We loved the location of the hotel and when we chose not to walk, the metro was accessed without going outside. In our experience, the staff was very accomodating. This was a good thing as we had two rooms and 12th floor lounge privileges and during our 9 day stay we were continually having our card keys reactivated accurately. Our regular sleeping room was on the small side and the small vanity was inside the bathroom. I ate one lunch in the waterside cafe and it had a very limited menu. There are too many options in the area so I advise skipping meals there. I believe we would consider staying here again.

The hotel is located in a great section of town for sightseeing and is conveniently located on top of a Metro stop. The room was clean but lacks a seperate 'getting ready' area outside the bathroom. The room also does not have a DVD player, it seems that this is becoming more and more common but I'm sure they want you to buy their movies instead of bringing your own. They do have an IPod docking station which was a nice touch.

There was also no vent in the bathroom so it got very steamy in there, with no other place to get ready this was a slight issue. I felt that the additional charges for things were a bit much...for example, this is clearly a business hotel with many many ballrooms for conferences and the like yet they do not provide free internet service. It's $10 a day for slow internet and $15 a day for faster service which seemed a bit over the top for me.

The hotel has a convenience store in it with no prices on anything and a bottle of water cost us $4! I just really felt that they were taking advantage of the fact that you're either a tourist or your there on business and can expense it without takign cost into consideration.

There are several restaurants (their website is outdated with several of the restaurants mentioned no longer in the hotel). The higher end restaurant was not worth the price, the food was so and so and my husband's Jameson on the rocks was $11! Also, the lobby has a nice shallow pool with a piano on an island, I was disappointed that it was not in use at any point during my week long stay. There is a breakfast and lunch restaurant that offers a brunch buffet which was outlandishly priced at $19 (or around there). The seperate items listed were the same price as listed in the room service menu so you can imagine the cost. It was convenient that there was a Starbuck's right in the hotel lobby but it closes fairly early in the evenings.

The other additional charge/inconvenience is that the website lists that there is a gym. This gym,however, is located outside of the hotel on the way to the Metro station and costs you $10 per workout (the pool is free) so I chose not to go even though I brought all of my work out clothes.

Interestingly, I initially requested a King sized bed and was told that there were none available which is what another reviewer posted but when I got there they did switch us to a King sized room and the second receptionist was not sure why I was told there were none available.

The pluses were the location, the room was clean (bad view of construction), the Starbucks in the lobby, and free USA Todays, full concierge service also.

The minuses were sticker shock on just about everything, bathroom set up, no internet service provided, no free gym or convenient access.

We have just returned from a 9 day stay at the Grand Hyatt Washington. The property has a very nice location, walking distance to the Metro, and the atrium is quite stunning.

Upside: 1) Centrally located to everything in DC, either by foot, Metro, or rental car.
2) Front Desk Staff was always helpful, and efficient, so there were rarely ever lines even during major check in times
3) Rooms were not large but spacious enough so that no one was bumping into each other.

Downside: 1) Concierge, don't even think about calling and getting a timely return call. After the 3rd time of getting voicemail I simply gave up this service(?). In addition, I received recommendations which if I did not call in advance would have wasted alot of time. Recommend that you do your own homework.
2) Housekeeping, while they did keep the rooms clean, I had to call every day for extra towels, even though day 1 I let the housekeeper know that I needed extra towels through the duration of our stay.
3) Wireless, forget it, it did not work in our room, and the technical support left me on hold for 10 minutes.
4) Business Center, with no wireless you would think I could go to the business center and use their computers. At $36/hour plus $1.50 to print a single page, it was easier and CHEAPER to go to Kinko's up the street.
5) Security, no safe in the room, so I had to constantly check my laptop in and out of the safe deposit box.
6) Fitness Center, while there is not one on the property, they have an agreement with a club in the same building. It was small with good equipment, but they charge you an addl $10 per day.
7) Grand Slam restaurant, their sports bar in the hotel. Service was poor.

So back to the title, what is so Grand? Rates were fair for the area, but unless you have a compelling reason to come here, I cannot recommend this property.

Excellent hotel, fine location, good staff and service, the food was fine, the sports bar was a great hagn out. The room was good, nice view, good working space and clean. I enjoyed my stay and will be back.
The place didn't feel crowded even while it was full for conventions during my stay, the staff remained friendly and helpfull, and very nice.