I am generally a big fan of the Westin brand. I can only remember one instance where a hotel was not fit to carry the Westin name, and that was in Las Vegas. The Westin Georgetown is one of the nicer offerings that I’ve used.
SERVICE
The service at this hotel was very good. The front desk handed me Marriott Elite bottled water when they discovered I didn’t have any in the room. Not knowing that this was standard, I informed them that the minibar in the room was warm, and that something was obviously wrong with it. They said it was not meant to be a refrigerator and that they would happily deliver a minifridge to the room at no extra charge – even better since I really don’t understand minibars stocked with overpriced items, especially when they aren’t even cold! Great job, front desk staff.
LOCATION
This is not technically “Georgetown” in DC, but it starts just a block or two away. Travel time from DCA is about 20 minutes without traffic. I had business at the JW Marriott on Penn Ave, and this Westin’s location is just fine for any area around the White House. It’s under 2 miles away, and there is a bikeshare just outside the hotel’s front door, not to mention the plethora of electric scooters everywhere if you happen to prefer to use less effort to get around. Even a walk won’t take you any longer than 35-40 minutes.
DINING
The in-house restaurant is actually pretty good. It’s overpriced like most hotel restaurants, but the food and service are on par with what I expect at a Westin. I had a few breakfasts and one dinner, all good if not a bit high in price, of course. Service was excellent, especially from Lisa who handled a rushed breakfast really well one morning.
AMENITIES
This, along with the rooms, are the two main reasons I can give the Westin my highest rating, which I don’t give lightly. Hotel gyms are important to me because of my dedication to fitness, and although they are architecturally limited at the Westin Georgetown, they’ve made the most of it. There are several treadmills and a couple of Peloton bikes, which surprised me. The gym itself spans two rooms, with the entrance in the center, giving evidence that the area was never intended for this use (that, and the 7’ ceilings, which aren’t great) but instead to expand the area for equipment. They’ve managed to fit a shelf with medicine balls and TRX straps. There’s also a set of dumbbells up to 50 lbs, a pulley machine with lat pulldown, a few standard gym machines like a chest press, and plenty of floor space. But, perhaps the biggest surprise is the inclusion of cast-iron, powder-coated kettlebells, including 16kg, 20kg, and 24kg! If it makes you laugh to hear how much I appreciate that, I get it. As far as hotel gyms go, that is a rare find, both in quality of kettlebell and weight selection. Such a fantastic option. There is also an outdoor pool that looks quite nice with a pergola, but it was closed for the season.
ROOMS
Westin typically offers good rooms, even when they are small, and they are still perhaps the best business-traveler rooms in the industry, at least in the Marriott/Starwood family. The Georgetown edition is no different. Rooms are large, even with a king bed. There are two areas to charge devices on either side of the bed, and ethernet plus additional power and USB at the desk. TVs in hotels these days are getting huge, and there’s a 46” or 55” in the rooms here. The bed is certainly comfortable with the Westin signature bedding, but the pillows are awful: even two of them stacked weren’t enough to prevent my head from being right against the mattress after only a few minutes. I must be the only person on earth that wants a pillow with some actual substance to it. Almost every hotel has this sort of nonsense instead.
The bathrooms are actually proper residential size and such a nice departure from typical hotel offerings. There is a separate shower stall, with the signature Westin rainhead and handheld, plus a full-size bathtub. The vanity is actually large enough to place a toiletry kit, and you aren’t crowded into the bathroom no matter if the door is open or not. With a separate water closet, this is a fantastic hotel bathroom.
OVERALL
Great hotel. Service is excellent, gym is really nice, restaurant is good, location is convenient to a decent part of the District, and the rooms are outstanding, especially for a business traveler. Perhaps the best part of the Westin Georgetown is that it doesn’t seem to be overly crowded. You’re not rubbing elbows with people at the restaurant or gym, I didn’t hear a sound from the hallways or other rooms, and the elevators hardly ever make you wait long. I’ll definitely consider this hotel again when in DC.
