18 I Tried & Tested HotelMy Luxury corner room had a city view (some
rooms look internally). It was very light, which
was great, but having to adjust the blinds for all
the windows was a bit fiddly (in the evening there
is turndown service so staff get it ready for the
night). The signature Sofitel SoBed was extremely
comfortable. All bathrooms have a separate tub and
walk-in shower. Junior Executive suites and above
have a living room and sofa bed, plus coffee and tea,
which I missed in my room.RESTAURANTS AND BARS Just off the lobby is
Le Bar, which proved a handy place to pop in for a
free takeaway filter coffee early in the morning and
to charge my laptop in the afternoon before heading
for the airport. Opposite is ICI Urban Bistro, which
I visited one morning for breakfast. I had a French
press (US$6) and a three-egg omelette (US$17),
which was very good. Staff were fantastic – very warm
and welcoming. It had a good buzz about the place- Le Bar was more lively in the evenings. In warmer
weather you can sit out on the street-side terrace and
order a lunch of French onion soup (US$8), salade
Lyonnaise (US$14) or steak frites (US$35).
MEETING FACILITIES The 150 sqm Paris ballroom
holds 180 delegates theatre-style. Five smaller rooms
seat from ten in a boardroom layout to 75 people
theatre-style.LEISURE FACILITIES There is a decent fitness
centre with cardio equipment, weights, medicine
balls and a Kinesis machine. While there is no spa,
in-room massages can be arranged. Jenny SouthanPRICE Internet rates for
a flexible midweek stay
in November started from
US$258 for a Superior room.CONTACT 806 15th Street
NW; tel +1 202 730 8800;
sofitel.comA conversion
of a landmark
1930s building,
it was renovated
in 2015 with
inspiration taken
from the art
deco period
VERDICT The poor wifi
had a detrimental effect
on my stay but otherwise
it was a very comfortable
business hotel in a
superb location near the
White House.BACKGROUND Part of
Accorhotels, the five-star
Sofitel Washington DC
Lafayette Square opened
in 2002 as a conversion of
a landmark 1930s building.
It was renovated in 2015,
with inspiration taken
from the art deco period.WHAT’S IT LIKE? The
hotel’s entrance is marked
by French and American
flags and, on arrival, polite
and polished doormen
rush to help with luggage. The long reception hall
is flanked by a turquoise leather banquette facing
the lifts, which is handy when you are waiting for
someone. It took a few minutes to receive my room
key as someone else had arrived with a couple of
small dogs, which was resulting in some form filling.WHERE IS IT? An excellent location on 15th Street
NW, one block from the White House and 42km from
Washington Dulles International airport. It’s easy
to get around the city with Ubers but it’s also very
walkable, although distances can be deceptively long.ROOMS There are 237 rooms (including 17 suites)
across six categories – Superior and Luxury rooms,
and Junior, Junior Executive, Prestige and
Presidential suites. Entry-level Superior rooms in
this 12-floor hotel start from 34 sqm, while suites
start from 40 sqm.
Apart from the Presidential suite, which is
decorated in blue, all rooms have the same red, black,
white and grey décor. It’s smart and contemporary.
Standard facilities include desks, 55-inch HD TVs,
minibars, safes, Bose radios and irons/ironing boards.
Wifi was free
but didn’t work
well – on one
occasion I had
to go to a nearby
café. There didn’t
seem to be a
paid-for high-
speed option – I
could use email
and Facetime
Audio but not
video-call.Sofitel Washington DC
Lafayette Square