Ginosi Washington Apartel

The receptionist downstairs was lovely, and the building seemed clean, but the rented apartment itself wasn’t. After a long travel day, I went to shower and found there was no water in the bathroom. The checklist says to call Ginosi help desk rather than building maintenance, but they couldn’t send anyone until “sometime” the next day. That’s completely unacceptable.

The apartment wasn’t as advertised, and check-in was a drawn-out disaster. The confirmed price wasn’t honored, so read the fine print: they charged a $160 cleaning fee that wasn’t made clear during booking, and it cost more than the reservation itself. Customer service was pathetic when I tried to sort it out, with no empathy or effort to find a solution. Worst service I’ve ever had from a company. I gave one star because that was the minimum allowed. My real rating is zero. Total rip-off.

After trying and failing to get my reservation sorted at the front desk, I ended up leaving at midnight to find another hotel. I’d used my Platinum American Express, re-entered the details when asked, and then tried another valid card, but all were declined. I was told the reservation was still active and to bring my card, but the receptionist struggled to find it and again said the card had been declined. Her manager, who I spoke with by phone, led me to realize the business was being run from Armenia. Apparently American credit cards couldn’t be validated from there, and the reception office had no way to process cards. Also, I want to warn anyone considering this apart hotel that the area felt very unsafe. Look up the crime rates. We had a really bad experience.

There’s no Ginosi representative on site, and the place was dirty despite the $120 cleaning fee. The floors were gross, the tub was dirty, and a stale smell lingered for ages. I spent our first night cleaning with a Swiffer WetJet. The sofa bed had trash in it and wouldn’t fully open, so I planned to call and ask for some kind of reimbursement. Parking was another problem: the garage costs $32 per night, with almost no street parking. We stayed at the Verizon Center Pad, one of several listings with different names online. The 970-square-foot unit worked well for our group of six. It had a kitchenette, plus a big pool and hot tub for relaxing after walking around. The location was also handy: Chinatown was 3-4 minutes away, Union Station, the Postal Museum, and downtown were an 8-10 minute walk, and you could walk to the National Mall in about 24 minutes. The Hop on Hop Off bus pickup was within three blocks, which was a plus. After this stay, I’d rather travel with fewer people and book a hotel where parking may be free and room service is available.