Hotel Zena Washington DC

Reviews

• MB

  Madison Bryant

  4 days ago
  2.0
  Our stay was disappointing. To start: the rooms were uncomfortable. The mattresses were stiff and the pillows were lumpy. The thermostat seemed to have a mind of its own, only working during the day to cool the room and then switching to heat in the middle of the night. There was also a lingering damp smell that we couldn't identify in both rooms we booked. The bathrooms were the kicker. Whoever designed the bathroom layouts should never be allowed to do anything ever again. Flickering lights over the sink, an aggressive sink tap, weak shower pressure. The showers were the worst. Not accessible, no traction on the shower floor, and the water puddles in one corner of the shower after you’re done. The reason I highlight the showers is because one of the members of my party has neuropathy in his feet and the showers presented an unforeseen safety risk for him when showering. While the staff didn’t seem wholly unreasonable, the automatic and undisclosed gratuity added to all bills at any time of day is frustrating. The location was nice but I personally wouldn't book with this hotel again.
• JM

  Jessica Meaders

  6 days ago
  1.0
  This hotel was not cooperative at all when we had a family emergency and couldn’t stay for our second night. We found broken glass on the floor of our room and the entire hotel smelled like weed. It was overpriced for what it was, and the customer service was not helpful at all. The manager, Mohamad, had not been helpful or responsive to us at all.
• RS

  Riley Shae

  Aug 17, 2026
  1.0
  Unfortunately, our stay was very disappointing. We specifically booked a room with two queen beds for three people, but when we arrived, we were placed in a king room with a rollaway bed, which was not what we paid for or booked. We were later told that the room we had been placed in was only intended to accommodate two people and that having us in that room was a fire/safety concern. On the second day, the hotel called and asked us to come back and move all of our belongings to the correct room. This was a major inconvenience and disrupted our plans for the day. We were also told that the first night would be waived/compensated because of the mistake, but the charges and compensation reflected on the receipt did not appear to match what we were told. We booked and paid for a specific room, and I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect the hotel to provide the room that was reserved. Overall, the experience was frustrating and disappointing. The way the room assignment and inconvenience was handled left us feeling that the situation was not properly resolved or compensated.
• JG

  Jessica Gardner

  Aug 12, 2026
  1.0
  0 out of 5 stars — Extremely disappointing stay Stayed August 8–10 with a friend while visiting D.C. for events, and this was easily the worst hotel experience I’ve ever had. We booked the hotel’s “Summer Storytelling” package, which advertised complimentary overnight parking, a $50 food & beverage credit, and a branded gift. The gift was never provided, and there was significant confusion at check-in regarding the package. We were eventually told the complimentary parking only covered one night. Things got worse from there. After returning from the pool, our room was 81°F despite the thermostat being set to 68°F. Engineering came up to fix the AC, and while working on the ceiling unit, water and dirt spilled onto our floor. We were told there were no other rooms available, even though I could see rooms available on the hotel’s website. We eventually had to be moved after significant back-and-forth. The engineer was honestly the only staff member we encountered who was helpful and pleasant. On the morning of checkout, we discovered a large roach in our bathroom that made its way into the closet. We immediately contacted the front desk, and by that point we were packing our belongings and checking our bags because we simply wanted to leave. After all of this, I went downstairs and asked if, at minimum, the parking fee could be removed given everything we had experienced. The same gentleman who checked us in was extremely rude, spoke over me, and refused to consider it. There was no apology, acknowledgment, or attempt at any type of goodwill gesture. Maintenance problems can happen at any hotel, but the way these issues were handled was the biggest disappointment. The combination of the reservation issues, AC failure, water/dirt in the room, having to fight for a room change, a roach in the room, and the extremely poor customer service made this stay unacceptable. I would never stay here again and cannot recommend this hotel
• NL

  Natasha Lane

  Aug 11, 2026
  2.0
  Our check-in experience was amazing. Esteban was incredibly welcoming and gave us such a warm introduction to the hotel. Our room also had a beautiful view, and we were really happy with the room itself. Unfortunately, the experience went downhill from there. We noticed that the champagne glasses provided in our room had a gross yellow residue/gunk at the bottom, and thankfully we caught it before using them. When we brought this to the attention of the staff downstairs, we were surprised by how dismissive the response felt. There was no apology or acknowledgment of the issue, and instead we felt as though we were being judged for bringing it up. After that, it seemed like many of our requests were treated as an inconvenience. For example, we requested ice to our room and it never arrived. We requested it a second time, and again it did not come. We eventually had to call multiple times before it was finally delivered. It felt like we had to work much harder than we should have for some very basic amenities and services. We were staying at Hotel Zena for our honeymoon, so it was especially disappointing that the overall experience didn't feel particularly warm or hospitable. We really wish we could have continued interacting with Esteban because he was, by far, the most welcoming and hospitable staff member we encountered during our stay. Unfortunately, because of the service experience, we would not recommend Hotel Zena to our friends or family. There are many hotels in a similar price range, and at this price point, we expected a level of service that made guests feel welcomed, cared for, and valued. We simply didn't have that experience here, which was really disappointing, especially for such a special trip.