Zena Washington DC Hotel

We held our annual Women's Entrepreneurship Celebration at the Fig Leaf bar. The space is gorgeous and inspiring, and the food and drinks were delicious. The entire events team went above and beyond to make the occasion a success. Many of our guests didn’t know such a great venue existed in the heart of DC. More people should know about and use this hotel.

The one thing that bothered me was the $40 utility fee. They do notify you, but it’s buried in small print in an email and wasn’t mentioned at the front desk, so it could catch you by surprise if you don’t read carefully. Otherwise, I loved the clean, comfy, cozy hotel, the cool atmosphere, and the kind, helpful staff. It’s easy to walk to places without driving. I’d happily stay here again.

I had a credit card problem because I forgot to set a travel notice, and that was completely my mistake. The staff were incredibly kind and patient while I got the hold removed. The rooms are cute, the beds are really comfortable, and the soundproofing was so good I could barely hear the elevator even though my room was right next to it. Such a quirky, fun place. I loved my stay.

When we got home, we had to call the hotel to get our folio because the receipt they said they’d email never arrived. That’s when we noticed the $100 American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts property credit hadn’t been applied. The wrong card had been used at checkout, and nobody reminded us that we had to pay with the Amex card to receive the benefit, even though the reservation was flagged as FHR. If checkout hadn’t felt so rushed, there might have been a chance to fix it there and then. They also weren’t able to remove the charge and run it on the correct card. We understand there are program rules, but the poor communication and dismissive checkout were disappointing. We booked through Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts and felt brushed off at checkout. If you book through Amex FHR, check your folio before you leave and make sure you pay with the Amex card. We’ll look elsewhere on our next DC trip and would recommend others do the same.