamp in one corner. Atop the chest of drawers, there was a large, flat-screen TV. There was also an upholstered bench for luggage. In the entrance hallway, there was a medium-sized closet, and off of that, a small bathroom, with a single sink, but a nice vanity area. The bathroom had a nice walk-in shower (always appreciated, as my wife has two artificial hips, and climbing into a tub/shower can pose a problem sometimes), and the toilet. The shower had glass doors, and a large grab-bar. One nice feature was a hook on the bathroom door. It was probably designed for towels, but with the proximity to the closet, worked well, when packing hang-up clothes. The bath amenities were the “Hilton standard-issue” Crabtree & Evelyn products. We found the towels to be very nice, and both soft and absorbent. While I did not see, or use it, my wife said that the hair dryer was quite good. The bathroom door also had a full-length mirror - always appreciated. There was a nicely-stocked mini-bar in the chest-of-drawers, and then a snack tray atop it. The closet had a horizontal safe, an iron and ironing board. There was also an extra pillow (in a plastic bag) in the closet. This was a nice touch, as we often have to order extra pillows. We had an iHome clock/iPod dock/charging station, with 2 USB outlets on the front. There were adequate AC outlets, in lamp bases, and on the walls, with flat surfaces to place one’s devices, while being charged. For a business traveler, charging ports and AC outlets are important, and not having to place the devices on the floor, or dangling from the wall, is appreciated. The room had two, multi-line telephones (one cordless), as well. The lighting was good, and even in the bathroom (dark bathrooms are a pet peeve of mine), plus we had several windows, to allow natural light into the room. Now, the views from those windows was nothing to get excited about (National Association of Home Builders office, across the street), but having the natural light was appreciated. Also, the windows did open a bit, with is always nice, in good weather. With many Hilton properties, the Marketplace shops in/near the lobby, have replaced Room Service. At The Madison, in-room dining was still an option, but maybe because the restaurant, off of the lobby had closed? During our stay, we found Room 825, and the entire hotel, to be quiet. There was very little street noise from 8 floors below, and we heard no noise from within the hotel. Proximity to dining, was good, and not too far from many attractions and activities. I walked everywhere, so cannot comment on access to Metro, or other transportation outlets. Several of the “perks,” which we got at HHonors Diamond members were, bottled water each day, access to the very nice Executive Lounge and late check-out, which I used to my advantage. As my wife had meetings into the late afternoon, I was able to check out, just before the car picked us up - and spend my last few minutes with the wine list, in the Lady Madison lobby bar. Other than the disappointment at the closure of PostScript, this was a very good business stay. All staff, with whom we had any interaction, were excellent, and very accommodating. We will likely stay at The Madison in the future, as we are in Washington 4-6 times per year. Read less

The staff were rude and unpleasant not willing to answer any questions properly and just give short answers. Not going the extra way. Before reservation didn't deliver all the information. Had to put down my own payment because they didn't charge my firm in advance. Room was cold and no way to control the Heath. Not notified me before on the deposit. Even though it's understandable still it should be mentioned in advanced Read less