I had high expectations for the Canopy by Hilton Washington DC Wharf after reading the many positive reviews. Unfortunately, while the hotel has an excellent location, our experience with the service—particularly the handling of a Hilton Diamond benefit—left us disappointed.
The positives are significant. The hotel is located right on the Wharf and is an easy 10–15 minute walk to the National Mall. Our room was clean, and the air conditioning worked very well during the hot Washington summer weather.
However, there were service issues from the beginning. While already in the shower, I discovered that the wall-mounted body wash bottle was completely empty. I had to call and request more after I had finished showering. We also did not receive fresh towels each day and had to request them. These may seem like relatively minor issues, but they are not what I expect from a hotel at this price point.
The biggest disappointment involved the $36 daily food and beverage credit we received as Hilton Diamond members. Around 8:30 p.m., we went to the hotel restaurant and were told it was fully booked for the remainder of the evening. I understand that restaurants get busy, and I had no issue with the fact that a table was unavailable.
The problem was how the situation was handled.
I asked if we could simply order food to go and was told no because allowing us to do so would “overwhelm the kitchen.” When I explained that we had a daily food and beverage credit as Diamond members, I was told that we could use the credit to purchase snacks from the front desk instead.
In other words, the hotel was unable to seat us, initially refused to allow us to order food to go, and then suggested that we use a Diamond food and beverage benefit on front-desk snacks instead of an actual meal.
Only after I went to the front desk and complained were we finally allowed to order a pizza to go. What made the situation particularly disappointing was the attitude of the restaurant manager, who was exceedingly rude and dismissive throughout the interaction.
The issue was never simply that the restaurant was full. The issue was the unwillingness to provide a reasonable alternative, the difficulty we encountered trying to use a benefit offered to Diamond members, and the way we were treated when we raised the concern.
I have stayed at many Hilton properties and understand that hotels and restaurants can be busy. What distinguishes a good hotel is how management responds when a problem occurs. In this case, the response fell far short of the level of hospitality and service I expect from Hilton and from a hotel at this price point.
The Canopy has an excellent location and clean, comfortable rooms, but our experience demonstrated that location alone cannot make up for poor service and dismissive management.
I am being generous in giving this hotel three stars.
