Fairfax Hotel at Embassy Row

Slept my best ever while there

This review is about the disrespectful, rude behavior of the front desk staff, particularly a female employee named "Cookie." I was helping with a friend's event that was being held in the basement area of the hotel. We needed a table near the entrance so we could check in the guests attending the event. I approached the front desk and asked if someone could help me find a standing table. One of the staff members, a male staff in his mid-20s whose name I later learned was Elias, was about to assist me when the female staff member standing at the desk next to him abruptly stopped him and said, "You stay where you are. I'll make him carry the table himself." I was stunned by the comment, but I didn't mind carrying the table myself and decided to let it go. She then turned to me and said, "I'll show you where the tables are. And next time, don't ask us. Just go grab it yourself." At that point, I was thinking, "Wow this is disrespectful and rude." But I still didn't say anything and followed her. She then gave me a performative tour of the hotel lobby, even though there was no standing table there. I had been part of an event at this hotel before and knew that a portable standing table was stored somewhere on the property, perhaps in a storage room. Since I do not work for the hotel, I had no way of knowing where it was kept nor do I think it's okay for me to go into a storage room without the presence of a hotel staff, which is precisely why I asked for their assistance in the first place. As her passive-aggressive demeanor continued, I decided to address the issue directly. I explained that, as a front desk employee, she is the first person guests interact with when they enter the hotel, and that this was not an appropriate way to speak to or treat customers. Her response was, once again, passive-aggressive, dismissive, and rude: "Oh, you want to complain? I'll call my manager right away. She's not going to do anything because I'm the best here." I was taken aback by that statement. For a front desk employee to make such a bold claim suggested to me that management either tolerated or was unaware of this kind of behavior. Realizing that a productive conversation was unlikely, I told her that I would indeed like to speak with management. While I was waiting for the manager to arrive, my friend, who was organizing the event, came over and pulled me away because he did not want the situation to "escalate". I did not want to argue with him, but as an entrepreneur and who is deeply into the world of businesses, I knew that the treatment and service I had received were unacceptable. I made a mental note to contact management later, hoping they would take meaningful action so that no one else would have to experience the same level of rudeness and disrespect. After the event, I asked to speak with management. Elias informed me that the manager had already left for the day, which turned out to be a lie. When I requested the names of the staff members on duty, I was given what turned out to be fake names: "Mark" and "Ashley." They were not wearing any name tags or uniforms. So I wouldn't have known. I later learned during a lengthy phone conversation with management that their actual names were "Elias" and "Cookie". I have had friends stay at this hotel while they were in town. I have recommended this hotel to people I know to either stay or host events. I have held business meeting at the hotel. Hung out with friends at the bar. I was even considering hosting future events at this hotel. But after this experience, I will no longer be doing business with this hotel, and I will be advising others to avoid it as well. There are many other hotels and event spaces in the area that provide excellent customer service and treat their guests with professionalism and respect. Those are the businesses that will receive my support going forward.

I think the hotel made a good effort with the remodeling, but at the end of the day it’s still a 1970s hotel building with some lipstick on it, so to speak. They really should have replaced those awful hollow bathroom doors from the 70s also the popcorn ceilings definitely still show the building’s age. I’m guessing removing those would have been very costly. That said, the location is great, the staff was genuinely good, housekeeping did a solid job, and the doorman was friendly and talkative, which added a nice touch. Marriott always has good mattresses, quality bed sheets, and comfortable pillows — that’s important because it really impacts your sleep and rest. I’m honestly on the fence overall. As a Bonvoy member, I received a promotion with 20% off plus free breakfast, and without that I probably would have felt the hotel wasn’t worth the price. On the other hand, I’ve stayed at newer, more modern hotels where the staff felt cold and unfriendly. So this place lands somewhere in the middle for me — not bad at all, but not a hotel I’m overly excited about either.

Valet caused over $1,000 worth of damage to my rental vehicle. Escalated to corporate and no resolution.

Very nice and comfortable hotel, in a very safe area around Dupont Circle. My wife and I (Andreja and Carmine Rizzo) spent five splendid days in Washington DC (part work part holiday) mostly thanks to this hotel (with nice gym, very useful!) and particularly thanks to the extremely kind and helpful staff! I would like to mention here Bryan, extremely kind, helpful and respectful young man at reception, we can see he will have a brilliant career. Said that, we must say that all his colleagues were just as great as Bryan, nobody excluded! As we need to come to DC for work one week per year, most definitely we will do our best to book The Ven at Embassy Row! Well done Bryan and colleagues! Well done Ven's management! Andreja and Carmine Rizzo

The positives were the location and cleanliness. Also, the pool was closed. I saw a photo that said it was supposed to be beautiful on the roof, but the roof was also closed. The main thing is that there were three of us: me, my husband, and my adult daughter. They gave us a room with one bed. We were very tired that day and had to go back and resolve the issue. They replied, "You have a large bed." They basically didn't care how we would fit in there. But we specified there would be three guests when booking. They also said they didn't have rooms with two beds, even though their website offers them. We resolved the issue and brought a folding bed. The folding bed was significantly lower than the bed. The blanket on the folding bed was thin and cold. There was no other blanket available. Just clarify all questions in advance. We travel a lot and this is our first experience with this.

Very nice bedrooms, gym, pool, bar, everything perfect

Had an amazing time at this hotel. It’s in a prime location in DC. The staff was very welcoming especially Eli who has helped us out with any issue we had. Thank you Eli for everything you have done, I strongly recommend this hotel if you’re looking for a hotel in DC.

I stayed in room 210. The room was adequately equipped and everything necessary was provided. I especially appreciated that the toiletries were in large bottles rather than small single‑use ones. The room also had a refrigerator that could be used. The mattress was extremely high (thick), and shorter people would need a step or ladder to get into the bed. The desk in the room had a glass surface, which means a computer mouse cannot be used on it, and the space between the desk and the bed was so narrow that it was barely possible to pass through, making it uncomfortable to sit at the desk. The floor of the room sloped toward the door, and therefore the bed did as well. This felt strange. The carpet in front of the wardrobe was soaking wet, and despite reporting it repeatedly, nothing was done. The carpet in the corridors is too thick, making it difficult to move suitcases with wheels. The prices of food and drinks in the restaurant are extremely high, and the quality of the food is inconsistent.

In January, I stayed at the Ven at Embassy Row in order to attend a winter ball at a nearby club at the request of my cousin who lives near DuPont Circle. My decision to attend this event was very last minute and just days before the party I was asked to wear my dress military uniform. Since I was visiting the U.S. from Switzerland I had to quickly put together my uniform with certain pieces borrowed from my friends from my Army unit in Philadelphia. The day of the ball I had to make some adjustments to this uniform and pin on some epaulettes. When I asked for help at the front desk, the office supervisor Amarri Aton jumped to action and quickly arranged for me to visit a nearby tailor who promptly did a simply outstanding job helping me put my uniform together. The evening was a complete success. I cannot thank Amarri enough!!! She is a real treasure and she treated me as if my uniform issues were of utmost importance to her.