Melrose Hotel

The hotel is suitable for a quick stay; the level of cleanliness is very poor, the air conditioner leaks water, and the room phone does not work.

I was unimpressed by the Melrose. The general feel -once you're past the pleasant lobby- is of shabbiness and uncleanliness. It is impossible to consider it a four-star hotel. My door's security card component fell apart, and it was only with good fortune that I wasn't locked in (or out). The staff at the front desk were frequently fairly rude. Most annoyingly, there was a fairly hefty historical preservation charge levied upon arrival. This is mentioned nowhere prior to arrival; my stay was booked through a third party who were assured, and assured me, that there would be no additional charges. I was very surprised, and then taken aback by the rudeness of the staff when I asked for clarification. Apparently hotels are eligible to join the Historic Hotels of America association (and, I guess, make additional charges) if they are more than 50 years old; as a Brit this does not appear particularly historical, but maybe explains the shabbiness.

Absurd prices for extremely pathetic service quality. No water in the rooms, pathetic service quality, housekeeping would not clean the dustbins for 3 days. While checking out we were asked to pay a $30 dollar historic preservation fee for every day that we stayed which added up to almost $100 which we were neither informed about during booking nor informed during checkin.

Stayed here for one night and everything was great. Shoutout to the bartender, Z, who not only lent us a bottle opener but two classes to enjoy what we brought. Just around the corner from the GW metro stop.

The location is really good for the sights. However, the rooms are very outdated, dusty, sometimes not clean, with mold here and there, and the faucet and shower head are very inadequate. Had I known this beforehand, I would have chosen a different hotel. It was perfectly adequate for my three-night stay, but the hotel definitely doesn't deserve four stars. Update from June 4, 2026: I tried to contact the hotel about the problems in writing. They simply ignored it and claimed that we hadn't contacted reception during our stay. However, we did contact them in writing via Check24. I can only recommend not supporting such behavior.

Stayed one night in May 2026, booked through Priceline. Between the room, the staff, and the surprise charges, this was one of the worst hotel experiences I’ve had. The billing is where it gets predatory. At check-in, the front desk took my car keys without mentioning that valet costs $80 per night and without offering self-parking. A $100 hold was placed on my credit card with no explanation of what charges would be billed to it, and no mention of the $80/night valet or a mandatory $30 “Historic Preservation Fee" plus taxes on both. When I picked up my car, the valet attendant implied parking was included and I could tip if I wished. No receipt at checkout and I noticed $129 in charges I was never told about appearing on my card. I contacted the hotel; they refused to refund anything and didn’t even address the valet charge. The mandatory fee wasn’t included in my Priceline booking total, though the same hotel does disclose it on other booking sites like Expedia. I’ve disputed the charges with my bank and filed a complaint with the FTC. The room was embarrassing for a property that calls itself a 4-star hotel. Furniture was falling apart. The bathroom walls were dirty with unidentifiable specks around the mirror and along the walls. The shower ceiling was heavily stained with what appeared to be mold. The sink had almost no water pressure; we could barely wash our hands, let alone wash our faces. A single $10 water bottle, no water fountain on our floor. After seeing the state of things, we actively tried not to look too closely at anything else just to get through the night. Staff communication was poor throughout our stay, from check-in to checkout. That’s ultimately how you end up being told parking is included and then charged $80+ for it. A dirty room, inattentive staff, and billing practices that rely on guests not noticing surprise charges. One of the worst values in DC. Do not book this hotel.

This hotel charged historic preservation fee, $35 dollars per day, without any message on the the booking website or let you know when you check in, they just did this on your credit card, even without an invoice. I stayed 12 hotels during my trip to USA this time, this hotel is the only one doing this, not comfortable at all

They will hit you with a $34/day “historic hotel feel” at checkout that wasn’t disclosed earlier unless you read the fine print, an honest business would just add this to the price up front. Despite paying this fee the rooms feel outdated and in disrepair, but the location is good and staff was very helpful. Check the fine print cause it’s not as good of a deal as it looks!

Great location but rooms need to be updated and they need to renew their Orkin subscription. I'm be kind w that last sentence and leave it at that. There is not an ice machine out vending machine; you must go to front desk to request they give you a bucket of ice. Antiquated wheelchair accessibility. Courtesy computer remained offline and staff failed to refill toner in printer. It was a fair stay for the price but I do not recommend this hotel. I will not stay here unless forced.

They charge a preservation fee of 30usd per day at check out, without any prior notice, not mentioned when booking or check in A lot of things are unusable. Heat is unusable and noisy. Bad view - you are right in front of a homeless asking for money on the street

I booked and paid for this hotel online, but when I arrived at 10 AM, I was told I had to pay an additional $75 for early check-in. Even checking in at 12 PM would still cost an extra $50. This was the first time I’ve ever heard of such a policy, and when I expressed my surprise, the front desk staff was not friendly or understanding at all. She simply said they wanted to make sure early check-ins were paid for and did not seem to care about customer service. The staff was not helpful, welcoming, or accommodating, which made the experience even more disappointing. I would not recommend this hotel based on the poor customer service and unreasonable extra charges.

UPDATED They definitely checked my e-mail 6 days ago but no answer until now. -------------- Disappointed with the deposit refund process and service inconsistency. ​It has been over 3 weeks, and I still haven't received my deposit refund. I sent an email to follow up, but their responses are incredibly slow. ​The location of the hotel is great. ​The service is inconsistent. Some staff members were very friendly, while others were quite rude. ​The hotel is clean but definitely on the older side. Also, please note that complimentary bottled water is not provided.