I’ve spent three great days at Omni Shoreham in May, while attending an IT&C summit organized by a virtualization company. As the conference kept us for quite a while close to the hotel, I got well acquainted with what it had to offer. I thought I’d share my views with all of you traveling to Washington for business or pleasure and for those looking for a place to throw a party.

The hotel looks amazing and the rooms are placed in such a way that their overwhelming majority has a nice view to offer. The architect coming up with this hotel was really client oriented! The hotel might look like a little labyrinth at times, but there are enough signs to help you find your way.

The rooms are huge, the beds are extraordinary and their bathrooms are impeccable. Yet in the room I stayed there was no mini bar. There’s no vending machine on each floor either, so if you get really thirsty in the middle of the night, you have to get dressed and go downstairs. I think this is an aspect they should really work on, given their clear position of a luxury hotel.

The hotel restaurant looks extremely fancy. And if it’s warm outside, I strongly recommend eating on the terrace. There’s a lovely, relaxing view of the garden and its fountain to enjoy. The food was quite good, yet a very limited selection of dishes. Breakfast offered the most choices if you asked me.

I think if you pay attention to the menu selection, throwing a spring or autumn wedding reception at this hotel might be wonderful. If you’re traveling here on business, feel free to ask your business partners here to have lunch or dinner, they’ll appreciate the atmosphere. If they’re picky about what they eat, take them somewhere else though.

If there’s one area where Omni Shoreham is really outstanding, it must be the facilities it has to offer for seminars, conferences and other events. During my stay there, there were quite a few events taking place at the same time and there was enough room for everyone. Do keep the map offered to you by the organizers close by, otherwise that labyrinth feeling will kick in again.

To conclude, I’d like to say Omni Shoreham was one of the finest hotels I stayed in. But their staff should really learn how to give better advice. Their doormen know more than Concierge staff about transportation to airports, which is cheaper and which is faster. Being helpful is nice, actually helping someone make a smart move is even better.

Photos credit.