Capital Hilton – Convenient Location for Sightseeing
My spouse and I stayed at the Capital Hilton for two
weekend nights in mid-February 2019. (Previously, we stayed at this hotel in
May 2013; see our review titled “Great Location Near the White House”.) We
reserved our room online using the Hilton HHonors website. We selected our room
the day prior to our stay using their online check-in process.
The Capital Hilton is located just two blocks from Lafayette
Park (and through the block-wide park to the White House). Many restaurants and
bars are within walking distance (PJ Clarke’s and the St. Regis Hotel’s Alhambra
restaurant are closest). The hotel provides convenient access to three
different metro stations, and the Convention Center is less than a mile away.
The hotel offers doorman and bellman services, but does not offer a dedicated
check-in line for HHonors members (there’s a sign, but no expedited service).
Parking is valet only with in-out privileges (allow at least 15 minutes to
retrieve your car) for about $60 per day. (For some reason, we were charged for
four nights parking, even though we only stayed two nights; the discrepancy was
corrected at check-out.)
Note that although this property is a full-service
Hilton, it does not currently offer an executive lounge (there was one present on
our last stay). You can dine at the North Gate Grill or at the Statler Lounge
in the lobby. (As Diamond members, we received complimentary continental
breakfast [cold cereal, hot oatmeal, juices, fruit, breads, pastries, and
yogurt]; Diamond members can upgrade to the hot buffet for an additional $7 per
person.) A gift shop stocks quality goods and souvenirs, as well as snacks,
drinks (but nothing alcoholic), reading material, and forgotten sundry items. We
inquired about a health club when we checked in, and were told that there
wasn’t one, just a fitness center located off the lobby. (I guess we don’t really
understand the distinction between the title “health club” and “fitness
center”, but perhaps it had something to do with the MINT facility that once
operated nearby [which reportedly is being turned into a CVS Pharmacy]).
This hotel offers more than 500 rooms, with 6 elevators
to access the 12 floors. Our Junior Suite (677) was somewhat L-shaped, with a
closet near the front door, the cozy living area on one side of the L, and the
bedroom and bathroom on the other side. The living area offered a sofa and end
table (but no comfy chair, ottoman, or coffee table), a desk with rolling
chair, a tall dresser that held one of the two TVs, and another piece of furniture
that functioned as a wet bar (with a tiny, sink, ice bucket, and coffee maker,
but without a refrigerator or minibar). The bedroom could not be closed off
from the living room with a door, but due to the L-shaped design of the space, both
rooms had sufficient privacy. The bedroom offered a second TV, a king-size bed
with a nightstand on each side, a comfy lounge chair (which we would have
preferred in the living area, but there wasn’t room), and a second larger
closet. The bathroom was accessed through the bedroom; the sink was located in
the first small room, with the traditional old-style bathtub/shower combo and
toilet in another small room. No robes or slippers are provided, although we
did receive complimentary Crabtree and Evelyn toiletries (shampoo, conditioner,
and lotion). Both the bedroom and the living room had a window that overlooked
an interior courtyard, which offered nothing to look at besides the roof and some
hotel systems.
Our stay at the
Capital Hilton was fine; the staff were pleasant and helpful, which made up for
guestrooms that could use a refresh, the lack of an executive lounge, and the
high prices for parking.
