The Beacon Hotel

Pros: It is cheap and a good location.
Cons: It’s a little shabby and down-​at-​the-​heel. The hotel itself is a maze, and it’s not easy to find e.g., the breakfast room, the bar, meeting rooms. My room had a teeny-​tiny shower with weak water pressure, and wasn’t super-​clean.
Upshot: Overall it was not a terrible experience, but probably I wouldn’t stay here again unless I needed to be in Dupont Circle and everything else was booked.

I’m writing this as we’re finishing our meal. The mimosas were tasteless and the grits are too thic. As far as the chicken and waffles — just don’t order that! Regular bacon was substituted for Canadian bacon without the waitress asking in advance. Coffee grinds were served with the coffee. I would not recommend this place. I gave it one star because the atmosphere was nice.

Not a bad place to stay. The staff is cordial and the location is ideal. Two blocks away and you’ll find anything you need. It’s a $ 100 hotel, it’s not the Ritz. I’ll be back!

My boyfriend and I discovered this hotel from mapping DuPont Circle and we were glad we did! We stayed here for one night and we will definitely be back if we end up needing to stay in the area again! The nightly rate was pretty reasonable for a mid-​summer night (we stayed in July).
We booked the queen sized room and it was decently sized. We had a nice view too and the location of the hotel was great! I especially loved the full length mirrors in the room and how the TV separated the «his & hers» closets.

WHERE DO I START? My sister and I booked two rooms for Halloween weekend. We have stayed at different hotels in the area and this one was by far the worst. The hotel itself was ehh, okay. It was clean and the bed was comfortable. However, it was way to pricey for what was included. For the price I paid i was expecting a nice view and a good size room. What I got was a mediocre view of the city and a tiny room with a queen size bed (which I thought I was paying for a king). But that is not why I gave them 2 stars. The service there was TERRIBLE. Everyone including EVERY MANAGER I spoke with was rude. The night of Halloween we went up the pent house to enjoy the bar that they told us about when checking in. But when we got upstairs there was no one there except for the bartender who was rudely on his phone and ignored our presence. We were angry and made a comment and then decided to refuse service to us. So we decided to take the matter to the manager to tell them how rude we were treated. However, the manger could have cared less and told us that they are allow to refuse service to anyone. All we wanted to do was let her know how rude he was to us. Then the following morning a friend of mine left his keys in the room after we checked out. So while I was at brunch I called the hotel and asked if they could check the room. They told me they would and hung up WITHOUT EVEN ASKING WHO I WAS OR WHAT ROOM NUMBER!!! I called back with a attitude because I was already frustrated with the staff. The manager answered and said he would personally look himself for the keys and to call back in 20 minutes. I told him exactly where the keys were left (on the left side on the floor between the bed and the window). So i called back and they said they did not find keys. So i went there myself to check. The manager walked us up and on the way he told us he looked thoroughly and that the room was just finished being cleaned. When he opened the door, the room was EXACTLY HOW WE LEFT IT and the keys were EXACTLY WHERE I SAID THEY WERE!!! The hospitality was awful in this hotel. And was definitely not worth the money. VERY OVER PRICED!

Budget hotel, great location, but you can obviously tell this place’s got some history behind it. The elevator was small and slow, the carpet looked old and the lighting was a little dark. The appliances weren’t the best either, but you get what you pay for in terms of the price.

It was the first time my best friend and I were visiting DC, and we had an awesome experience. The staff were friendly and most notably recognized us during our stay so that made us feel even more comfortable. We were there over Labor Day weekend and took advantage of the convenient location, its literally a block from the main area to shop, drink, dine and party. The hotel has a good rooftop which we hung out at and two restaurants. We didn’t have a chance to eat there, but the décor was really funky that we took a few photos there. All in all, the hotel is perfectly located if you want easy access to anything in downtown DC. We cabbed to Georgetown and the monuments area and it was about $ 7 to both, however, if your up for it, its about a 20 – 30 minute walk to those areas from the hotel.
We loved this place!

Ugh. If I had paid for this room myself I would be even less satisfied. As it was, I was on business and the trip was booked a mere week before, so I guess beggars can’t be choosers. I’d never stay here again though, business or otherwise.
Extreme lack of outlets. This is 2015, people!!! Put outlets near the bed or better yet, upgrade your awful, dim bedside lamps, one of which had a broken switch, to newer models with built-​in outlets. Bed was comfortable enough and I slept fine even though there was roadwork being done outside my hotel room at 11pm (not the hotel’s fault). I have lived in a city for many years so street noise doesn’t keep me up, but someone who isn’t used to that might do better to request a room on the back side of the hotel, away from the busy street in front.
Motel 6-​level toiletries. I always bring my own but appreciate when there’s actually something usable in there.
The restaurant in the lobby was pretty dreadful — $ 3 for coffee (though they did leave a whole pitcher on the table for me) and the standard eggs/​homefries/​meat combo was meh. I can’t imagine paying for dinner there. Service was very pleasant, though.
So many great places to eat and stay in DC — don’t waste your time and money on this one.

My family and I had an excellent stay at this hotel! It was clean, the staff was friendly, and the location is wonderful! It is within a short walking distance of many shops, restaurants, and some of DC’s attractions! The only thing we would have added that would have made the stay even better, is a refrigerator in the room but, nevertheless we loved our stay here!

Horrible! The front desk doesn’t greet you and eventually looks up from their task. That’s when I should have left but alas I remained. I was involuntarily «upgraded» to a room with two double beds. I wanted the queen that I had reserved. Too bad, they didn’t have anymore regardless of my reservation. Then the AC didn’t work and when I told the front desk … not even an apology or concern. Upon exiting the bell hop was more concerned about giving directions to some one walking by who was lost so I had to flag my own taxi but he still managed to show up as I was closing the taxi door for a tip. This place is a colossal fail and it was criminal to have to pay the amount charged since a Motel 6 would’ve been more pleasant. Go to the Mayflower instead, it’s just a block away and they care about their customers!

Great location and amenities for the price. Only question is why the hotel bars, including a great rooftop terrace, close at 10pm. This isn’t Utah, guys.

Staff is INCREDIBLY rude. Seriously. If you want to be talked down to and treated like a child, stay here.
Rooms are alright. Layout is weird. No refrigerator or microwave in deluxe king room.
Location is pretty good.
Would not stay here again, would not recommend due to rude staff.

After booking is when I started reading the reviews. I’m glad to report that my fiancé and I had a great time and had no complaints. I was most concerned about the reports of bed bugs. So we placed out luggage in the bathroom and inspected before settling in. This is what your supposed to do at ALL hotels. Bed bugs do not discriminate.
There were no signs of bed bugs. The hotel room was cute and was nice a cold. Hotel staff were super nice. I would recommend this hotel to family and friends.
Oh and don’t pay for over nigh valet when you can try to get a meter near by. We arrived on a Saturday and paid a total of $ 6 for parking.

Well! Recently stayed here in beacon hotel but left unhappy. The only good thing about this place is location only a couple blocks away from White House but location is not enough to be a expensive hotel. $ 150/​night plus if you have car $ 39/​night. Plus if you wanna use the wifi internet you will be charged for that.
One of the morning I wanted have fresh coffee while I was waiting for my gf to get ready and went down to lobby for a chance of a fresh coffee the lady at the desk said they have coffee in the hotel’s restaurant then I walked into the restaurant only for a couple steps and when I ask for a cup of coffee I was served coffee in a to go cup with a check for $ 3.30. As soon as I realized that I need to pay for this coffee I was shocked and I turned out being so rude and refused coffee and paying for it. I mean it wasn’t a good feeling paying extra $ after staying in an expensive hotel.
And I also see one other guest who was trying deal over total bill while is checking out. Not happy with this place at all. Not not reccomended at all.
Another thing… Sink counter was broken. :((((

I stayed here with a friend a few days back. He was on a business trip, so I paid $ 0. Perhaps that has to do with my overall view that this hotel was good, I dunno.
He had a single bed reserved but they were able to get us a 2 bedroom suite on the top floor for free. «Be nice, get free stuff.» The room was awesome with a full kitchen we didn’t have time to use.
There was a serious lack of outlets, and the outlet behind my bed was falling out of the wall. So yeah, it’s an old building. There’s also no free wifi, which is insane these days.
Location was pretty amazing, as we walked to the White House for a quick picture, and we had some decent bars and restaurants in the area. I’d be pretty happy if I Priceline’d and got this place.

stayed over the weekend for my sisters birthday celebration. The hotel was cute. The room is average clean. The toilet flushes hard and loud. The staff was great. I wish they had a pool. Planning another trip to DC would like to stay here but a pool is a must. The location is great. We walked to the White House and The Washington Monument. We didnt make it to brunch but the smell was amazing coming from downstairs. We requested additional towels at 6pm and they were delivered at 6:05. We was located on the second floor, Have to go to the odd floors for ice. Overall, i had a nice time at the Beacon.

The room was decent at best, but I believe that would have been easy to overlook if I never had to deal with the unhelpful and rude staff (Lisa, especially).
After checkout, we noticed that there were charges to our room that we didn’t recognize. They were for bottles of water that we didn’t drink, and were not even in the room!
The first time we called, we were told that Steve (I’m assuming the manager), would have to help us and that we’d have to call back the next day. Fair enough. We call the next day, and after series of holds, Lisa finally «helps» us.
We’re not even through explaining the issue to Lisa and she meets us with «well, housekeeping puts water in them rooms, so…». Nice touch. Now, we’re liars, but I keep my cool as ask to speak to a manager, and this is when I am floored. She says «well, this is a hotel and we’re busy.» Really?! we kept insisting, and were finally promised a call back from the manager. Still waiting…
Needless to say, I will never be staying in this place again!

Average hotel at best. Room was small, poor water pressure, bathroom was tiny, our TV remote was broken and some of the outlets didn’t work. Walls are thin and we could hear every toilet flushing on the 5^th floor.
Location was great (a block from DuPont) and the brunch downstairs was very good but other than that — just okay.

Not impressed. Although they are nicely located, have a good business center and decent customer service, there isn’t much else positive to say.
Cons:
–the room was average
–the bathroom had no counter space
–the volume on the TV was inconsistent
–the gym is super tiny
–I found a pair of sneakers and a hair brush under the bed
–they left room service on the floor across the hall all day
–our toilet paper and tissues were not refilled when the room was cleaned
–the fact that the restaurant isn’t affiliated with the hotel is bothersome and leads to confusion
I don’t think I’d return.

This place is really appalling for the price.
The lamp on the desk I wanted to do some work at has no light bulb. The phone didn’t work. There are huge dirt smudges on the wall, the bathtub is leaking, and a massive stain on the carpet.
When I ordered food to be delivered, the manager refused to allow the delivery person upstairs, and decided to keep her waiting around instead of confirming to the poor woman that he definitely wouldn’t let her up. Or maybe they tried to call me but couldn’t reach me because the room phone didn’t work… Regardless, the woman finally called me on my cell and I spoke to the manager, who refused to make an exception to let her up. When I went downstairs to get the food and complained to the manager he was condescending and wanted to argue about the virtue of their security policy with me.
As I repeatedly told him, I was uninterested in arguing the virtues of the policy with him, but had I known that their policy was not to let delivery people upstairs, I would not have ordered in and simply gone out. He ACTUALLY SAID TO ME, «Well, you didn’t ask.» As I told him, «The onus is on YOU to explain your hotel policies to your guests.»
He also had the absolute GALL to question why I didn’t want to order from their incredibly limited and over priced room menu — in the most arrogant, entitled tone one can imagine.
He became humble as pie when I then asked him about the extremely recent bedbug cases in the hotel, and offered to show me the paperwork, which I really didn’t feel like rifling through as my dinner got colder and colder. This doesn’t mean I won’t demand to see that paperwork at some other point.
The last kind of creepy thing that happened is that they told me they were going to send an engineer to fix my phone. I waited, and waited— no engineer. On the off chance I picked up the phone and– magically– my dial tone was back. I decided to go downstairs to let them know the engineer had never shown up and that my phone was fine now. I also wanted to apologize to the very sweet front desk man in person and make it clear I was not angry with him, but rather his manager (on a side note– he’s the only reason why they get another star). He informed me that the reason why my phone worked was because the engineer had gone up to my room and fixed it while I was downstairs yelling at the manager. Now, I wouldn’t necessarily mind– had I been told that a stranger was going to be in my room ahead of time– but to have him go in there without my foreknowledge was … creepy.
Seriously, this place is absolutely not worth the money, and the management is incredibly arrogant and rude.