This hotel has wonderful history and definitely has or had tremendous potential. Having been in the hotel business for years, however, your first impression is very important and the staff all should go through training in how to treat guests. Both the front desk (if you can find it) and the restaurant staff except for the hostesses that were helping us were simply not trained very well or just didn't get it. The noise level at dinner and at breakfast destroy any ambiance that is definitely there but has been lost when your wait staff is clearing tables and just throwing the dishes in black tubs.

Cost is relative but this is a reasonable place to stay in DC because of the proximity to key locations and Dupont Circle has its own charm apart from the Mall and the ongoing security madness that has occurred since 9/11. Parking could be a real challenge and don't expect any help from the staff at the Tabard, but the Topaz staff were outstanding and we are thankful for that.

I've read most of the reviews and I don't think "charming" is the word I would use - I've been to many B&B's throughout the United States and this one needs an overhaul from management. Quirky/ different is wonderful, but when all is said and reviewed, you come back to service with a smile and this is not a happy staff - and that goes back to management with a capital M.

Dinner was well presented and was good. Breakfast for a guest is okay - nothing out of the ordinary but adequate. However, at one point, I really wanted to just stand and ask everyone to take a deep breath and lower their voice one decimal so that everyone in the room could hear one another, or use something on the walls to absorb the sound.

Bathroom is a funky experience, and we had warm water, but we were thankful to be in room 5 and not have to negotiate the steps. Lighting is definitely limited and having coffee available in your room would be a "nice touch" or something for the early morning risers in the lounge area.

Overall, some very simple cosmetic work could be done and you would truly have a quaint, charming B&B which would be very unique to Washington.

We stayed here with the whole family, and it is a very nice and much more personal experience of DC than usual. It is quaint, old-fashioned, and a throw-back to another time. I came here first in 2007, and it feels nothing has changed since then - which is a good thing.

The one thing we're unimpressed by is the breakfast service though...

Great old-fashioned Inn at Dupont Circle, Washington, DC. Modest rooms decorated eclectically with antiques and curious paraphernalia. Amazing lounge and great restaurant. Don't expect a TV, it doesn't fit in the ambiance. Be prepared instead to relax beside the fireplace and read. My only negative comment is the lighting. The lighting could be improved in many areas of the inn, especially in the bathroom. But that must be part of the ambiance and mood of this unique place.

My college roommates and I enjoyed a reunion here, a great setting in a suite of adjoining rooms on the third floor. The inn has charm and character, very convenient to Dupont Circle metro and restaurants. Two of our three rooms were quite spacious, one very small. One must adjust, however, to the dim reading light and shower curtain that must be positioned just so around the tub. The continental breakfast was more than adequate with several choices prepared to order. I would love to have had Sunday brunch at the inn as it appears to have an excellent reputation and draws quite a crowd. A television will be placed in your room (no cable stations) if you request it with your reservation. While I was initially directed by staff to a parking lot that was closed on the week-ends and a neighboring hotel that was not accommodating Tabard Inn guests, another staff member later resolved my parking issue. All in all, a memorable stay at a reasonable cost.