First with the bad: You can tell this was once a beautiful hotel/residence. No longer. The owner obviously knows nothing about Victorian decor nor cares to update it to its original splendor . The lobby is Spartanly decorated with a few worn wing chairs and hideous cheap-looking Asian carpets. Where there should be gleaming hardwoods, you'll find discount tile or stained ancient office-like carpet. Where there should be elaborate window treatments for the beautiful high windows, there are only sad, flimsy lace curtains preceded by ugly plastic window blinds. There are more ugly brass fixtures than I could stomach and everything is pink, pink, PINK!!! Upon check-in we were greeted with an offensive ammonia odor and our room smelled well, stale. All I kept thinking is that I wanted to crack a window. Our room had an old garden tub encased with hideous pink faux marble tile that had such a slow drain. I was up to my knees in water by the time I finished showering. The toilet ran constantly. The bed - forget it! I've been home two days and my back still hurts. The pillows are hard as rocks and felt like they'd been stuffed with old carpet scraps. If you come here during the week, you can plan your days around feeding the meter or traipsing down the street to a pay lot because there's no parking!

The good: The front desk people were very courteous and friendly. They were pleasant about giving directions and calling for cabs. The hotel is centrally located right off of J-street and close to Old Town and other downtown venues. I honestly didn't find it to be noisy. You hear a little bit of traffic noise, but usually only the people blasting their stereos that you'd hear anyway. There's a great brewery just a few doors down and the hotel restaurant Chanterelle has really good food. I definitely would recommend their Sunday Brunch.
In a nutshell: Good food, tragic aesthetic. I've stayed in much nicer places where I've spent a third of what I payed here.I sincerely hope this beautiful old girl finds herself a new owner.