ARC Hotel, Washington DC, Series by Marriott

The staff greeted us with smiles when we arrived, and Dana at the desk was especially sweet and welcoming. Our room was spacious, clean, modern, and comfortable. The hotel was quiet, and the AC and heat worked great. We were very happy with our choice and will always pick the Arc when we return. We'd read the bad reviews, and I was a little unsure about booking so far from Capitol Hill. We chose the Arc Hotel to save money, thinking the Metro was close enough to make it work. It turned out to be much closer than it looked on the map, just two blocks away. The hotel is in a charming historic neighborhood, with a Whole Foods one way and a 7 eleven on the walk from the Metro. There's a university hospital nearby, too. People were walking around even late at night, and it felt very safe. For a DC trip, the subway is a good choice. We're glad we took it, since renting a car and paying for nightly hotel parking both cost a lot.

The modern look after a fairly recent remodel is misleading. The location feels cramped and kind of unpleasant. In March, there was no air conditioning because they only run the heat in winter, so the room was 79 degrees. The windows wouldn't stay open either. After I asked, the “engineer” first checked if I had something to prop them with, then brought over some random item. I hadn't packed a spare block of wood for the weekend. I wouldn't return or recommend it. Stay away.

A simple hotel that doesn't overdo things, and a lovely place to stay. The room was so comfortable I could imagine crashing there and sleeping for days. The desk staff were very kind and made a real effort to see that I was comfortable. They know how to make a guest feel welcome. Well done.

My family and I stayed here, and I wouldn't do it again. The rooms were in poor condition, and the staff didn't seem to know what was going on. We booked through bookig.com, but they couldn't resolve our issue either. The hotel simply didn't respond, and we never received an apology. I got stuck in the elevator with one of my children. I rang the alarm bell and explained what had happened, but we were left waiting without help or any information. We couldn't reach an employee. Luckily I had my phone and called my husband. He checked the floors because reception hadn't given us any information, and found someone trying to open the other elevator instead of the one we were in. Unbelievable. It was too late to switch hotels, so we used the stairs for the rest of our stay. At checkout, they said they'd compensate us for what happened, but they never did. The whole experience was extremely unprofessional.