DETAILS:
Date/length of stay: June 20, 2008 (3 nights)
Purpose of trip: Leisure
Room #/type: 1011, King Bed
Rate/Booking site: ~$117/night through Orbitz.com

REVIEW:
Overall: This is my second stay at a Kimpton hotel and I am quickly becoming a fan of this company. Just about every aspect of our stay was near perfect. I would be happy to stay here again.

Check-in/staff: The check-in was very quick and friendly and my requests for a high-floor room away from the elevator were honored. Throughout our stay the staff were very friendly and always greeted us upon leaving or coming back to the hotel. We did not have any special requests during our stay, nor did we use any concierge-type services, so I cannot comment on their effectiveness in this area.

Room: The room was spotless and in great condition. The furnishings and decor were all in good condition and the bed was VERY comfortable. The room was a pretty good size for our needs, although the bathroom was a bit small--there is a little alcove right off the bathroom that they should consider merging with the bathroom to make it larger. The desk is set into a little alcove off the bed area, which provides plenty of space. MY ONLY COMPLAINT--something seemed to be wrong with the building A/C during our stay and on one night, it wasn't working at all. We opened the windows and were able to get some cool air, so we slept ok--on that night the lobby was also hot/stuffy, so it must have been more than just our room that had this problem. The other nights the A/C operated fine.

Location: great! Just a few blocks from Dupont Circle with many great shops and restaurants within walking distance.

Hotel dining: We didn't try the Topaz lounge for food/drinks, but had breakfast nearby at Luna Grill and Diner--very good hearty way to start the day. We had breakfast one day at Kramerbooks cafe and that was mediocre.

Other amenities: there is no pool or fitness center on site--I think you can get a pass to the YMCA from the front desk. We did not use the business center, but the in-room wireless internet access worked perfectly--fast and easy to use.

Kimpton InTouch (the Kimpton loyalty program) experience: I was greeted and welcomed back by name by the front desk staff at check-in. There were also cookies, bottled water and a nice note from the hotel staff waiting in our room. Very nice touches.

We stayed a week at Topaz Hotel and had a very pleasant time. It is few minutes walk to Dupont circle. We booked two connecting rooms for our family of four. Not only the rooms are very big and comfortable, but are nicely decorated. The hotel is on a relatively quiet street, so street noise was not an issue. Beds were very comfortable, pillows too.

Hotel staff was very friendly and went beyond my expectations to help and arrange transportation, printing, etc. The only hiccup was that two stuffed animals were misplaced during housekeeping and were not found by the time we checked out. I am sure everybody did their best, but I guess there was not enough time.

We did try the bar/restaurant one night when it was pouring outside and the selection was not very big, but the food was very good. Breakfast was good, but pricey.

Overall, very nice stay and would definitely come back soon.

The Topaz Hotel is about three blocks from hot and hip Dupont Circle down the street from the National Assn of Broadcasters and Connecticut Ave.

This is a small boutique style hotel. My room was surprisingly large, quiet, with an excellent bed, sitting room sofa, chair, desk and chair, TV and separate shower/bathroom. The room decor was eclectic: something between antique and leopard skin. Free wifi service and ipod radio made it digitally modern. The room was immaculate and comfy. There is a restaurant downstairs or hundreds of food places and stores just a short walk outside. I would definitely stay here again.

I satyed in the Topaz hotel for two nights on a business trip. I had stayed in other Kimpton hotels before and I am a fan of these funky boutique style hotels. The hotel entrance had doors that were hard to open and a very small lobby with a boudoir style sofa. Unfortunately, there are small stairs to get from the reception to the elevators, inconvenient with luggage. The area is great, very close to Dupont circle and close to many restaurants.

The room was nice, not bad for a room in DC , clean, good bed, with a small bathroom but with a make-up area outside of the bathroom. I liked the tea kettle and the herbal tea. There was a large safe in the room, weirdly located in the closet almost on the floor, but it worked. There is wi-fi in the hotel and the room and it was easy to get on. Not superfast, but good enough and it is free. everything worked in the room.

There was a nice desk with a great chair, very convenient for doing some work. I did not have time to use any of the yoga stuff. The hotel is advertised as a yoga hotel but the atmosphere did not strike me as very zen/yoga like, just kind of funky like the other Kimpton hotels. Maybe the stone on the bed and a daily horoscope were supposed to invoke the yoga like style.

O well, I enjoyed staying there anyway. I used the business "center", a tiny room with a computer and a printer to print my boarding pass. I went on line $5.95 for 15 minutes and printed 1 page for $1.49. I don't know why they did not provide this as a free service. Also no complimentary breakfast is included like in many other hotels in DC. The breakfast was pretty mediocre and the "hot" buffet was $15.00 which included some scrambled eggs. not great, and certainly not for this amount. Should have been free. I did not see any of the free power juice that was advertised. I don't think it existed. The orange juice that came with the breakfast was not fresh.

Around the corner on Connecticut there is a small hole in the walll take out place where they make empanadas ("with love"), really good!

The staff at the reception was okay, not fantastic.

All in all a good experience. I would stay there again if I could get a good price.