Breaking news! I am moving. I’ve been in the desert Southwest long enough and it is time to move back east. When I made this decision, in June, I knew I wanted to go back to D.C.. Not for the politics, no – don’t get me started – but because of the vibrancy of the city, the proximity to so much culture, history, museums, and more. I’ve been thinking about this for 5 years and finally decided all the necessary things were aligned.

Moving means selling my house and buying a new house. No small feat, especially when you factor in a cross-country distance. Since I wasn’t about to buy sight unseen, so I headed off the the District to do some house hunting. When I got there it only made sense to stay near my target neighborhood, so I booked a room at the Kimpton Glover Park. I was unfamiliar with the brand, other than knowing the name. Based on what I saw and experienced, it seems to be the chic, hipster sister of the Intercontinental group.

 

 

Ideally located off Wisconsin Avenue, in the northwest quadrant of the city, The Glover Park location was funky, hip, and energetic. The building was nice and the onsite restaurant is a destination unto itself. Seriously, even if you don’t stay at the hotel be sure to grab dinner at Casolare.

The front desk staff seems to be hit or miss. You either get a super engaged and friendly Millennial or you get a bored, cranky Millennial. I was lucky all but once.

My room was spacious with a king bed  which had the typical high-end hotel linens. It was a bit on the hard side, which is perfect for me. My room also had and an enormous television. As someone who doesn’t own a tv, this was a treat and I indulged in some wall-sized viewing of House Hunters. From my easterly-facing window I had a nice view of the large homes behind the hotel and the Washington Monument way off in the distance. It was nice to walk up to the sunrise, too.

 

The bathroom had great water pressure and AMAZING Atelier Bloem brand toiletries. Seriously, the shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and body lotion are luxurious with a great clean slightly spicy smell, great for men or women. I have bookmarked the Kimpton Style web page so you can check them out for yourself.

The negatives of my room came down to noise, cleanliness and safety.

NOISE: The fifth floor room was right by the elevators and at about 10:30 or so a huge group of 20 people or more were milling about waiting for the slow elevators to arrive. They were loud, rambunctious, disrespectful and aggressive. I had someone knocking or being pushed into my door several times. This went on for about 25 minutes so I called the front desk. The person who answered apologized and stated it would be taken care of immediately. It wasn’t and continued for another 15 minutes until they all got on the elevators and went somewhere else.

CLEANLINESS/SAFETY: The bedroom was pristine, trust me, I checked. The bathroom had faded stains on the tile that looked like old blood smears. They were random so I don’t think they were part of the design. Additionally, the light fixture above the sink was not seated properly. The light was half in/half out of place. Finally, when the shower was running the bathroom lights flickered. This was mildly alarming because, the last I heard, electricity and water don’t have a good outcome for the sucker caught between them.

Would I stay here again?: Even with the issues stated above, I would absolutely stay here again, I would just be sure to request a room away from the elevators. The location is fantastic, the restaurant is great, the decor is cool, the bed is comfy. Did I mention, they are dog-friendly? Bonus!

High points: The decor, the bed, the Atelier Bloem toiletries, and the location.

Low points: Slow elevators, bathroom cleanliness.

In fact, my furniture won’t arrive in D.C. until late September, so the dog and I may be camping out at the Kimpton Glover Park for a week. Maybe I will let him write the follow  up review?

Have you stayed at a Kimpton property before? Let me know in the comments and thanks for stopping by!