The Fairfax at Embassy Row, Washington, DC

My boyfriend and I stayed here for a few nights, and we had an impeccable experience. Clean rooms, amazing staff, and great location!
It’s walking distance to DuPont Circle and countless metro stations, making it extremely easy to get around DC! It’s also in close proximity to a 24 hour CVS and many late night eateries, which was very convenient.
I can’t say much about it being worth the cost, since my boyfriend’s dad paid for the room, but I can say that we had a really great time here.

I spent 5 nights at the Fairfax, found the room and accommodations to be nice, somewhat outdated but nice. The real problem is the food service, which almost nonexistent, which is very poor. They have very limited menu which much more like pub food, and I asked for iced tea they told me they didn’t have any. Oh, and one more thing there NO room service at all. Certainly my last visit to the hotel.

Cruel, heartless people. I needed to cancel because of an extreme family emergency and I was afraid to leave my family. I was also a wreck emotionally. I understand they have no-​refund policies, but have a little heart. Refund one of the nights? 50%? 25%? Nope. They would not refund me any. 0%. This just goes to show the emotional empathy these people have. Stay somewhere else. They do not care.

Our double bed room was about as big as our NYC apartment (i know, not saying much). Linens were excellent, décor elegant, and was immaculately clean. The hotel is walking distance to lots of little cool places if you hunt down some of the side streets (empanada place, sushi, thai, pizza, indian). And there are some chain restaurants if you desperately need to go in that direction (but please don’t).

I’ve stayed in dozens of hotels in DC but this one stands out. Excellent location right near Dupont Circle. The rooms were clean and comfortable. The atmosphere just is classy and reminds you of old time elegance. The hotel area has some of the most beautiful buildings around it and a great place to take a walk or jog. Plus a Starbucks right near it.

It was pretty good. Nothing bad. Nothing exceptional.
Comfy bed, enormous pillows.
Not much of a lobby or place to sit and relax outside of the room.
Rooms showing some signs of wear and tear.
Front desk staff was very kind and courteous.
We enjoyed our stay.
It was something like $ 15/​day for wifi — highway robbery!

Beautiful hotel in the heart of DuPont. The décor is charming and the beds were very comfortable.

I stayed in dozens of hotels in DC for work and this one is my favorite. It’s elegant, quant, excellent location and outstanding staff. They’re always smiling and happy to see you…

Our recent stay here was excellent. Great location in Dupont circle. The metro station is very close. The building was fantastic. Great old architecture that has been preserved over the years. The staff was very welcoming and attentive. Had no issues checking in or out. The lobby is small as noted in a lot of the reviews but it didn’t bother me I’m either in my room or heading out on the town.
Our room was great. Fantastic view of embassy row. My only complaint with the room was the tub/​shower was in need of being refurbished. The tile was starting to separate in places and some were very loose. It was clean and useable just starting to show its age. The counter space was nice. Plenty of room. The carpet in the room was also starting to show wear however it was clean. Nothing serious just getting close to time to repair a few things.
We ate breakfast in the restaurant and it was pretty good. The price for the full breakfast seemed a bit high. The fruit however was super fresh even though it was out of season. The blackberries were huge! The bar was nice as well. Friendly and attentive bartender with a great memory. Nice to be able to sit and relax in a nice place after a long day.
Overall a great experience. Will definitely be staying here again.

Don’t do it. I’m here in DC for three nights, two of which are supposed to be spent here, at the Fairfax.
I checked in this morning — we valet parked our car and the woman at the front desk was nice enough to check for an available room and get us in early. We dropped our bags upstairs, and headed to the office for the day.
I came back to my room this evening, flipped on the bathroom light, and saw a roach scurrying away under the cabinet. I could have overlooked that, being that we’re in a city and that’s a common issue, but when I walked into the main room I saw a few more live ones and some additional dead ones.
They were helpful and apologetic, finding me a new room, but now it’s midnight and I’m unable to sleep due to large loads of garbage being thrown into the area dumpsters just outside my window. I’m a little hesitant to turn out the lights, completely, lest I be visited by any more little creepy crawly friends.
This hotel is dated and not well-​maintained, and i’ll be requesting a refund for tomorrow night’s reservation and taking my business elsewhere.

If you’re lucky you’ll find cookies in the lobby. My first time here I had a dark and white chocolate chip cookies. They were heavenly.
Ok onto the rooms. The pricing is moderate. The room we got was quite large. Two full size beds as well as a small sitting area and a couch that folds out as an additional bed. Even then there was plenty of room for everyone’s luggage.
The bathroom lighting was a bit dark, but there was plenty to counter space. Good shower pressure.
The style is traditional. It’s not the W Hotel, but that’s not everyone’s cup of tea either.
The location is excellent if your activity area is near DuPont Circle. You can go NW to the zoo and Georgetown or SE to the convention center and mall. It’s a pretty centrally located place.

Came into DC for a family get together. I totally agree with other reviews. Carpets nasty and rooms dingy and dusty. Very dissatisfied. Bar staff cared less if we were there. Not friendly at all. Husband had been here for a conference and saw a huge change from couple years ago. Took us 30 minutes to check out. Unreal. No customer service. Dont waste your money.

I stayed here for a night before an important business meeting, and I will definitely be back. I slept like a baby. The bed mattress, linens and pillows were very comfortable. The room had a large sitting area. Large bathroom with thick towels and strong water pressure. The service was excellent, particularly John Kontinos at the front desk, who helped me print out a last minute document before the meeting. Rama and the other bellmen were also wonderfully friendly. Impeccable. I felt like home.

Tried again. Another new owner, another reduction in service levels. Too bad. This has been the story for 20 years as the hotel has gone from 1) Ritz Carlton to 2) No Name to 3) Westin to 4) Luxury Collection to 5) Fairfax.
I give it 2.5 because:
5 stars for location, elegance of the building and common areas, and some key staff members (some folks are really a pleasure).
1 star for service. No room service, empty by running mini bars, lounge closes when staff gets tired (regardless of committed closing time), no restaurant anymore (other than breakfast buffet) since it has failed many times under many names (Jockey Club, Prime 2100, Etc.). Many bellman but it looks like a social club for them — 4 doorman chatting with their back to guests while an elderly woman tries to open the door against the wind? For whatever reason, other guests don’t seem to mind.
If you want great location and a cheap price, this might be your place. But don’t expect what would be offered in a full service hotel.

I personally loved the décor-​very traditional and Classic. Nothing modern in this hotel! Service in all dining establishments was very attentive. I was on a business trip but would absolutely stay here for personal. You can’t beat the DuPont Circle location!
My two complaints, the first of which which applies to just about every hotel I’ve been: the outlets. There are never enough or I’m moving furniture to gain access so j can be charging all my devices at once. Had to play round robin here.
Second: upon check in I was not asked to open a rewards program (which would have given me free internet). I quizzed my colleagues and about half of us were offered to sign up and half of us weren’t. Those that did didn’t have to pay for the $ 12.99 daily charge.

I was here for a three-​day conference. I have no idea what the rooms look like.
So what could go wrong?
– We could hear a group next door doing rolph exercises. No kidding.
– The conference room was freezing — for three days!
– The
rate for a room at The Fairfax was less than the conference rate. I stayed at a nicer hotel around the corner for way less.
– The conference food was pretty typical conference food.

This review is strictly regarding the hotel bar & restaurant, though I am also a guest at the hotel. Upon walking into an empty restaurant at 8:45 pm (with the exception of the bar itself which was full, all tables in both the the bar area and restaurant were unoccupied), I had to seek out a staff member and ask if I could sit anywhere to which the response was condescending, «yes» (presumably because the restaurant was empty). I won’t get into the lack of greeting and «put out» attitude of the waitress, but completely unimpressive. That aside, I sat myself at a four top near a television so I could comfortably watch the World Series and have room to finish up some work, only to be rudely asked by the bartender a few minutes of anyone else was joining me
and when I answered «no», was told that I had to move to a two-​top because the table I was sitting at was for four people and if a bigger party came in, they might need it. Restaurant. Still. Empty. (And no greeting or any semblance of good manners or service). I was promptly ushered to a two seater, shoved in corner.
As a weekly business traveler who eats out alone nearly every day of the work week, I have to say that I was pretty shocked. I can’t say this has ever happened to me, and to be made to feel like a second class citizen is certainly not the impression I would think any establishment would want to make– particularly when it wasn’t a busy night or inconvenience to anyone. And while I can’t yet comment on the overnight stay, based on this experience, I will say that this is my first and last visit to the Fairfax. Preferred Hotels should take note: the service at the Fairfax is not up to the standards that I’ve come to expect from your properties.

This review is specifically for a parking experience I had at The Fairfax at Embassy Row.
I drove into DC from Haymarket, VA for a special Unilocal event at the Embassy Row hotel down the street. However, the Embassy Row Hotel parking garage was packed full. The attendant at the Embassy Row suggested using the parking at «The Fairfax.»
And so I did. Was a bit expensive for the evening — $ 26.00 — but I did not really have any other parking options. I circled the neighborhood several times to see if there was anywhere else to park — there was not.
When I returned — the parking valet saw me approaching and remembered me. He trotted of to fetch my vehicle even before I had crossed the street! Good memory and service!

Jackie Kennedy’s favorite restaurant was right here in this hotel — «The Jockey Club» (now «The Capitol Room») and is clearly a destination for the movers & shakers of these parts.
Entrance of hotel is staffed by doorman who deals strictly with the door, parking matters and taxi hailings. Once bags are taken from the car, the doorman passes the guest off to the bellman who does a good job of explaining the amenities on the way from guest registration to the room.
Our room was very nice — a suite overlooking the corner of Massachusetts and 21^st (room 400).
Wake up service was an actual person speaking, and not a recording.
Bartender very cordial and knowledgeable of the more dated cocktails (e.g., Moscow Mules, Manhattans, Harpoons)
Great location right next to the Anderson House (merits a visit) and across the street from the Indian a Embassy & a great statue of Gandhi.

Amazing service, great location!
Requested street view/​top level and they accommodated us well. Mentioned it was my birthday and they gave us free breakfast tickets for the morning buffet.
Ordered room service a few nights which was priced pretty good and came up within 20 minutes. Everyone was very friendly and willing to help make the stay better.
Downside: rooms are small. The bathroom was probably half the size of the actual room area, which made up for the lack of space elsewhere. We had an executive King… if you like spacious hotels, this one may not be the one. But with service, location (2 blocks from the metro) and friendly demeanor, I will gladly give this establishment a perfect score!