While there is probably an audience (one that skews younger than my 50 years) that finds this property hip and modern, I for one am not impressed. The rooms are small, with the bed running across the room instead of length wise, which I've been told is "European." It's been years since I've been in Europe, but it just feels cramped and small to me. There is a glass enclosed shower stall with no tub, not an issue for many, but sometimes a tub is nice. The floor is finished for the most part in the common areas in polished concrete. Again, that may seem modern to some, and I think their goal is some sort of art nouveau type ambience, but it feels cheap and unfinished to me. My room itself was in need of some TLC. There were deep gouges and tears in the wall paper near the desk area where people had ran the office chair into the wall. There were some very suspect stains on the wall near the toilet that it looked like someone had attempted to wipe but only smeared. The shower stall leaked water onto the floor, soaking the mat/towel. Plus the walls seemed VERY thin, I could hear muffled conversations from the room next door and I am sure it was a normal speaking voice. The TV in their room was constantly on as well. Speaking of TV, there were 36 or so channels, and fully 6 of them was either hotel use or pay per view, far too many I think. There is no room service, but there is an attached restaurant with limited hours. The hotel does have a "snack bar" with pre-packaged items for sale, but far too expensive. Use the CVS a block up the street for a bigger and less expensive selection. The property is near the National Harbor complex south of the Beltway. If you have a conference or business nearby the location is adequate. It is too far from the Metro to be convenient so plan on renting a car if you need transportation away from the hotel. All that being said, I will give props to the staff, they were all very courteous and seemed eager to please.
- Aloft Oxon Hill
