The Royal Sonesta Washington DC Dupont Circle

Everything was seamless from booking to checkout

Location: very convenient close to everything. It’s a 15-min cab ride from DCA. Many restaurants within walking distance.

Room: small, but reasonably priced. It was clean and comfortable. The bed was comfortable and the linen was fine, but the towels can be a lot softer.

Service: the staff was friendly. The 24-hour gym was the best part of my 3-night stay. It was small, but has sufficient equipment even for a serious workout. 3 treadmills so I didn’t have to wait.

Minor issues: no electrical outlets by the bed. Hotel doesn’t belong to any of the major chains. The gym had no water on my first visit, but later visits were fine.

All in all, I think this place is a fine choice when visiting DC.

Initially, I was skeptical after reading some of the reviews, but after staying there for two nights, I felt many of those reviews were unfair. The hotel is decent. The building is a bit older and the ramp definitely needs updating, and I hope they eventually switch the hallways and floors to wood like more modern hotels. But overall, the place was clean and well-maintained.

The housekeeping staff were absolutely outstanding—amazing, respectful, and always offering water, coffee, and anything else you might need. The bed was very comfortable. The only confusing part for me was the TV; the system didn’t seem very reliable and there was no guide in the room to help you figure it out.

My check-in experience, however, wasn’t great. I arrived around midnight, and the front desk staff member came across as unfriendly, even a bit arrogant and dismissive.

On the positive side, the restaurant was exceptional—honestly one of the best I’ve ever been to, with extremely reasonable prices. At one point, I tipped 100% because the service was that good.

The only thing that really confused me was the “destination fee.” I booked through a third party and paid everything upfront, but upon checkout they added $35 per night as a destination fee. That felt strange to me.

Other than that, it’s a decent hotel with excellent housekeeping and a fantastic restaurant.

midnight scheduled construction? really?

Only valet parking available. No free breakfast! Restaurant is very expensive. Didnt get a room with a view. Staff were very courteous and accommodating. Rooms were clean and good for our needs. Beds were clean and comfy. Hotel is very secure and located amongst restaurants and shops. Easy commuting to downtown DC.

Ideal location for a tourist.
Could walk all over & enjoy the city.

Super. Com will mess up $ and cancels
Do not do 3rd party to cancel

Great hotel will always return when I’m in town beautiful and clean rooms and the valet driver was such a nice dude

The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, and the rooms are spacious with beautiful design . The bed was very comfortable as well .

Came for a weekend with my husband and our dogs.
Big advice: if you don’t like dogs, do NOT stay here.

But if you’re lucky enough to travel with your pets, this place is perfect.

The front desk staff was extremely kind throughout our stay. They even offered complimentary bowls and dog beds for our pups, which was a very thoughtful touch.

The only downside was the room size and noise level. The king room we booked looked much bigger in the photos, but in reality it was pretty small. Also, the rooms are not soundproof at all—you can hear everything. This is where my earlier advice comes in: a guest complained because my dogs were “too loud” (while playing, as dogs do, one single time and during daytime…sigh). Given that the hotel is very pet-friendly, better sound insulation would really help avoid issues like that.

I was pleasantly surprised that there were no pet fees, and they didn’t require crates to leave the dogs in the room, which many hotels do.

Valet parking was $72 (with taxes), which felt a bit expensive, but at least the car was safe.

Overall, it was a pleasant stay, and I’d definitely choose this hotel again whenever I come back to DC.

Nice hotel. Friendly staff. Wish they offered coffee.

Although I was a little nervous based on other reviews, I ended up being pleasantly surprised by my stay. The room was clean, spacious, and nicely decorated, the front desk agents were friendly and helpful, and housekeeping quickly arrived with the dog bed and bowl I requested upon check-in, even coming in and setting it up for me. The best part by far was no pet fee. I’m sure that my experience was positively impacted by my lack of car (yes, the parking situation looks pretty challenging) and being qualified to receive the government rate, which I assume was the reason I wasn’t charged the resort fee others mention. The location is lovely and near a lot of great restaurants and shops.

Great hotel experience. Very friendly staff and super clean rooms.

Location is great. Plenty of places to walk for coffee or food!!!

Nice enough rooms but the free wifi is slow enough to be unusable, bathtubs have strange stoppers that didn't work, and the valet parking is a mess.