I stayed at the Hay Adams for a three day business trip. Below is my assessment--

Pros:

1. Price: I received a good rate--about $300/night booking through the hotel's website. You can generally get better rates in the summer when Congress slows down or goes into a recess period. Granted, I didn't have a room with a view of the White House, but the room was comfortable and clean.

2. Staff Friendliness: With one notable exception (see below under "Cons"), every member of the staff was friendly and helpful. Every time I entered and exited the hotel, a doorman opened the door for me. On a particularly hot day, the doorman offered me a bottle of water.

3. Turn Down Service: The housekeeping staff was excellent. They accomplish the difficult task of keeping the room clean without being seen--the hallmark of a fine hotel. Coming back to the room after a day spent working was enjoyable. The Bose radio was turned to relaxing music, a set of slippers were placed by the bedside and ice was placed in the room.

4. Business Center: The hotel has an excellent complimentary business center.

5. Included Expenses: My favorite part of the hotel is that most of the services provided are included in the room price. Nothing irks me more than "fine" hotels that nickel and dime you for every small amenity. I had a copy of the Wall Street Journal delivered in the morning in addition to the standard Washington Post. A complimentary shoe shining service is offered. The hotel business center didn't charge for color copies made from the business center. Internet access is complimentary.

Cons:

1. Fix It Yourself Comment: As mentioned, the Hay Adams offers complimentary Internet access. Except when I got to my first room, I had no signal and the ethernet port was inoperable. I called the front desk and cleark a the desk told me to call the hotel's service provider vendor. I spent over an hour on the phone with the vendor unsucessfully trying to get connected.

There is no way a 3- or 4-star (much less a 5-star) hotel should tell a guest to call one of the hotel's vendors. I finally walked with my laptop into the hallway and found there was a signal, but only in some parts of the floor. I called down again to the front desk asking for a different room and stated that unless the hotel could provide me a room with Internet access, I would be checking out.

Only then did the front desk send the hotel engineer in an attempt to keep me in my current room. The engineer was friendly and explained that sometimes the corner rooms have trouble picking up the wireless signal. Finally, the engineer called down to the front desk and told the clerk that I needed a different room.

2. Sound: As others have pointed out, the Hay Adams is a historic hotel and sound carries through walls and doors. This may be considered a negative, but should be expected at a hotel the age of the Hay Adams.

With the notable exception of my experience with the staff member who directed me to call the hotel's Internet service provider, I enjoyed my stay. It was almost terrific.

We were in town for college hunting for our son and some sight seeing on the side. We got a good- to-great rate ($309 per room for lovely, large connecting rooms) for five nights. I really want to love this hotel and make this my home away from home as my son is probably going to school in D.C.

Positives: I love old hotels, the ambiance, the high ceilings, the crown mouldings, the history... this is my favorite kind of place. The beds are super comfy, great linnens. Large, clean bathrooms with nice amenities. Loved the soft robe!

The employees were friendly, informative and the housekeeping staff was very efficient... loved the nightly turn down with chocolates and a point of interest flyer. The breakfast waiters who talked soccer with my younger son were a great hit.

The downstairs bar is great. It has a phenomenal wine by the glass list and good bar type food.

Breakfast in their main dining room is a lovely experience with delicious food (that is priced accordingly)

Negatives: Two early a.m. (6:45ish) fire alarms on consecutive days. I think there was some work going on in the hotel and the workers set off the alarms, we don't really know as no explanation or even apology was ever given to guests, at least not to us. It's not a fun way to wake up, grab some clothes, grab the kids and run down 7 flights of stairs... 2x. We were tempted to ignore the second one, but you just can't. I am afraid if there was a real fire after this, many guests would have been in big trouble as they would not have responded a third time!

There was something spilled on our room wall across from the bathroom.( looked like coffee or soda?) I did not alert the hotel to it, so I can't say they didn't respond, but it was very noticeable and was there when we checked in, and when we left.

I felt I was treated slightly differently when I was dressed nicely (skirt, dress, etc) than when I was in tourist mode (shorts and sports shirt) I'm still the same person spending lots of money at your hotel!

It is an old, creaky hotel. You hear the people walking above you, and hear people in the hall. This is nothing to be fixed, and I expect it in this kind of beautiful, historic place. Just a note to light sleepers.

So, would I stay here again? Yes, most likely if I could get this rate again. If I had to pay rack rate, I would consider many other hotels in this general price range, including the Ritz, Four Seasons or Willard. I guess I really just wanted some sort of acknowlegement that two mornings out of five, with two fire alarms is an inconvenience, and an explanation and apology would have smoothed everything over. Then they would definitely be my hotel of choice. I really want to love it!

We stayed at the Hay Adams for 2 nights recently on a weekend visit to DC. It was a nice experience, but not quite up to what I expect from a hotel of this reputation and at this price.

Our room was nice, but not substantially nicer than many other hotels I have stayed in. The hotel could use some sprucing up. The hallways were dingy and the carpet needs replacing.

The bathroom was spacious, immaculately clean, and very nice, though the shower situation was not great. As one reviewer noted, the water pressure isn't very good, and there is an awkward shower mechanism which we could not adjust to keep it from shooting water in such a way that it drenched the bathroom floor.

The room itself had scuffed and chipped floor mouldings and standard-issue furniture. There was no proper closet, only a very small wardrobe that scarcely held our clothes for the weekend. However, the bed was lovely and very comfortable with crisp linens and plentiful pillows. One thing I particularly liked was that, in contrast to many hotels that are now providing only a duvet on the bed (which in most cases is WAY too warm for the room), this bed had a sheet and a light blanket, with a duvet folded at the end of the bed. The sheet and blanket were plenty of cover, and I appreciated not having to swelter under a duvet. In the end the bed is what matters most to me in a hotel, as I'm mostly there to sleep, so this was a positive.

Another positive is that housekeeping is very attentive--the bed was beautifully turned down in the evening and after we showered in the afternoon the towels were all always replaced when we came back after dinner.

My gripe is that there were several special events in the hotel that weekend and these caused some inconveniences which were not acknowledged by the hotel. There was a roof party on Saturday night and the guests was constant, noisy traffic in the hall from the time we got home from dinner until after 11pm (we were on the 8th floor where the stair to the roof is located). A few of the drunk partygoers were also staying in rooms near ours, and we could hear quite a bit through the walls. As other reviewers have noted, you hear EVERYTHING in this hotel--your neighbors, the housekeeping staff in the hall, etc.

Additionally, another special event took over the restaurant, which is a lovely space for breakfast, and instead breakfast was pushed to a small, noisy, windowless room where the staff are clearly not accustomed to serving. No compensation is made for being pushed out of the main dining room. I think a true luxury hotel that wants people to come back should make some kind of concession when the expected amenities are not available because of special events.

So in the end, If you are going to Washington to see the monuments, the Smithsonian museums, the National Mall, the White House, this is a great location, and the rooms are nice and service is good. But don't expect a really memorable and special experience. As for me, next time I want to stay in a luxury hotel in Washington I will probably try the Willard.

We stayed here about 5 years ago and things are the same.
Clean room, comfy beds, small bathroom with weak water pressure, great location for being a tourist, service excellent/attentive. But bring your earplugs if you want to sleep. We heard every door in the hallway slam, conversations in the hall (although we were around the corner and down the hall from the elevator), and thumps from up above all night (we were on the 7th floor out of 8 floors). At one point we heard kids screaming somewhere up above us and a person coughing next door. Not what you expect when you pay these rates. Next time I'll try the Sofitel which is very close by.