# Pictures from our stay at the The District  by Hilton Club



## alwysonvac (May 19, 2018)

Here are pictures from my recent stay at the The District by Hilton Club in Washington DC.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/40089311@N05/albums/72157693467845802

Last year we had a cash stay at the Homewood Suites at Navy Yard. This year we decided to use our HGVC points to stay at the The District by Hilton Club.

The District is a few blocks from the Foggy Bottom Metro Stop (see map below).
NOTE: We found the WMATA Trip Planner tool very helpful - https://www.wmata.com/schedules/trip-planner/



The District by Hilton Club is located on the top 3 floors of the Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Georgetown hotel. According to Wikipedia, the building opened in October 1987.

The Embassy Suites offers

Breakfast from 6:30am – 9:30am weekdays, 7am – 10:30am weekends.
The Evening Reception is offered from 5:30pm-7:30pm, daily. The Evening Reception was complimentary drinks, tortilla chips, melted cheese, salsa, veggie platter, and either (potato chips, pretezel nuggets or asian trail mix)
The District emailed the following PreArrival Letter one day prior to my stay (see below) as well as a Pre-Arrival offer (see attachments).

_Good afternoon,  _
_Thank you for choosing The District by Hilton Club for your upcoming stay. We would like to offer our assistance to ensure a flawless stay. In anticipation of your arrival, we would like to inform you of our amenities._

_The District by Hilton Club occupies the top three floors of the Embassy Suites Georgetown, with check-in located on the 8th floor. Please visit http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/district-of-columbia/the-district-by-hilton-club-WASVCGV/index.html__ for more details about our location and offerings. _

_To better serve you:_

_Check-in is located on the 8th floor, open from 6:30 a.m. – 11:15 p.m. Overnight Check-in is on the Lobby Level at the Embassy Suites front desk._
_Contact us with red-eye arrivals and other early check-in needs.  Requests subject to availability._
_Self-parking is offered and subject to availability at $49.00 per night, per vehicle.  Overflow parking is available 1 block away. _
_Our Kitchenettes, while not a full kitchen, come with a microwave, wine cooler (can serve as a fridge) and glassware._
_Our partnership with Embassy Suites allows you to enjoy the complimentary Made-to-Order Breakfast as well as the complimentary Evening Reception, on the Lobby Level_

_If you have any specific requests or an estimated arrival time you have not previously shared with us, we would be happy to receive this information to ensure your satisfaction. Kindly address any requests by replying to this E-Mail or direct phone at 202-449-xxxx or you can simply text us at 202-830-xxxx._

_To further clarify your accommodations, all 1-Bedroom Suites have one King bed in the bedroom and one queen sofa bed in the living area.  All 2-bedroom suites are two adjoining 1-bedroom suites, with one King in each bedroom and one sofa bed in each living area; a total of 2 beds and 2 sofa beds. _

_We look forward to seeing you tomorrow.  At The District by Hilton Club, as our valued owners and guests, our priority is to ensure that your stay is memorable._

_Safe Travels!_​


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## Seaport104 (May 19, 2018)

Thanks! Really appreciate the time you take for the pictures and info. Your pics are fantastic!!


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## alwysonvac (May 20, 2018)

I forgot to include the documents we received upon checkin (see attachment).

It contains basic information about the hotel, nearby restaurants and food delivery options.
The first three pages were provided by the District checkin desk (with a reference to The District at the top).  
The last two pages were provided by the Concierge desk in the Lobby.


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## amycurl (May 20, 2018)

So, how are these suites different from just the regular Embassy Suites rooms? Seem about the same to me


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## GT75 (May 20, 2018)

amycurl said:


> So, how are these suites different from just the regular Embassy Suites rooms? Seem about the same to me



@alwysonvac, I was going to ask the same question.


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## alwysonvac (May 20, 2018)

I've never stayed at this hotel before.
Since we didn't have any HGVC trips planned for next year, I simply canceled my cash reservation at the Homewood Suites Navy Pier and used my 2019 HGVC points.

Based on the photos on TripAdvisor and the Embassy Suite website, the rooms look pretty similar (see Embassy Suite room photos below).
- http://embassysuites3.hilton.com/en...n-washington-dc-georgetown-WASDNES/index.html
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_R...photos;aggregationId=101&albumid=101&filter=1

From the Embassy Suites website


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## pedro47 (May 20, 2018)

Thanks, for taking the time and sharing your photos of The District by Hilton, Washington, DC.
They are all outstanding.


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## Arimaas (May 20, 2018)

amycurl said:


> So, how are these suites different from just the regular Embassy Suites rooms? Seem about the same to me
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk



The pictures to me look just like a cookie cutter embassy suites too. I happen to like embassy suites, when the price isn’t astronomical.


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## jlp879 (May 20, 2018)

I'm surprised they didn't even beef up the kitchenette area even a little bit.  Put in range top burner or at least a toaster oven.

It looks exactly the same as every other Embassy Suites room.  You just book it on points.  Just a way for HGVC to say they're building new locations?


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## Sapper (May 20, 2018)

I have to be honest, I'm not really enamored by the lack of differentiation between the "Embassy Suites" and the "by Hilton Club" rooms.  I wonder if this is how the "by Hilton Club" intends to expand... just grab some existing rooms and charge points for them instead of ca$h.


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## CalGalTraveler (May 20, 2018)

@alwysonvac thank u for the detailed trip report. We have a 4 day stay coming up in June and will be staying one night at the hotel on Hhonors points so will be able to compare.

Glad to know that we have access to the Embassy Suites breakfast because I have a hungry teen.  The evening reception  looks sparse. Perhaps the private owners lounge has better fare because W57 lounge fare will often suffice as a meal.

IMO the bathroom at District looks upgraded however I am looking on a phone so perhaps my eyesight is off.


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## brp (May 20, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> @ The evening reception  looks sparse. Perhaps the private owners lounge has better fare because W57 lounge fare will often suffice as a meal.




If the evening reception is shared with the Embassy Suites, it will be sparse. Not bad on the drinks end, but very much lacking on the snacks end., Drinks exceed W 57th in that there is a wider variety. Food, not nearly as varied. (Based on San Diego and New Orleans Embassy Suites)

Cheers.


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## Arimaas (May 21, 2018)

Sapper said:


> I have to be honest, I'm not really enamored by the lack of differentiation between the "Embassy Suites" and the "by Hilton Club" rooms.  I wonder if this is how the "by Hilton Club" intends to expand... just grab some existing rooms and charge points for them instead of ca$h.



Dots on a map.


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## hurnik (May 21, 2018)

Very informative, thank you!


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## CalGalTraveler (May 21, 2018)

FWIW...Building HGVC inside an existing Hilton hotel and leveraging the hotel amenities helps to ensure that that HGVC won't be easily taken over by a competing hotel/TS brand.


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## Sapper (May 21, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> FWIW...Building HGVC inside an existing Hilton hotel and leveraging the hotel amenities helps to ensure that that HGVC won't be easily taken over by a competing hotel/TS brand.



I like the idea of building out a couple of floors in existing hotels.  However, if they are not going to redesign the rooms into one, two, three beds units with a living room, kitchen, etc... and the HGVC rooms are exactly the same as all of the other rooms in the hotel, and all we are doing is exchanging points for a room instead of cash, then I am less impressed with it.


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## CalGalTraveler (May 21, 2018)

@Sapper I agree the value proposition at the District is weak.  My sense is that the NYC Residences are differentiated from the Hilton NYC midtown hotel rooms in size and furnishings, but would defer to someone who has purchased there to elaborate.


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## feed the otter (May 21, 2018)

Arimaas said:


> The pictures to me look just like a cookie cutter embassy suites too. I happen to like embassy suites, when the price isn’t astronomical.



If I didn't know these were pix of The District by Hilton Club, I'd think for sure they were of the Embassy Suites.  This is not a complaint, just an observation.

I'm actually pleasantly surprised to hear they give the ES breakfast and happy hour to HGVC guests, as they could easily decide otherwise (for however successful they'd be trying to control who got it and who didn't).  ES breakfasts and happy hour are usually pretty solid, and it's a decent cost savings over what you'd pay for the same anywhere in DC.

ES happy hour was never intended to be much of a meal, but still a nice way to wind down at the end of the day.

Great post and great pix.  Thanks very much!


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## 1Kflyerguy (May 21, 2018)

I think the furniture and finishes look nicer in the Club rooms vs. the basic ES rooms.  But they do look very similar.

We don't visit DC very often, so personally would not buy there, but i am sure there are many that visit frequently enough.


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## alwysonvac (May 21, 2018)

1Kflyerguy said:


> I think the furniture and finishes look nicer in the Club rooms vs. the basic ES rooms.  But they do look very similar.



I agree


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## dougp26364 (May 22, 2018)

At least they're making it easy to determine whether to use cash or points. If renting thru the website is cheaper than paying the MF's on the points required for a stay, I'm paying cash and renting the room unless I have absolutely no other use for the points. 

This trend of timeshares "converting" hotel rooms to "timeshare units" is actually annoying to me. I own timeshare so I don't have to stay in a hotel room. Only when they truly convert an area into a 1,2 or 3 bedroom timeshare unit will I have much interest. The only saving grace is, when we do stay in hotels, we tend to stay in hotels that offer 1 bedroom units such as Embassy Suites. Otherwise we prefer to avoid hotels all together unless is one night only on a long car trip.


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## elleny76 (May 22, 2018)

brp said:


> If the evening reception is shared with the Embassy Suites, it will be sparse. Not bad on the drinks end, but very much lacking on the snacks end., Drinks exceed W 57th in that there is a wider variety. Food, not nearly as varied. (Based on San Diego and New Orleans Embassy Suites)
> 
> Cheers.


I have stayed on W57 ..Do we have free drinks and snacks? I am not elite. I just own 8.5k. thanks


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## hurnik (May 22, 2018)

elleny76 said:


> I have stayed on W57 ..Do we have free drinks and snacks? I am not elite. I just own 8.5k. thanks



AFAIK, only folks who *own* at W57 can get the owners lounge with drinks/snacks.  Since I don't own though, I cannot tell you what they have there--LOL.
With the $85 cleaning fee, it's almost always cheaper for me to just stay in a regular Hilton that'll give me free breakfast as well.


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## alwysonvac (May 22, 2018)

dougp26364 said:


> At least they're making it easy to determine whether to use cash or points. *If renting thru the website is cheaper than paying the MF's on the points required for a stay, I'm paying cash* and renting the room unless I have absolutely no other use for the points.
> 
> This trend of timeshares "converting" hotel rooms to "timeshare units" is actually annoying to me. I own timeshare so I don't have to stay in a hotel room. Only when they truly convert an area into a 1,2 or 3 bedroom timeshare unit will I have much interest. The only saving grace is, when we do stay in hotels, we tend to stay in hotels that offer 1 bedroom units such as Embassy Suites. Otherwise we prefer to avoid hotels all together unless is one night only on a long car trip.



I agree. 
For this trip, it made sense to use our points since it was cheaper than our cash reservation @ Homewood Suites.


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## CalGalTraveler (May 22, 2018)

We have stayed at the hotel portion of the properties in Midtown/Residences/HCNY and District and have access to hotel lounges/embassy breakfast bundled in the stay.  Other than a more luxurious bathroom I am not sure how different?

FWIW an experienced NYC sales rep admitted to us that the more affluent buyers tend to prefer W57 because it is a separate property e.g. lobby is more like a private fractional and quieter vs. crowded Hilton midtown hotel lobby.  The location is upscale with Carnegie Hall down the block, only 2 blocks from Central Park, and some of the most expensive condos in NYC and the Park Hyatt across the street.  (When we tell a New Yorker that we are staying on West 57th, their eyebrows raise and they seem impressed.) Plus it has been reported by Tuggers that the lounge is nicer than HCNY (I have never stayed at HCNY so cannot compare).

He had been trying to sell us on the Residences and didn't have any W57 upgrade inventory to sell us at the time so he admitted that at the end when he walked us out.

Hilton Club offers a different value proposition:

Some small business owners buy into The Hilton Club to house themselves and their employees while conducting business in the city. I believe the District will fall into this category.
Another segment it attracts are suburbanites who want a nice place to stay after dinner and a show so they don't have to drive home.
West coast and Europeans like NYC as a stop off point for a few days or a week to acclimate to time zone changes before they connect to either west coast or European flights. (we have done this.)
I would imagine that San Francisco will have a similar proposition for Asian and east coast travelers incl. Hawaii. To this end, SF may be marketed heavily to Asian HGVC owners.


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## brp (May 22, 2018)

elleny76 said:


> I have stayed on W57 ..Do we have free drinks and snacks? I am not elite. I just own 8.5k. thanks



They have a reasonable breakfast- really the only non-carb items are the very nice quiche (very little shell). They don't have a kitchen on site, so it's hard.

The evening is better. They have beer (usually Brooklyn Lager), some decent wine and very nice snacks. Chicken wings, various egg rolls, nice cheese guac. There are other hot choices, but I don't recall.

Just tales being an owner, as noted, and doesn't require elite. We're all-resale, so pretty far from elite 

Cheers.


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## chriskre (Jun 6, 2018)

Seems that HGVC is following in Disney's steps with converting hotels to TS.
That way they can shift some of the management costs to owners and make
themselves even more profitable.  

I am kind of glad they are expanding the club anyway they do it as long as it's 
bookable to everyone and not just to a new club within a club.  

I used to stay in Embassy suites alot back when I travelled more in hotels and 
also in Residence Inns.  I use Residence Inn more now because they are just 
usually more conveniently located to where I am going and I've been with 
Marriott longer now in their rewards program.  

Always good to have options but I won't be adding any points at any of these
urban locations.   Maybe OS might make sense again if it's available at any
of these converted ES.  Has anyone used the OS and compared?


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## alwysonvac (Jun 6, 2018)

For the Hilton club resorts, Open Season is restricted. It’s available exclusively for  property owners only.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jun 7, 2018)

jlp879 said:


> I'm surprised they didn't even beef up the kitchenette area even a little bit.  Put in range top burner or at least a toaster oven.
> 
> It looks exactly the same as every other Embassy Suites room.  You just book it on points.  Just a way for HGVC to say they're building new locations?



Stayed first night on Hhonors pts on 6th floor. 4 nights at District on 9th floor so can now compare.

Overall, I would rate hotel design, amenities, and  breakfast buffet very highly.

Biggest diff are rooms. Room at hotel was a 3.5. Room at District 4.25 to 4.5. Hotel photos do not tell full story:


District was a step up. Much nicer finishes and amenities. District had wood/laminate floors vs. Hotel carpet. Layouts pretty much same.
Kitchenette has glassware and upgraded wood (like?)  finishes. Hotel had cheap white laminate and slightly worn furnishings.
Bathroom and linens more luxurious. District also had a nice dining table. Hotel had a desk instead. District room was cleaned every day.

We did not have access to the District lounge but used the hotel breakfast which was quite good.  Given our experience in W57 lounge, I would expect the Distrct lounge to be much better than eve fare in hotel.

Would stay at both again but would prefer District if points are reasonable.


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## CalGalTraveler (Jun 7, 2018)

BTW, the location is also quite good. Walking distance to Georgetown waterfront (longer walk), Lincoln Memorial and restaurants.

Ritz Carleton residences, Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn on same block. These hotels also provide good alternatives if District or ES not a good value.


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## Here There (Jun 8, 2018)

Thank you, OP and others, for sharing your recent experiences staying at the District.  Now that I'll have access to booking HGVC soon (my ROFR-passed offer is now in the deed prep stage) along with MVC's Mayflower (since I am also enrolled in Marriott's points program) I'm wondering what to do with my current ownership of 126K Wyndham points...
I bought into the Wyndham (homebase:  Waikiki beach walk)  program 3+ years ago primarily for the ability to book a few stopover nights at Old Town Alexandria for in & outbound trips to the east coast and beyond.  What was meant as a pitstop to see family has turned into a wonderful urban excursion -- with OTA's convenient location, the quaint, cute aspect of the town itself, along with the full TS amenities (stovetop, full frig, laundry facilities, sep bedroom) offered by the resort.  All at a reasonable cost of <$100 per weeknight. For these reasons it will be a sad day when I unload the Wyndham ownership which I feel I must in order to streamline the portfolio...


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## Nahanni (Jul 10, 2018)

Thanks for posting this information.  We'll be staying for 4 nights in August and wonder if there if anyone knows of a nearby, safe alternate location for overnight parking (to avoid the hotel's $49 nightly fee).  We're expecting to walk to the Mall, etc and won't really need the car once it's parked.


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