Willard InterContinental Washington an IHG Hotel

I was part of a group holding a multi-day meeting at the hotel, in one of the large ballrooms. As you might expect, holding a meeting at this property is an expensive proposition. Said simply, the quality of the meeting facility and, in particular, the service during the meeting do not justify the expense. On the plus side, the room itself was beautiful and historic. And the food (when it matched the order) was above-average for hotel food. However, our group encountered several problems. First, the doors to the meeting rooms do not close securely and fly open on their own. Consequently, all of the noise from the hallway is easily heard in the meeting room. And that noise is substantial: at all hours, the hotel plays loud classical music in the hallway, and on one day they were also hosting high tea in the hallway. Second, the group was very clear with the hotel about dietary restrictions, which included shellfish. Despite ordering a vegetarian snack, the "garden quiche" that the group was served contained shrimp. Third, the hotel outsources (at great expense) the meeting AV services to a company. I have hosted events like this at hotels for years, and I have *never* encountered AV service as bad as we did at the Willard. This was both a technical issue (at several points, microphones did not work and there was loud buzzing and feedback, when the very point of such services is to avoid this) and a service issue (the technician was rude and simply disinterested in helping). Examples of the technician's unprofessionalism: (a) during one presentation, he disappeared completely, leaving us to figure out his equipment, (b) when we let him know (hours before) that one presentation contained audio, he made a large production of being exasperated by having to run an extra cable, and (c) during that presentation, when it was time to play the videos, their audio was off. This was despite telling him immediately before the presentation that we needed his assistance with the videos. Their audio didn't work because, at the moment he was to turn it on, he was sitting and listening to music with his earbuds, instead of doing his job. These are just a few examples. The hotel, it seems, takes zero accountability for the quality of its subcontractors, despite the enormous costs they charge guests contracting for meeting services the hotel chooses to subcontract. The hotel's own staff was nicer, but sometimes clueless. For example, in the middle of one presentation, staff entered the back of the room and began to loudly stack plates and glass water bottles. We had to explain to them that this was distracting to everyone attempting to listen to the presentation (which was hard to hear because of the aforementioned audio problems). The venue is pretty, but otherwise a poor choice for a professional meeting.

Cafe du Parc at the Willard was great. Food was excellent and the staff was above and beyond. Deepak took great care of us. I sometimes come for business breakfast meetings but it is also great for a family celebration. Impeccable staff and a great menu.

Tea at The Willard is such a lovely experience. The historical setting, friendly of the staff and elegance of the tea itself was phenomenal. Deepak was a knowledgeable, polite and attentive server who made our experience more delightful.

We had a magical experience at the afternoon tea! Deepak was truly the best server we have ever had. We are in our 60’s and have traveled the world. He is fun, funny, intelligent and just a joy to be with. He anticipated all our needs. In my opinion I would promote to make sure he stays with your company. Thank you for this truly lovely experience. We will spread the word. Expect to get even more busy.

We have stayed here several times. The hotel is beautiful. We love the rooms. But each time, the same issue persists. The front desk people are never welcoming or helpful. Always aloof and almost rude. We stood for a while as two people behind the desk never looked up at us. When you tell them your name, they never say “welcome” or “how are you”. They just look down and check their computer. Two times now we have checked in and a room is not yet ready. (After four o’clock.) So we have a seat in the lobby. Instead of coming over to get us, we approach the desk several times to see if there has been any progress. After the third attempt, they say yes, a room is ready. Didn’t they see us sitting there three feet away from the desk? Most other hotels would have come over to tell us the room was ready. Maybe I expect too much here. But I consider this a luxury hotel. But we never receive a luxury hotel check-in experience.