Hyatt DC Convention Center Review

Hyatt opened a “new” hotel in Washington, DC recently with little to no fanfare. As soon as I noticed it, I booked a short stay to check it out in my quest to stay at every Hyatt in DC. Before becoming a Hyatt property, this property was a Cambria hotel. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this hotel. That said, I would not go out of my way to stay here, save for one specific circumstance as I explain in this Hyatt DC Convention Center Review.

Location

The Hyatt Convention Center is a couple of blocks north of the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The closest Metro stop is Mt Vernon Sq 7th St-Convention Center on the Green and Yellow lines.

Blagden Alley nearby offers some good restaurants and bars within a short walk. Beyond that, the surrounding area is quite residential and doesn't offer much, especially for those looking to see DC's main sights. That said, Gallery Place/Chinatown isn't far away and definitely walkable.

Hyatt DC Convention Center Review: Booking Cost

The Hyatt Convention Center is a Category 4 property in the World of Hyatt program. Having another Category 4 option in DC is great, Hyatt has already announced that this property will undergo renovations and be rebranded as a Hyatt House in the summer of 2025. There is no news yet on whether the award category will change, but it's always possible.

Here are the award costs for a standard room at the time of my stay:

• 12,000 points off-peak
• 15,000 points standard
• 18,000 points peak

Plain “Hyatt” properties are pretty rare, so this hotel is a great opportunity to check off the Hyatt brand in your brand explorer before this hotel becomes a Hyatt House. This definitely swayed my decision in booking a stay here. In fact, crossing off the Hyatt brand with this stay earned me another free night certificate through the brand explorer award!

So if you have a hard time find plain Hyatt properties in your travels and plan to visit Washington, DC any time soon, you could consider staying here just to cross off a new brand.

Hyatt DC Convention Center: King Bed Den Guestroom with Sofa Bed

Since this hotel was not a new property but rather had been converted from a Cambria into a Hyatt, I didn't know what to expect of the rooms. Upon walking in, it was clear that not much has changed. The room looked almost identical to what online reviews of the Cambria were showing, which isn't a bad thing. Overall, the room was in great shape. I noticed very few chips, scrapes, and other signs of wear and tear.

The standard room is a den guestroom with a sofa bed, which reminds me a lot of Hyatt Place properties. The layout of the room was quite functional. A good-sized desk delineates the space between the bed and the sofa. The television in front of the king bed swiveled so that guests can watch it from the desk or even the sofa. Yet there is also a smaller tv mounted against the wall on the desk. Having two televisions in sight could be overkill, but it's also a good option for a guest staying on the sofa bed to watch some tv without disturbing those in the king bed.

I liked the headboard with an image of the DC Metro station ceiling behind the bed. It actually looks a lot nicer than the stations themselves in person.

The bathroom has a half-glass shower, which did not function as intended (they rarely do). The water pressure was good but the shower-head is angled to spread as much water as possible outside of the stall. Here's hoping they get rid of this design when converting over to a Hyatt House.

The hotel is not on a particularly major street but the occasional loud car car or ambulance in the middle of the night was enough to wake me up. So light sleepers should take note. You would think that for being in a quieter part of town, this hotel wouldn't present noise issues, but that was not the case, unfortunately.

Property/Amenities

The Hyatt DC Convention Center has a large rooftop with tables and seating, a gym, and a restaurant and bar. The hotel also offers guest laundry in the penthouse floor.

The lobby is quite spacious, with plenty of options for seating at the restaurant, bar, or other areas. There is also a neat boardroom in a glass-walled conference room next to the front desk.

The restaurant in the lobby serves breakfast in the morning, including a buffet on the weekends. For my Globalist complimentary breakfast, I was told I could pick any item on the menu. The menu features the standard breakfast options one would expect, with multiple egg dishes, pancakes, waffles, and breakfast meats. Service was friendly but slow, so time yourself appropriately. The food quite decent. While I wouldn't go out of my way to have breakfast here if it wasn't complimentary, one could do a lot worse for under $20.

The restaurant also serves dinner and happy hour in the evenings. The evening menu consists mostly of bar fare and prices were not unreasonable.

Located on the penthouse floor, the gym is spacious yet lacking in equipment. A lot of the equipment has seen better days and there were a couple of dumbbells missing.

Hyatt DC Convention Center Review: ToP Thoughts

For guests looking for a no-frills option near the Convention Center in Washington, DC, this hotel does the trick. Guests can expect spacious rooms and a decent breakfast. First-time visitors can do better staying closer to the main sights at a couple of other Hyatt properties, as this spot isn't worth going out of your way for a stay. But if you need to cross off the Hyatt brand for your brand explorer award, then this could be an easy opportunity. Ultimately, I'm curious about how this will turn out once it becomes a Hyatt House next year.

Have you stayed at this “new” Hyatt property in DC? Come share your thoughts in our Facebook group!