A few months ago, I was visiting Washington DC for a long weekend. I needed a hotel for a few nights, so I checked the American Express Travel website to see if there were any hotels in “The Hotel Collection” that would be eligible for a $300 booking credit.
Because Washington DC is a major commuter city and because it’s the capital, DC has a lot of very nice hotels at every price point you can imagine across the various hotel chains. Thompsons are a Hyatt brand that sit in their boutique/”luxury & upper-scale” segment. This was my first stay at a Thompson (and my first stay at a Hyatt hotel in general in quite some time).
The vibe of the hotel was pretty consistent from start to finish: everything was very nicely appointed, but form was largely selected over function. Checking in took quite a while despite only being second in line (which would be a theme as well).
The amenities
The two primary amenities offered at the hotel are a rooftop restaurant and a basement gym. One aspect of the gym that I found particularly frustrating is that only one of the elevators can go to the basement level, and there isn’t a clear way to take the stairs to the basement. So getting to the gym can take a bit longer than you might expect (and want) it to.
The gym consists of a single room with six cardio machines along the mirrored side.
And along the other side are weighted balls, a few dumbbells, and a cable machine.
The fitness center was definitely sufficient, but I kind of felt like I was in a dungeon (and also that the space could potentially have been laid out a bit better).
The room
I booked just a normal 1 king room, and although booking through Amex sometimes provides for the possibility of free room upgrades, I didn’t get one this time.
Upon entering the room, the bathroom is immediately to the left. The bathroom is nicely appointed with tiles, a half-partitioned glass shower on the left, and a toilet separated from the sink by a half glass partition as well.
Continuing into the room, on the left is a closet, with bathrobe, iron/ironing board, and a safe.
As far as standard rooms go, the room was very nicely appointed all around. I really liked the design, but it wasn’t the most practical furniture. The desk was just about workable for a short stay, and the lights were all very pretty but didn’t offer that much light.
The bed was comfortable though! Which is very important in a hotel room, haha.
The food
The Amex booking came with free breakfast and a $100 property credit, so we had ample opportunity to check out the food on offer. I’ve heard that Hyatt’s free breakfast offering is much better than either Hilton or Marriott, and I can confirm that that is true here. We were able to order any main from the menu and even a specialty coffee, and it was all included. There may have been some excess costs, but they were all covered by the property credit, so I didn’t notice them, haha.
I ordered the smoked salmon bagel with caperberries and tomatoes both mornings (and it was excellent both times).
The other breakfast options we tried were the American breakfast, with bacon, eggs, and latkes and the French toast. The eggs and bacon were pretty bland and overcooked, but the French toast was great.
On both days, the service in the restaurant was not great. The first day it took 15 minutes just to get seated with only 1 group ahead in line. The actual waitstaff were very friendly though, even if everything took a long time.
Elite benefits and recognition
I booked this hotel through the Amex Hotel Collection and also have Hyatt Discoverist (entry-level) status. Booking through the Amex Hotel Collection gave us free breakfast, a potential room upgrade, late checkout, and a $100 property credit. These benefits stack with (and largely eclipse) those offered by my Discoverist status. Discoverist status comes with bonus points, a potential room upgrade, late checkout, and WiFi. So, the question is, how was the recognition?
The free breakfast offering covered a main course for 2 people and a coffee (including specialty coffees), which was fully covered except for the gratuities. On the room upgrade side, I think we got a upgraded to a “high floor”, which I don’t consider an upgrade. The $100 credit covered the gratuities and some cocktails at the rooftop bar. The 10% bonus points and free WiFi from my Discoverist status were easy to come by as well.
Score and summary
The Thompson hotel was a great value for a couple nights in DC. I got a great deal through the Amex Hotel Collection, then got $300 off directly through the card. On top of these credits, we then got free breakfast, and a property credit. Really all around great value there. My understanding for this hotel though is that the prices can vary dramatically depending on the exact timing. Check-in was a bit slow, and my interactions
All my interactions with staff were fine, but the service was just pretty consistently slow despite not being busy (2/5). The room was gorgeous, but the desk was just so tiny and the space was a bit weirdly utilized (3/5). The breakfast similarly gets a 3/5; I think the food could’ve scored better on its own, but the overall breakfast vibe both days just really detracted from the experience. The gym was small and dungeon-esque, but I guess it’s not a very big hotel to begin with, so we can’t expect anything too huge (2/5). But the elite benefits were all recognized perfectly (5/5)! Overall, the hotel earns a 15/25 due to its inconsistencies (largely form over function), but I’d definitely consider it again as part of the Amex Hotel Collection.
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