All positive. Great central location, unique decor, large rooms, service (mostly) with a smile. Very helpful staff, nice touches with receptions. Cute bar. This hotel is not for the conservative traveler. It is very liberal (in staff, guests and decor). Lots of animal prints, contempo decor, etc. Very small compared to alot of DC hotels (lobby, bar, etc). But if you're looking for a fun place for a girls trip, romantic getaway, etc., a great find at a great rate!

I am from the DC area and came to the Hotel Rouge for a short getaway. I was excited when I walked through the studded pleather doors and into the cute little lobby. I was even more excited when I went to my room to find it spacious, well decorated, and equipped with Aveda bath products and free wireless internet. My excitement soon faded.

I began to notice crudely filled-in holes in the walls and poorly repaired air ducts. Then I noticed the leaky faucet. But wait-- I could lay in the comfy bed (yes, it was comfortable) and watch TV... all 17 channels.

I went to check out the mini bar, only to realize that it was locked and the lack-luster staff had neglected to provide a key.

The location of the hotel is good, so I fired up my laptop to go online and find something to do in the neighborhood. I was then faced with error messages that told me to "try again later" to log onto the wi-fi, which I found incredibly slow upon logging on "later."

Come bedtime, I had trouble sleeping in the company of the world's LOUDEST air conditioning. It hummed, whistled, and squeaked all night.

After a fitful night's sleep, I realized that I could not even enjoy a cup of coffee in the comfort of my own room. The only coffee was served in the lobby and cleaned up by the time I was able to dress and go downstairs.

Do not let the decor fool you-- this hotel is overrated.

On a side note, I booked through Expedia, and those responsible for providing hotel information from Rouge somehow failed to mention the excessive $30 PER DAY parking fee.

I just returned from a quick overnight to Washington DC. We had booked through the Hotel Rouge website, thinking we were reserving a "Panda Package" special which included four metro tickets and some zoo souvenirs. When we arrived, no arrangements had been made for the "extras" although the rate was quite reasonable anyway. The desk supervisor suggested I contact the front office manager the following day which I did. I immediately received an email reply explaining that the reservation hadn't registered as a Panda package on their computer but that since my expectations hadn't been met, he was processing a generous credit to my Visa card.

I have stayed at several Kimpton hotels (as a matter of fact I just booked a stay at the Alexis in Seattle) and usually have good experiences. They're clean and the beds are typically very comfortable. The Hotel Rouge has an evening wine reception, which we unfortunately missed, and a pizza and bloody mary late morning snack (at least on Saturdays). The morning coffee in the lounge was excellent. I also respect their desire to help the environment. If they all have customer service like the Hotel Rouge, I'll continue to book with Kimpton.

Had read some of the reviews here at tripadvisor before arriving in DC so decided this would be the 1st hotel we checked out.
Had a bit of trouble finding it (new to driving the circle) but once discovered, put our car on a sidestreet and walked over.
Rates we had seen online were less than offered at the desk, especially the 2nd night. The staff mentioned that they themselves could not change the rates however offered the house phone for me to call the reservations center. The rep was able to secure the same price for both nights (slightly more than online however with free weekend parking on the streets we had arleady saved $60 in Valet fees) and we were in.
The room was huge, the desk a perfect size, the bed comfortable, the towels soft, the red theme perfect.
Complimentary beverages in the lobby on our way out was nice, getting a chance to meet other travellers.
Location close to the White House, ok distance from the Metro, the neighbourhood safe. Groceries and/or restaurants not far.
Would stay again.