My family and I stayed there for 4 nights. We found it very comfortable, staff very friendly, but had problems with the maid service. We had to repeatedly request towels because the maids did not replenish the towels. It was a little irksome. We ordered room service for breakfast, and the food was odd, not everything we ordered was included, and the cost was tremendous!! We also ate in the restaurant the first night, and the food was blase--ingredients were not fresh, and sort of tasteless. It's very interestingly decorated and certainly in a great part of town to get around. I recommend it for folks who are wanting a different kind of hotel experience, but who don't expect five star service.

We stayed at the Topaz Hotel over 4th of July for an extended weekend. We absolutely loved it. The rooms are a bit funky which is the reason we chose the hotel. The rooms aren't huge but are plenty large enough. We only found the quarters to be a little tight in the bathroom area but this would apply to any hotel. One thing we did notice was that we weren't able to find a vending machine for soda at the hotel but this was remedied by a trip to the CVS pharmacy across the circle.

The location was great. We were only a 5 minute walk to the Metro which was very easy to use and provided transportation to everything we wanted to see.(Standard tourist items near the mall, Arlington, Union Station.. and much more) We were only a 5-10 minute Metro ride from the center of the mall. The hotel is in the perfect location to take advantage of the area with only being 10 minutes and $1.35 from the most frequently visited places in DC.

We didn't have much interaction with the staff because we were out being tourists but when we did they were very pleasant. We would definately recommend to others that they stay in the Dupont Circle area (at the Topaz) and use the metro to get to the mall area to be able to take advantage of the dining and shopping options in Dupont Circle.

One other thing to note - if you need it - there is an umbrella in the closet that you can use. We didn't see it until the day we were packing to leave but it would have made for a dry viewing of the fireworks on the mall :)

Dining Options:
We tried a few restaurants and all of them were great. Luna Grill was great for breakfast and lunch. The prices are very reasonable and the food was great. We also had dinner at the Daily Grill which was fabulous! Very reasonable prices for the quality of food and the atmosphere. The Daily Grill was great because we went in wearing somewhat casual clothes and were still comfortable. We also dined at Bertucci's Brick Oven Pizzeria. It is much more than a pizza place and the lemon martini was one of the best! All of these places are within a block or two of the hotel. There are also many more options down Connecticut Ave for dining and shopping.

Tour:
We took the twilight tour from the Tourmobile that boards at Union Station. The tour was $30.00 per person and was 3-4 hours in length. It was well worth the price. The tour guide provided much more information that we would have known viewing the sites on our own.

We loved the Topaz and will be recommending it to anyone we know that is has plans to visit Washington. We are hoping to be able to enjoy some of the other Kimpton hotels in the future as well.

My check-in was friendly and my room was huge with a layout that made no sense (huge bedroom area, medium sized unnecessary makeup area and claustrophobic bathroom) . The amenity of the flat screen TV as listed on their website was not in the room I stayed in. I don't know if it's something they are gradually installing but I was under the impression that it was available in all rooms. The decor of the room was fun and colorful - the view was decent. I appreciated the quiet and the bed was very comfortable (however the pillows were tiny). My least favorite thing was definitely the tiny bathroom in which I couldn't even close the door to use without having some feeling claustrophobia.

I stayed a total of three nights and unfortunately I called one evening for a suggestion where to eat for dinner and the front desk (who also act the role of concierge) suggested California Pizza Kitchen (!) Luckily I stayed in my room and found some great places in Dupont Circle & Adams Morgan online (where there is free WiFi).

Overall, I have been a guest at a number Kimpton properties before and I would have to say I was least impressed with this. I was glad I was paying such a low rate to stay in the heart of DC because if I was paying more I would have probably asked for a better room. The bed was VERY comfortable and the decor was great.

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.