GAYLORD NATIONAL RESORT & CONVENTION CENTER

"Excellent!"

Every aspect of this 4 day stay was excellent. Check-in was smooth, be sure to ask for an interior view in the winter months. Absolutely beautiful lower level atrium. All staff and service personnel was helpful and accommodating. Outside restaurant suggestions were perfect too! The only area in need of attention would be the sheers in my room were frayed and hanging on the floor. Everything else, including the night tour of DC, was convenient and of the quality you would expect for a beautiful resort run by Marriott.

"Disappointed"

I have to say that this weekend stay was very disappointing. I was taking my daughter and 2 of her friends to the Gaylord to attend Katsucon which was being held there. It was also a Sweet 16 birthday gift to her. I understand that it was a busy weekend since it was both the anime convention and Valentine's day weekend. I booked this trip back in November. I am also a Marriott's Reward member. I requested 2 queen beds since there would be 3 teenage girls and myself. I called the day before to confirm. Everything seem to go okay until I received an email saying my reservation had been modified and I was now being charged $80 more because they listed the room as 4 adults. So I call back only to be told that they can't help me and I will need to notify the front desk when I check in. Really'''' SO we get there the next day at 3 pm. Then I am told that all the queen bedrooms are taken and only king are left. I explain that we can't fit 4 into a king bed. The lady says she will give me a rollaway and upgrade me to an atrium room. SO I am not thrilled but I appreciate the gesture. She asks when I would like the rollaway. My mistake was not saying right now. I said 8 thinking the girls would have room to get ready without the rollaway in the room. Needless to say when we got back from dinner at 8:30 there was no rollaway. I call only to be told that all the rollaways are gone. I told the woman that they needed to find a rollaway or a refund for the room was in order. I was not paying over $500 to sleep on the floor. She said she would check but she didn't think any were available. SO blood boiling at this point but staying calm for my daughter's sake I tell the girls we will go to the pool and hope for the best. At 9:30 a rollaway magically appeared in our room. However having to go through the stress of worrying about where I was sleeping that night was not how I wanted to start the weekend. Now the hotel itself is very pretty and a great convention site. Their only downfall is the lack of affordable restaurants and food options. They really need a food court or a good pizza place. Something quick for when there are so many people. We went across the street to Cadillac Ranch for dinner on Friday. It was great and the girls enjoyed the food. However Saturday we went to the National Pastime Bar and Grill at the hotel. Food was very bland and service was very slow. There are many places around the hotel but it was extremely cold that night so we stayed in. The pool is great. It is very pretty and large. The hot tub is nice but it says max occupancy is 6 which doesn't make sense. It is so large you can go swimming in it. I would think a max limit of 10 would be a bit more reasonable. I noticed some guests were getting really upset over this. The Gaylord is nice but they need to stop the practice of overbooking. I also think they need to allow guests to book and get the room they ask for.

"Lovely stay! "

This hotel has it all! Gorgeous rooms that are comfortable & spacious, balconies with great views & comfy beds. The conference/convention spaces were laid out well & easy to get to. The Spa was quite a treat & the staff excellent & very professional! The only improvements I would suggest would be adding more items to room service menu & more TV channels to the line-up. Overall, a wonderful stay!

"Terrible service and deteriorating fixtures"

I stayed at the Gaylord National Harbor Hotel for four days this week while attending a conference. Upon checking in to our suite I was initially impressed with the large suite and beautiful views of the harbor. But the closer I looked the less impressed I was. There was a dining table with four chairs. The cushions on the four chairs were covered in vinyl that had deteriorated and looked just ratty. The large wood-framed and cushioned side chairs were covered in paint! At first I thought this was some crazy new design. But upon closer inspection I realized the chairs had been mistakenly hit with paint when the room was being painted! Since we were holding business meetings in the suite I requested early housekeeping so we would have a clean suite for or back to back meetings. This was requested at 8:30, again at 9:00 and again at 10:00. Every time I was told that housekeeping was "on the way". We had to conduct our meetings in a dirty suite and housekeeping finally arrived at 3:30!! When I went to check out I requested a bellman and was told one was on the way. After 15 minutes I called again. "Yes, they are on the way", I was told. After 30 minutes I called again. Once again I was told they were "on the way." Finally after 45 minutes I had a bellman. This hotel has great "bones" but the management is horrible and the service is below par. The furnishings were once beautiful but now in desperate need of replacement. It has all the signs of a property where the owner is pinching every last penny of profit out of it without making any necessary repairs or maintenance. Beware!!

"Gorgeous property!"

I come here once or twice a year for different events (Katsucon and MAGFest) and the Gaylord is a gracious host. The building is AMAZING, with plenty of beautiful places for photoshoots (very important when in cosplay... the gazebo and dancing fountains are two popular areas) and spacious convention meeting rooms with pretty carpeting. The atrium has a large window facing the Potomac. Bell staff is good at managing luggage, both upon arrival as well as setting up an area that handles all departures at the end of large conventions. Guests staying at the Gaylord get some perks, including a coupon book for different businesses within the hotel and around National Harbor. They also get exclusive access to the Pose lounge/ nightclub on the very top of the building and the quiet fitness center and pool on the bottom floor. Basic wifi is also included in the resort fee, but faster upgrades are available for an extra charge. There are a few cons, though. Elevators can be a bit slow during big conventions. The restaurants inside and the on-site parking are a bit pricey, so try to eat and park elsewhere in National Harbor. But, you get what you pay for! Also, the hotel overbooked about 100 rooms for both MAGFest and Katsucon this year, sending those guests to other hotels nearby (I don't know if this was a mistake or not, I don't remember it happening before). But the pros certainly outweigh the cons here, and I look forward to returning again and again.