The historic St. Regis Washington, DC was built in 1926 and is centrally located in downtown Washington, DC on the corner of 16th and K Street. The St. Regis is just steps away from the White House and within walking distance of all the major monuments. It’s also located close to multiple Metro subway lines and everything else is only a quick Uber ride away.
I recently stayed at the St. Regis and was upgraded to the lovely Caroline Astor Suite. Was it as posh as my upgrade earlier this year in Paris? Sadly no, but the central location of the St. Regis and the incredible service at the hotel can’t be beat.
The Astor Suite is fourth-largest room at the St. Regis. It features an entrance foyer, well-furnished sitting room with TV, bedroom with TV, and bathroom AGAIN with a TV in the mirror.
Each hotel room at the St. Regis is decorated in a distinct color, the Astor Suite features a turquoise color. The suite features a king bed which was incredibly comfortable.
The bedroom also features a work desk and various closets to hang your clothes or stash your luggage. Having a corner room such as the Astor Suite is great as it lets in a lot of light.
The bathroom was recently renovated with new tile work. The bathroom mirror has a built in TV which is illuminated when turned on. I'd say it's about a 20″ TV. There is a remote for it in the bathroom as well. Completely unnecessary but I guess why not.
So what was my favorite part of the Astor Suite? The shower! Low water pressure is the one pet peeve I have when staying at hotels. A hotel room can be the size of a house but if the water barely dribbles out of the shower head then I’m headed elsewhere. Well, the St. Regis nailed it! Whoever designed the plumbing system must share the same respect for above average water pressure as I do. I’ve stayed in multiple rooms at the St. Regis and in every one I’ve been greeted with the same intense shower blast. I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a fan.
The most interesting part of my stay was the St. Regis Personal Butler service offered to all the suites at the St. Regis. When I first read online about the service I was a little intimidated. The butler service offers unpacking of your luggage, pressing of two shirts for free, one complimentary shoe shine, and coffee/tea service for a fee, to name a few. I’m not the kind of person who has someone unpack their luggage, but the other services were interesting. The problem was I had no idea how much to tip for the services. I only took advantage of the complimentary pressing of two shirts, and I tipped $10. It seemed appropriate for the service and effort required. I try to be thrifty, but not cheap, and I’ll admit it’s a fine line. The Personal Butler service states they can pick up anything you need, be it a bouquet of flowers, a new toothbrush, or even a bottle of wine. They are at your service.
Thrifty Tip #1: Did you get upgraded to a suite? Then you'll have a personal butler who can provide two complementary shirt presses and a shoeshine. Your personal butler can provide a variety of other services but those cost extra.
I was a little disappointed with the pressing service provided. I stated I wanted the shirts back by 7 am the next day and they never showed. I had to call the front desk around 9am to get the shirts delivered to my room. Not exactly the most impressive service, but it was the only issue I encountered during my stay.
The Platinum breakfast offered for SPG Platinum members included $21 off of any item at Decanter, the hotel restaurant. Mrs. TT joined me for a portion of the stay and the amenity was offered to both of us. The $42 off of breakfast generally covered our breakfast meal.
The hotel bar attached to the Decanter restaurant had great drinks. The Bloody Mary is very tasty, but the best cocktail is by far the Mint Julep. It wasn’t listed on the menu but it seemed to be popular. One of the patrons at the bar stated that he had been to the Kentucky Derby 16 times and the Mint Juleps at the Derby don’t hold a candle to those made at the St. Regis. The bartender said they create their own simple syrup mix infused with mint. It came in a traditional mint julep cup with crushed ice and was pretty damn good. Cocktails are around $15, which is pricey, but we felt it was worth it to really experience what the hotel has to offer.
Thrifty Tip #2: If you’re eating or drinking at a hotel restaurant, always apply the check to your room. You will earn more points than by just paying at the table.
There is one unique tradition at the St. Regis, which I have not seen anywhere else. At 6pm daily in the lobby a member of the bar staff sabres a champagne bottle with a sword, and then serves the champagne to everyone in the lobby. Basically, the sword breaks the bottle at the neck instead of popping the cork. It’s a tradition started by Napoleon, which was done after every victory. John Jacob Astor carried on that tradition at the St. Regis New York in the early 1900’s, and it is still done to this day at many St. Regis locations. It is very cool to watch and I highly recommend it. You get free sparkling wine so why not?
Thrifty Tip #3: Want to watch the St. Regis bar staff open a champagne bottle with a sword? Thought so! Check it out in the lobby at 6pm daily. You get free champagne out of the deal too!
Bottom Line
Would I stay at the St. Regis again? Absolutely, in fact, I canceled one of my other stays in Washington, DC to come back after staying in the Astor Suite. It blows the other nearby SPG properties out of the water through a higher standard of service, central location, and an overall better product in general. The St. Regis just exudes class. Rates can be found as low as $325 a night or you can book an award night for 20k Starpoints. Booking on points is the best value as some nights go as high as $995. Another great thing about SPG points is there are no blackout dates!
