Review: Park Hyatt Washington DC

FYI the tv swivels so that you can watch it in the bedroom. And, for those with kids watch out those floors in the bathroom are slippery!

FDW

Ben, when you book your hotel stays through Virtuoso, do You get a night credit ( points) at a hotel chain or a Hyatt, for this matter?

Impressive glass of water.

Ben, the toiletries brand is Le Labo, a French perfumery brand that makes perfume in front of you when you order. Bergamonte is just one of their more popular fragrances.

The bench in the elevator is a necessity when you've indulged a little too much at the Blue Duck! We stay here once a year with a similar booking ($100 dining credit) and it always blows my mind. You're right on with your summary of the Park Hyatt---it's really perfect.

Stayed in the Fairmont opposite to the Park Hyatt last year and ate at the Blue Duck Tavern, was really really impressed with the food.

You never watch TV? Or you never watch TV on a TV set? I thought you were all about reality TV shows?

The room looks nice -- but what is with the armchairs? Are those slipcovers?

lucky, why don't you use Soundhound or Shazaam to discover what music is playing? It seems like every other trip report you ask if anybody knows the name of a given song.

Blue Duck Tavern is a great restaurant . . . one of my absolute favorites in DC.

Yes, the television does swivel to the bedroom. If you look closely at the bedroom photo of the TV wall you posted, you can see a horizontal line of light from the living room (and the posted around which that portion of the wall turns. Great hotel and great review!

Great minds can disagree, but I think the room looks beyond basic. Those Ikea slip covered chairs are horrendous. Like the bathroom though.

Great report.
I LOVE the Park Hyatt brand too- have only visited the ones in Chicago and Dubai, but was blown away.
This one, while nice, does not seem as sleek as those two.

What is virtuoso, by the way? A booking engine?

Definitely one of my favorite hotels in the US!

@ Lana -- Yep, you sure do.

@ Dan -- Whoops, good catch. Wrote this too early, clearly.

@ Christian -- Only place I watch TV is on my iPad, and the only place I watch my iPad is in an airplane seat or on a treadmill. No exceptions. 😀

@ Adi_T -- More info on Virtuoso here:
https://onemileatatime.com/amex-fhr-perks/

Thanks for the detailed report. Thinking about staying there now.

My wife and I spent a weekend there for our tenth anniversary last year which I noted in the reservation. It was an combo award redemption and FHR booking and they completely took care of us.

We stayed there over the fourth with our two kids and we loved it! We had a suite of some kind an it was perfect. We booked through Amex fhr and were able to take advantage of the $100 credit at Blue Duck Tavern as well.

We loved it and I hope to stay there again.

One of the more interesting part of the hotel is the tea salon. I believe they have a library of 30+ tea selections, all in loose leaf.

Also, try the duck fat fries next time - it's the signature dish.

Ben,

You where literally two blocks from my house. Too funny. I love the Blue Duck Tavern. I'm glad you had a good time there.

Ben- So did you use up the $100 credit with that simple room service order? Also was there a buffet at breakfast?

@ John -- Nope, no buffet at breakfast. As far as the credit goes, I ordered dinner, had a couple of cappuccinos in the lobby lounge, and had a couple of things from the minibar, and still didn't use up all the credit.

A quick drive from DCA airport? I didn't know they could handle a 747

@ Johan -- Hah, was a separate flight. I stayed at the Westin Dulles for a couple of nights after the Lufthansa flight, so the Park Hyatt review is only mildly connected.

"There was a TV in the living room playing some awesome Park Hyatt promotional video. If anyone knows what it is or what the song in it is, I’d love to know."

Will it shazam? maybe try next time 😀

We stayed at the Park Hyatt last year on my wife's birthday. They upgraded us to the Park Executive Suite which was gorgeous!! Had breakfast in our room as a Diamond member and our experience was excellent all around. BTW, not sure this is something a lot of people know, but they have a Mercedes S Class on a first come first serve basis that will take you anywhere within 15 miles of the hotel for free!! We used it once to go from the hotel to Georgetown. Very nice touch!!

no duck fat fries! for shame! lovely hotel and restaurant. my old stomping grounds. next time walk over to 51st state tavern for a nice local bar. that part of dc has improved gracefully amidst the hyper-gentrification.

Thanks for the report, Ben! One of my absolute favourite city hotels. Given the corner with windows on two sides, I think you actually had a View Premier Park Deluxe room. And, as mentioned above, the TV swivels. Stayed in their Park Parlor Suite in June and actually prefer the Premier rooms.

So if you stayed at the westin dulles, why havent you created a trip report of that stay yet?

@ barbara -- Because I reviewed it here in 2012, and don't have anything additional to add:
https://onemileatatime.com/bali-and-berchtesgaden-westin-washington-dulles-airport/

@lucky, can i find a virtuoso agent online? how do i book this? your post on benefits is almost two years old!

@ ma'am -- Yep, can find one at virtuoso.com.

How dare you diss the elevator bench? Obviously you did not stay at the bar long enough! And it is a great property that is "extremely" easy to Metro to/from Reagan and then get around DC metro in a quick and painless way without Uber...........

I've got to agree about the slip-covered chairs. There's no way those ever look nice. They just look cheap, like they couldn't be bothered to replace the old furniture, so they just hid it under some ugly fabric. Bathroom looks awesome though.

This was the first of the Park Hyatt properties I stayed at that made this one of my top three preferences for luxury hotels. You have good taste, Ben.

Didn't you stay at the PH Aviara before? So you actually had stayed in a US PH property before.

@ katyalw -- Whoops, good point. To be honest wasn't a fan of the Aviara property at all, so almost didn't think of it as a Park Hyatt. It doesn't do justice to the brand, in my opinion.

Late reply here. Been there for 3 long leisure weekends over the past year because I love the hard product and the 1100sf residential suite you get with a DSU.

However, can't really compare service here with international properties. Have dined at Blue Duck Tavern 15-20l times with my children.They would forget a child's order or bring it 10-15 minutes after the adults. Family dining 101 is kids need to eat before or at same time as adults. I find this unacceptable at any restaurant, let alone one widely considered one of the best in DC.

Love this property. I stayed in that exact room last time i was at the Park Hyatt in DC. Everything was amazing. I recommend the Apple Pie for dessert from blue duck.

Couple things, as others noted, the slipcovers!.. But Park Hyatts have just one sink? or it was because it was non-suite?

@ BBK -- Many have two sinks, though since this was a non-suite it only had one. The bathroom was so awesome otherwise that I really couldn't complain about the lack of a second sink (not to mention that I was staying alone).

The slipcover chairs are intentional... the 'theme' of the hotel is Early American, and these fit right in. [eg. The rocking chairs in lobby seating area.] They are doing renovation so some of these areas will be freshened up, so if you are in DC late next year stay here again! 🙂

Looks great! Considering it for a trip to DC next month. Any idea how it compares with the W or St. Regis? Thanks!

Lucky,

I`m dying over here. I just read in another blog that the TV actually rotates, so you can watch it from wherever. Is that the case?

I`m feeling so good. I would NEVER notice this. And apparently you haven`t either. Well, I guess I just don`t watch much tv and don't care for it.

Just wanted to let you know, LOL.

Have a good day mate,

Nando