Review: Thompson Washington D.C. Junior Suite – incredible use of World of Hyatt points ( Category 1-4 cert )

I’ve stayed at the Thompson Washington D.C. twice now, and let me tell you, I really, really, really like this hotel.  I had some reservations about the location, but as you’ll see below, those were quickly erased, and I don’t think you can find a better value using World of Hyatt points in Washington D.C. On my first stay we were able to book 3 nights for at the standard rate of 15k points, but off peak drops to just 12k. Currently it still qualifies for the Category 1-4 night ( which we used on my second stay ).

I first stayed at the property in April, around my book release and Freddie’s as an Explorist, and then again a couple of weeks ago, for a single night, upon my return from Africa – this time with my buddy Dave when we were both Globalist.

Each time an upgrade to a Junior Suite was given; however on the first stay of 3 nights, it was extended on our final two nights. The reason for this was my wife and I decided to drive my books to DC and thought we’d stop half way, but pushed through, and we booked the hotel about 60 mins prior to arrival.

In the past, I’ve stayed at a few other DC hotels,

• Grand Hyatt Washington D.C.
• Park Hyatt Washington D.C. 
• The Willard
• Marriott Marquis Washington D.C. 
• MayFlower Washington D.C.

Stay Details

• When: April and November 2023
  • 3 nights Apirl
  • 1 night November
• Rate: 12k to 18k World of Hyatt points per night
  • My first stay was
• Status: Explorist and again as a Globalist
  • perks – free parking as a Globalist, free breakfast, upgrade both times, 2pm checkout for explorist, 4pm for globalist
    • Parking is $57 a night
• Room: Upgrade to Junior Suite
• Pet Welcome – no fee at Thompson properties
• Cash Rates
  • Depending on the time of year ( in mid winter you’ll see $200 give or take, and summer they crack $400+ )

Earning the points

World of Hyatt is a transfer partner of both Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. The transfers are instant and 1:1.

Location

Prior to staying here I was a bit skeptical of the location, but having stayed twice, I love it. There are good restaurants nearby ( try Chloe, it’s amazing ), Washington Nationals stadium is about a 10 min walk, there is a river front, and it’s roughly a 30 to 45 min walk to Capitol Hill. It’s also about 10 to 15 minutes via Uber to Washington Reagan DCA which is a great, and newly redone, airport.

This neighborhood has been gentrified and is a couple mins from the river. It’s filled with people running, jogging, and lots of dining options.

It can get a bit sketchy on the walk, but nothing too bad as long as you move quickly under the bridge going to the Capitol, but it’s a quick and fairly direct walk.

Check-In

Directly off the lobby, to the right, you’ll find the front desk. On both occasions check-in was smooth, and on my first stay, when we changed rooms from a standard to Junior Suite, there was a mix up and my room wasn’t quite ready, they proactively put us on a higher floor and were very apologetic.

The Room:

Despite staying here just twice, I’ve stayed in 3 different rooms: one standard and one junior suite. A standard King Room is about 304 sqft vs the Junior Suite which measures 409sq ft. On the second stay, we utilized a cot which is a bit of a tight squeeze in the Junior Suite. To put this in perspective, the Thompson Suite is over 800 sq feet and what you’d be given if you used points to upgrade or applied a World of Hyatt Suite Upgrade

Standard 1 King Bed

300 sqf is perfectly fine for two people, but the Junior Suite is a very nice upgrade and yields a sitting area. Both rooms have power on either side of the bed, feel stylish, new, and trendy. There is a small desk near the window on the left.

Looking back toward the door, and the closet.

The bedside is where you’ll find your mini bar, etc

Bathroom

Junior Suite

The Corner Junior Suites are fantastically bright ( although the above photos were taken when we checked in at night ) but having 2 walls of windows makes a big difference in the overall feel of the room.

The entrance has a desk, mini bar, coffee station, loads of windows, and you can see the couch at the end.

Two waters were comped and you can see the small closet that is just to the left when you enter.

The Bedroom

The space around the bed is roughly the same as the standard room, but there is a ton more light. You are looking directly at another building on pretty much any side of the building, so we kept the sheers closed, but the feel of the Junior Suite was bigger than just an additional 100 sq ft over the normal size room.

Bathroom

The Junior Suite bathroom was the exact same as the standard room and offered up a single vanity and a shower with pretty good pressure.

Dining

On my first stay, my wife and I visited the roof bar and just popped to Starbucks for breakfast. On the second trip, you of course, as a Globalist, get free breakfast. It’s served on the main level and the Chicken Sandwich was outstanding.

Rooftop

Tons and tons of seating, good drinks, however pricey.

Great views

Surveyor

Beyond the lobby, you’ll find this bar/coffee shop/ restaurant. This is where breakfast is served and you’ll redeem the 2 breakfast certs. They add 18% gratuity on top of the One Main, One Coffee, and One Juice that you get.

I chose the chicken sandwich and it was OUTSTANDING

The Gym

The gym is in the basement and despite being kind of small, had some really great equipment.

Overall

This is my go-to spot in Washington D.C. now. I’ll absolutely stay here again upon a revisit, and if coming with friends, I’d say an upgrade to a 800 sq ft suite would be a good use of a suite upgrade cert.