My son and I stayed at the Hay Adams for 5 nights recently for vacation. Upon arrival, we were taken to a room with (1) twin bed and a full size bed which was NOT what we expected or booked given that my son is a college student and 6'6" tall. We waited thirty minutes to find out that all that was available was a king size bed for our entire stay. They gave us free breakfast for the remainder of our stay, but it certainly was not the best resolution. This hotel is for business travelers, folks. Let me make that clear. The rooms are beautiful, the service nice, but I have been to better four star hotels. There is no coffee service in the rooms, and breakfast runs no less that $50-60 dollars for two people, too. There are power players in the business world there, which was neat, and the location is awesome (right across the street from the White House), but if I had to do it over again, I would pass. Unless my company paid for me to stay there...on business.

Well guys, I just got back from a long weekend at the Haye Adams and I was very disappointed. I am not quite sure why other Trip Advisor reviewers rave about this hotel so much!?!?! I have come to trust and respect the reviews on this web site, but with the Haye-Adams I just don't get it. I guess it all depends on what you are used to and what the competition is like.

The hotel exterior is quite nice and the location is right in the center of DC, near all the monuments. Those are the two best attributes of the hotel, however.

The lobby is nice enough, but it's small and not particularly impressive. The building is fairly old, and while that should lend some charm, it really does not. I can't even explain why not, but that's just the case.

The rooms. Here is my biggest problem. The rooms are small and the bathrooms are miniscule. You could not stand in the center of the bathroom and extend both arms to your sides without touching the walls. Smallest bathroom I have seen in any 2+ star hotel.

Lets talk about the service. People rave about the service - again I dont really understand it. The service was good, but nothing to write home about. The concierge was helpful and the font desk did their job but there was just nothing outstanding about it. The Four Seasons as a rule has them beat.

Specific things that bothered me about the hotel:
1. We stayed on the top floor and I would caution you that on the weekends they rent the roof out for private parties. This is nice and dandy, except that hotel staff made noise dragging equipment, tables and chairs all around the roof until about 1am.
2. Traffic noise could be bothersome at night, so if you are a light sleeper, keep that in mind. It was early morning that bothered me most. The windows are old, they need to renovate and sound proof them.
3. Bathroom - too small, but also didnt function particularly well. Poor water pressure and the shower broke during our stay and needed to be repaired.
4. Hotel staff "mistakenly" giving us a 6am wakeup call on the morning of our departure. Fantastic, since we werent leaving until noon.
5. Doors to the rooms were too thin and you could hear every single person that came and went.
6. The restaurant had a terrible breakfast. My eggs were burnt, my grits were like soup and my sausage tasted like it was a Jimmy Dean that just came out of the freezer.

In a nutshell, I think that DC maybe just has limited choice as to top flight hotel accomodation. My guess is that you wont find a true 5 star hotel in DC the way you do in NYC, London, etc...

Thoroughly enjoyed everything about my one night at The Hay-Adams. I stayed on the sixth floor, but alas, across the hall from the rooms with a view of the White House. The room rate (per the sign inside the room) was $750 per night - but I was staying on a corporate account and was upgraded upon arrival.

I would echo the comments of others on this site, that if price is of no concern, this is a wonderful hotel to stay. A great location for either the business traveller or tourist. The hotel provides a sense of history without the inconveniences of antique furnishings. The staff were most helpful and unfailingly polite. No matter how much you love the amenities however, you will leave feeling that you missed out on the full Hay-Adams experience if you don't have that room with the view. (I certainly did.)

For the tourist for whom price is no object, I would recommend a room with a view at this hotel before any other in the D.C. area. If you can't be guaranteed a view, compare the rates with other similar luxurious hotels. The Hay-Adams is a gem, but the prices definitely reflect every penny of it.

The Hay-Adams is certainly a Small Luxury Hotel, but when judged at that luxury level, I found some faults. Room size and general amenities are at an expected level. Bathroom cabinetry was clumsy and towel hanging space poorly designed. Room door was a poor fit and allowed the glaring light from corridor in on 3 sides, and I could only cover the base of the door really. Our room, at rear, had no view as expected but we did not expect the noise from delivery trucks in the laneway from 0430. We were on Floor 3.

I do not like the bar refrigerator that electronically registers an item used when it is moved - and I wanted to move several items. However, we sorted the bill at the end when it showed 10 items consumed. Good position in Washington. Concierge helpful.