We stayed here the last weekend of January 2013 and had a wonderful time. The staff was helpful, friendly and accommodating from the very moment we pulled up to the curb at 3:15 on a Friday afternoon. Our check in was swift and pleasant with our bags being brought to our room almost immediately. We were given pleasant instructions on all the amenities of the room.

The room was much smaller than I would have expected and the layout was a little odd. The TV was almost right alongside the bed. Most disappointing was the view - or lack thereof. We were facing north - looking into a vacant building that was under renovation. I considered asking for another room, but my wife talked me out of it since we would not be spending a great deal of time in the room. When I return I will request a room that faces east or south toward the White House. The king size bed was awesome! Both of us said afterward that we had not slept that well in a while.

The location was great for us. We love to walk and on Friday night we walked to dinner four blocks away. Saturday we walked to the Verizon center for a Georgetown game. Afterward we walked to the National Mall and back up 15th Street NW to the hotel.

We are not prone to spending much time in hotel bars, but Le Bar was very inviting from the outside so we went in. The staff was very friendly and very attentive and we relaxed almost immediately. We enjoyed it so much we went back on our second night for a pre dinner cocktail. We did not eat a meal here because we already had plans elsewhere, so I can not offer any comment on the food.

Bottom line - I would recommend. I would go back, I will ask for a room facing east or south on my next visit.

I just returned from DC and enjoyed my stay at the Sofitel. It is a lovely hotel with sufficient business amenities. The front desk staff were courteous, but not overly engaging. We had a pleasant experience working with the hotel to host a super bowl party with clients who were in town for the same conference. The food turned out lovely and service was good. Our only disappointment was that we were misled to believe the bar televisions were larger than they actually were. I very much enjoyed my room. The bed was extremely comfortable and the bathroom was spacious and well-appointed. I would have preferred a softer bathrobe, but was happy to at least have one. Like most downtown DC hotels, the views were not spectacular but I nonetheless received decent sunlight throughout the day. The location is truly hard to beat and I was satisfied with the price I paid. The gym was small but very up to date and clean. I would have enjoyed a spa and whirlpool, but they do not have these.

Excellent hotel, especially when you take location and price into consideration. We stayed there this summer and are planning to come back to DC this spring, and will definitely stay at the sofitel again. The service at le bar was fantastic, and the concierge was very helpfu, friendly, and interested in our needs.

We booked two night weekend stay at Sofitel through Jetsetter, largely based on the glowing Trip Advisor reviews. However, after staying for one night we relocated to the Hay Adams.
There was nothing bad about Sofitel, but there was nothing spectacular either. The check-in was very impersonal and no one offered to help us with our luggage -- all we got was a nod towards the elevator. The room itself (Luxury King and I don't want to imagine what the superior room looks like) was fairly small and awkwardly appointed. The bathroom ( large, modern and quite frankly the best part of the room) is behind frosted french doors right off the side of the bed, so if one person uses it while the other is asleep, the bright light falls right across the bed. In addition, the bathroom fan is loud and there is no way to shut it off.
Room service was fast, but the menu is very limited with few vegetarian lunch/dinner choices. The food itself, with the exception of the breakfast croissants, was subpar, (the scrambled eggs were completely inedible). All staff, greet you with Bon Jour or Bon Soir and wish you Bon Appetit, but that's where the gustatory comparison ends, and we ended up going outside for another breakfast at the nearby Le Pain Quotidien.
The room was clean, but I did see a hair on the side of the bathtub, which was a bit off-putting.
The central location, soft comfortable bed and the bathroom toiletries by Lanvin are very good. Most of the staff seem nice and we were offered by the front desk to be moved to another room when we were checking out ahead of time. But the overall experience was lacking. Having stayed in better hotels in DC, I do not understand why Sofitel got rated so highly, Unfortunately, given the high rating we did expect an exceptional experience and this was really not it.