I booked to stay here for family vacation in June. The hotel was located in a fairly good location within 10-15 minute walk to the subway near Dupont Circle. The area felt clean and quite safe but there were not much restaurants or shops around.

The lobby has lots of character and as the name implied had a 1920s feel. Although because of the red color, felt a bit dark in the hallway.

I felt the room was OK, it lacked a microwave or fridge despite what the lady over the phone said. It was available for a fee of some $25/night. I mean, for that price over the 4 days, you can buy a cheapo at Walmart and throw it out after your stay. My room had a funny door that was locked with a big mirror propped up against it to hide it. Rather weird. The staff was so-so, not terribly friendly or helpful when we tried to get directions though. The bed was comfy but I felt the big pillow needed a good cleaning. The hotel also needs to provide more soap/shampoo/body wash. Of the few days I was there, they never replenished anything.

Overall it was average.

I was in DC for several days vacation, following a work conference in the area, and had a truly wonderful time at Hotel Rouge.

In summary: My room was spacious (the sheer square footage was as much as I've had in suites in other hotels), the Bar Rouge a valued perk, and the location near DuPont Circle ideal.

The rooms are quirky, but pleasant. The bathroom showed some wear and tear, but still did the job. The AC worked well - important in summertime DC. My only problem with the L shaped room I had was that the television was not conveniently placed to watch from the bed. Although there was a very nice and comfortable seating area near the TV, we couldn't comfortably watch a movie from bed. It's a very minor point.

Bar Rouge has good courtesy coffee in the morning, and a good evening food and drink menu. The breakfast may be wonderful too - I don't know.

Hotel Rouge is a few blocks from the hub of Dupont circle, which I liked - a little bit of a walk back and forth was welcome. There are quite a few decent restaurants in area of the Circle, and several VERY good ones. It was a longer haul to museums and monuments, and in the heat we relied more on cabs than our feet for the longer trek.

A last word: My initial impression of Hotel Rouge was very poor because of the incredibly rude front desk person who greeted us. He gave the impression that he was doing us a favor by talking with us at all, and our exchange was in every way inhospitable. In fact he was so unpleasant we half expected him to tell us there was no room for us at all.

But beyond that one person, everyone else was absolutely welcoming and charming. Every time we came in or left we had a pleasant smile or word from every person on staff.

We enjoyed our stay at Kimpton's Rouge Hotel very much. My two teenagers were in heaven with the entertaining decor and complementary red drinks in the lobby every evening. I was equally amused with the red decor and loved the friendly staff, room size and the wholefoods around the corner for nightly goodies and drinks after our long days of sight seeing!
Our room showed a little wear, but the size, decor, great bedding and price made up for a dent or two in the floorboard!
Safe neighborhood with the metro not too far away made for a nice stay.

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!