My spouse and I stayed at The Bethesdan on two separate occasions
in mid-December 2019. Our first stay was three nights, and our second stay was
four nights. We booked our stays online using the Hilton HHonors website. (We
are HHonors Diamond members, but we did not feel that we received any special
treatment because of it.)
The Bethesdan (previously called the Doubletree Bethesda) is
located on Wisconsin Avenue in the Woodmont Triangle neighborhood. Many
restaurants are located within walking distance of the hotel. (We tried Rock Bottom
Brewery, Duck Duck Goose, Medium Rare, Lucy’s Ethiopian, Bacchus of Lebanon,
and Black’s Kitchen; see our separate reviews.) The hotel has its own
restaurant/bar (Leo & Viv/But First Drinks [BFD]) where we ate a buffet
breakfast each morning. Hotel public areas include a large, trendy lobby
(there’s even a pool table), fitness center (which the hotel was in the process
of relocating to a larger space when we visited), and seasonal rooftop pool.
The Bethesdan offers 270 rooms spread over several floors in
the categories of King or Queen Deluxe, King Premium (with a Twin or Queen Sofa
Bed), King Superior (with a Twin or Queen Sofa Bed), Queen Superior, King or
Two Queen One-Bedroom Suites (some with Kitchenette), and King or Two Queen
One-Bedroom Presidential Suites. On our first visit, we booked a One-Bedroom
Suite (Room 1127), but on our second visit we downgraded to a King (Room 914).
Truthfully, we liked the regular King Premium better than the One-Bedroom Suite
because with the Suite, the living room area was located in a dark windowless
interior room, so it was not a particularly pleasant place to relax and hang
out. The bedroom area was much more enjoyable, with its floor-to-ceiling
windows that gave us a nice view of the city. (Our spacious King room also had
a large window with a nice view and a sofa on which to relax.) In the Suite,
the living room area had a chair, sofa, wall-mounted television, recessed
shelving, and a refreshment unit (which contained an empty mini-fridge and
coffee service); in the King, the refreshment area was located in the closet.
The bedroom area in the Suite was expansive, with the large king-size bed, two
nightstands, trendy chair (but no sofa bed like in the Premium King), and desk
with a second TV. In the Suite, the bathroom and closet area separated the
living room from the bedroom, whereas in the King, the bathroom and closet were
located by the entrance/door. We enjoyed the extra space of the Suite (800+
square feet), but we wish that the living room had a window. (We have since
looked at additional photographs online, and it seems that some suites DO have
a window in the living room, so perhaps we were just unlucky.)
We enjoyed our stays at The Bethesdan; we liked the location
and the upscale feel of the lobby and rooms.
