My husband and I just returned from 4 days, 3 nights in DC. While The Hay-Adams is indeed a lovely property, there are some things to consider.

The bathrooms are small, but they use the limited space well. The noise level from the hallways was louder than we would have expected. Unless you pay for a view of the White House, the views are not that spectacular, and it is a greater distance from the National Mall and monuments than the Williard property. After a full day of walking, a few more steps DOES make a difference.

Most of the staff is wonderful, however, the concierge is a bit pretentious.

It is very much a "power" hotel - lots of high profile execs in the lobby and restaurant. As "tourists", we were made to feel a tad uncomfortable in shorts and walking shoes, even though we were still paying well over $350.00 per night for the priviledge of being guests at the hotel.

We have stayed at the finest hotels all over the world, and the Hay Adams is right at the top. This may very well be the finest hotel in Washington DC. The location is directly across from the White House, perfect for touring the sites, museums and monuments. The staff is exceptional including Rob and Annika at the Reception, Eric, John and Jack at the Concierge, Alex and Ruben, and Fredy and Luis at the Off the Record Bar located downstairs of the hotel.

We stayed in the John Hay Suite overlooking the White House which was so elegantly decorated with fresh flowers, Bose CD radio, Italian linens and bath amenities and the most lovely turn down service each evening. Sometimes we'd return to have Evian face spritzers on our pillows or perfectly ripe apricots on our bed. The Housekeeping staff is superb and very creative!

Room service each morning was a treat-- especially the fruit parfait (with homemade granola) and freshly baked pastries. The coup de grace was having the Pastry Chef recreate the top of our wedding cake as we were celebrating our First Anniversary away from home. We arrived back to the Hay Adams from an evening out to have this gorgeous rendition of our cake (which was a surprise for my husband) awaiting us in our room with the CD of our choice playing songs from our wedding in the background. No request is too big or too small for the Hay Adams.

This hotel is exceptional, and Mr. Hans Bruland, the General Manager, should take great pride-- afterall, it all starts from the top! We hope to return soon, and highly recommend this wonderful hotel!

Just arrived home from an extened vacation which included a 5 night stay with my family of 4. I could go on and on but in a nutshell-WOW! What fun! It is a Vintage hotel-it's not slick and modern. It's warm and cosey and fun. I would give this hotel a six star rating. That should save me about 5 paragraphs of writing. We had just stayed wiithin 3 months at the Four Seasons and The Peninsula, Chicago and the Mandarin in San Fran. The Hay Adams beat them all....We kept asking ourselves are we the only ones in this hotel?

We took one child to dinner in the dinning room one night and they coddled after her. Presidents have spoken in that dining room and she was the most important person that night. The location to the White House is amazing.

By the way, you are being watched-everywhere...We thought it was cool-SS men everywhere and especially at the Hay Adams because of it's location. Everyone including the SS will stop and take a moment to share a detail of this amazing place and the kids loved it!

Taxi's are a dream-one zone $11.00. Easy to figure into the budget.

Don't miss: Restaurants: The top of Hotel Washington, Hay Adams, Willard Hotel. Alexandria is so much fun. The town of DC-very very safe! You can walk anywhere within the tour areas which is huge all day and night.
9/11 has changed things-did I mention your being watched?

This is a formal town-dress code is on the higher end. The men wear the most crisp shirts and ties. I have never seen such drycleaning. I felt confortable in simple skirts and casual dresses.

I would recommend getting a church view to your room and keep a watchful eye on Sundays. You might see the President. We missed him because he went out the side door. So keep a watch on all doors....My daughter really wanted to see President Bush. Get some tours lined up in advance-security clearance is actually needed on some of them. Just an FYI.

Have fun!

I stayed at the Hays-Adam while I was in DC on business. My client must love me (they picked the hotel and picked up the tab), because this hotel was one of the most charming hotels I have ever stayed in. I had a suite with a formal, separate dining room. I kept wishing my husband was there to enjoy it with me--we would have thrown a dinner party! One of the nice little touches was a white chocolate replica of the White House, filled with little chocolates. Totally unexpected and delicious.