Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom Review

Booking & Stay Details

This is another trip for work like 99% of my trips are. This time I needed a place to stay in Washington D.C. as we had a project there. I visited D.C. twice before during long holiday weekends and I always stayed at the Grand Hyatt in Washington D.C. where I used my free night awards. This time I was looking again to stay at a Hyatt property and was hoping for the Grand Hyatt as well. However, the price per night was over $300 and I would have to pay for parking as well, which is outrageous at every hotel in town. I also checked to take the Metro to the project site and find a good hotel that way, but there is no Metro station close to the project and I would have to leave so early to have no chance for breakfast to get there in time. The only practical choice was the Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom. It is just two blocks from my project site, and I can walk there in less than five minutes. The room rates were just under $200/night. Since I can walk, I decided not to rent a car and just walk to and from the hotel to work. The hotel was booked through the Marriott Bonvoy App.

Location

The Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom is in the Foggy Bottom Neighborhood in Washington D.C. The hotel is located at the south end of the George Washington University campus. It is also two blocks west of the White House and two blocks north of the Lincoln Memorial and Reflection Pool. This makes this a good place to explore all of the city’s memorials and main tourist attractions. 

Parking

The hotel has an on-site underground parking garage which is valet only. If you want to park you have to pay $56/night. Pretty steep. That’s the rate of a car per day, you must pay for it to park. But you are lucky, the $56 already includes tax. 😉

Check-In

I got to the Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom just before 10 a.m. and was hoping to be able to check-in. Unfortunately, they did not have a room available but tried to get me in as soon as possible. I got told to use the check-in function in the app as well as I would get a notification. Well, that didn’t work at all. First of all, I already checked in at the front desk but was waiting for a room, but I was still able to check-in in the app. However, the app wanted me to select a time that is at least 30 minutes in the future. Why? I have already checked in! Anyway, they did that, but then just a loading circle appeared and never went away. I tried multiple times. I waited until noon and asked if they already had a room available as the app doesn’t work at all. They were able to get me a room. Unfortunately, they were sold out and couldn’t offer any upgrades for my stay either.

Check-In: 3 p.m.
Check-Out: 12 p.m.

Guest room, 1 King, Sofa bed (Room 415)

This room is a hearing-accessible room. It has a button outside the door which turns on a strobe light in the room.

The room itself is not very big but comfortable enough. As you walk in you have your bathroom to your left. Inside the bathroom, you find a vanity with a single sink, a large wall-mounted mirror, and a shower with a glass door.

The room itself has a window-facing King bed. On either side are a nightstand and a lamp that is mounted to the headboard. One side had a power strip sitting on the nightstand with multiple USB ports and universal power outlets, where you can plug in devices from pretty much all over the world.

In one corner of the room was the sofa bed and in the opposite corner are a work desk with an office chair. The desk has wheels, and you can pull it out for more space. Next to it is a dresser with a few drawers and on top of it is a TV. The TV is mounted on a slide so you can pull it forward a bit to get a better view from the bed but the large closet next to it blocks the view just slightly. Inside the closet is an iron, ironing board, and a safe. 

There is a small niche next to the bed and entryway. The small closet hides a small refrigerator and on top of it is a coffee machine and ice bucket.

The A/C controls are mounted to the wall next to the bed. However, every day I return to the room in the afternoon, the A/C resets itself to 72°F. This room only has one window, and it faces toward the back of the building onto an alleyway. There is another building right next to this one and you want to keep your curtains shut for privacy.

Public Areas & Amenities

Lobby

The lobby is nothing special. Besides the main entrance, there is also a side door leading out to the valet parking area where you can pick up or drop off your vehicle. Besides that, the lobby houses the business center, has a few seating options and the bigger part of the lobby is part of the Bistro.

Business Center

There is a business center on the left side, about halfway down the lobby. It comes with a workstation and printer and additional space to set up your laptop. There are also more tables in the Bistro dining area with power outlets where you could set up. That’s what I did, as I arrived so early, and no room was ready yet.

Fitness Center

The fitness center is in the basement B3 level. It is labeled in the elevator. As you get off the elevator hang a left and you will see the fitness center on your left side. It’s a smaller fitness center but with a good selection of equipment. You need your room key to access the fitness center.

Pool

The indoor pool is also located in the basement of the building, right next to the fitness center. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for renovation. It’s a very small pool area with only a little bit of space inside the area. You need your room key to access the pool area.

Backyard Patio

The hotel comes with a small backyard patio. There are plenty of seating options outside and it also has a nice fireplace there.

2nd Floor Patio

The hotel also has an outdoor patio on the second floor. It’s more of a secret area of the hotel. It is labeled on the buttons in the elevator next to the second floor. Once you get off the elevator on the second floor, you are on your own. Just take a left as you exit the elevator and follow the hallway around the corner. The door to the patio will be on your left, past room 215. 

It is a nice outdoor area with a lot of seating options and lights. Unfortunately, there is no fireplace on this patio. There are a few rooms that directly face the patio area. 

Guest Laundry

The hotel provides laundry services for a charge. You can find the laundry bag and the paper sheet you have to fill out and send with it, in the closet in your room. There is no on-site guest laundry facility.

Dining

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at the Bistro in the lobby. The Bistro serves Starbucks coffee and has the typical Courtyard breakfast menu. There is a variety of options. However, you have to pay for everything separately, which can add up quickly to a bill of almost $30 for breakfast for one person.

Hours: 
Monday-Friday: 6:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 7:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Bistro Bar

During the evening hours, you can order food at the bistro as well. It is bar food style and has a limited selection only. Same as you get at most Courtyards by Marriott. 

Hours: 5:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m.

Market

There is a small shop next to the front desk to buy snacks, beverages, and other things you might need for your stay.

Other Dining Options

Besides the Bistro you can of course use your favorite delivery app and order from there. Alternatively, there is a Subway, Starbucks, and SecreTea in the same building as the hotel. 

Conclusion

This stay at the Courtyard by Marriott Washington, DC/Foggy Bottom was nothing special. I picked the hotel because of the proximity to my work site. Therefore, I was able to save on parking costs for the rental car, as well as the cost of the actual rental car itself. The city is also very walkable, and parking is limited anyway, especially from Monday – Saturday.

The staff was great, no issues here. Even though I stayed here for a week, I would consider staying here only for short-term stays or if you are really about the proximity of nearby venues and locations. There are better options in town to stay.