I stayed at the Mandarin a couple of months ago for a short work trip and was very impressed.

The service was excellent. I left my computer charger at home and the concierge (I believe her name was Lynn) was kind enough to loan me her personal charger.

The property itself is beautiful. My room had a stunning view of the Potomac and was well furnished The bed was very comfortable. The bathroom was incredible. I also had access to the Tai Pan club, and enjoyed a very nice breakfast there.

The only downside is that the location is somewhat removed. Also, the room service lunch I had was mediocre (but quite pricey). I should mention that the ABA rate I got was pretty reasonable, so make sure to check that rate if you are a member.

My husband and I stayed here over the holidays for one night. We had a premium water view room which was small and had stains on the furniture. The bar in the lobby was nice but freezing. Room service was just average. You have to pay for wifi and it is not very strong! Parking $50 for one night! Did not feel like it was the luxury experience you would expect from the mandarin. We will try the ritz or four seasons next time.

My wife and I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental here in Washington DC for New Years Eve. The hotel is beautiful, however the service was surprisingly bad. We stayed at the hotel soecifically for their New Years Eve Party, however the hotel concierge nor the hotel staff had any information about their New Years Eve event despite posters being placed throughout the hotel advertising the event. After we waited 20 minutes for an answer, the concierge told us the event was sold out. Later on I called the hotel lounge manager and was able to make a reservation for the party which WAS NOT SOLD OUT. The concierge apparently just told us the event was sold out because she didn't want to go to the trouble of finding out what was going on in HER OWN HOTEL. The service at the New Years Eve event was horrible. We were seated for about 15 minutes without being acknowledged by a server. I ended up going up to a waiter and asking for someone to be sent over. Apparently there was a mixup and our waitress didn't realize our table( #123) was her's. The food was decent, but later in the evening my wife ran into our waitress who was coming out of a stall in the restroom. The waitress was apparently very busy because she left without washing her hands. We have no idea what she did in the privacy of that stall, but she should have washed her hands no matter what. Needless to say, we called it a night. To top things off, the hotel charges $42 per night for parking. They don't bother to share that with you until checkout so beware. We won't be returning to this hotel....EVER

If you have a family DON'T stay here. We booked two nights for our NYE trip to DC with our kids. We splurged and booked concierge so we wouldn't have to buy breakfast and we would have some snacks. Well... imagine our surprise that on check in, we were told that the concierge lounge was closed for a month AS IT ALWAYS IS from Dec 15 - Jan 17 and to "compensate" us, the hotel was going to comp two breakfasts and give us $50 resort credit. I'm like "what about our kids - they were on the reservation too..." They didn't care - just cited the $50 resort credit. However, the thing is - this credit did not go far. It was $100 for 2 adults and 2 kids to eat breakfast buffet in the Sou'wester restaurant. $100. Seriously? The breakfast buffet consisted of scrambled eggs, potatoes, meats, french toast and bagel/pastries and was $32 for adults and $16 for children. That's it. There was a charge for juice, and an "upcharge" for omelet. Since when? The prices were ridiculous. Even though we were on concierge, we were still charged $15 a day for internet, and this had to be taken off our bill at check-out. $40/day Valet is mandatory. Also, each of the concierge rooms had an "honor bar" (makes no sense why this wasn't comped, because the concierge lounge was closed) and the drinks were $4/soda, $12 nuts, etc.

We did feel "nickeled and dimed" at the hotel. Everything was a charge, an upcharge, or additional fee. The hotel was just not family friendly --- this may be a plus for some guests or business travelers. We took the kids to the bar for dinner after a long day at the Smithsonian and there was very little "family friendly" dishes. We ordered the cheese plate to share ($23) and the antipasta plate - the cheese plate consisted of two types of blue cheese and brie, and the antipasta contained cured meats that were foreign to most elementary school kids. Our kids just stared blankly and ate 5 grapes.

The hotel was inconveniently located. It was not close to anything, even though all of the employees there acted like it was a "quick 2 block walk from the Smithsonian..." It isn't. You pretty much need to take a cab anywhere - but the good news is that it isn't pricey. Cost us $10 for our family of 4 to cab to the Capitol - not bad at all. The doormen and staff were all extremely friendly, but the hotel is NOT family friendly. Let's just say that the hotel TV has Al-Jazeera but not the Disney Channel or Nickelodeon.

Despite the constraints, the staff truly tried to help. We returned from a very windy day with kids with chapped lips. We called down to the front desk and asked if they had any chap stick or blistex - the concierge had security unlock the gift shop in order to send it up. However - they didn't sell it! What hotel store doesn't have chapstick for its guests? The CVS closed early, so hubby went over the next morning.

That said, I must say that we had an excellent room. Had a wonderful view of the Washington Monument (Note: no fireworks on NYE) and the bathroom was among the best we have had, wtih marble walls/floors and a TV next to the giant soak tub. The beds were doubles, but five star quality with down duvets and pillows. In short, an excellent and very comfortable sleep. We were welcomed the first night with marshmellows, M&Ms, chocolate and water bottles - but we did not see any of these items throughout our stay, and the water bottles were not replenished the next night (that was a surprise - everywhere we have ever stayed, we have had our water refreshed.)

There is now a Starbucks across the street, and a new sandwich shop just opened - but it looks like it is only open for lunch. It would be worthwhile for it to stay open later and compete with the ridiculous offerings by the Mandarin.

We look forward to going back to DC next year with our family... As for the Mandarin, we won't be back.