Hotel Autograph Collection di Alexandria

I am glad I didn’t pay full price ($350/night) for this. Great location and everything looks nice from the outside and the lobby. The room is decent from the looks but once you stay in there, you will realized nothing is working properly. The AC/Heater was not working, the control for the AC/Heater doesn’t work so the AC was blasting cold air all night on NYE!!! So we were both freezing and it was 2am! The TV only have 5 channels and 2 are the same as the other 2, so in reality only 3 channels. The TV quality is also very outdated. Feel like we were watching TV from the 80s/90s when it was the actual 2024 NYE concerts. And on the 5th channel, it is just showing how DirectTV subscription is expired, like what? The Wifi in the room is not free unless you are a Bonvoy member. There was less than a quarter roll of toilet paper on the Tp dispenser and they also didn’t provide a second roll. The body wash pump was empty and the shampoo ran out. The bottom side of the toilet seat looks very filthy as if they haven’t clean that part of the toilet seat in a while. The floor of the bathroom was also very dirty. We usually check if we can ask for a late check-out the night before, but we called the front desk with no answers. When they finally answered, they said we have to call back at 7am to let us know. Ehh Hello? The whole point of getting a late check out is so we can sleep in? So I had to set an alarm to call back at 7am to get a 1pm check out. It was a bit annoying. This was a big disappointment for me because this was supposed to be a nice hotel from Marriott as the Autograph Collection. Especially for $350 a night in the middle of Old Town Alexandria, I had expected better quality. Not to mention the chaos during check-in. Seems like there were only 4 workers there for HUNDReDs of customer. People were angry about being stuck in the parking garage and no one can help them and they gave a lady a room that currently already have someone checked-in. Apparently the lady opened the door when the guy was showering in the room. What a chaos!

Morrison House is an delightful boutique hotel, small enough that it feels like a hideaway. The area feels very safe for women traveling alone. There is an adorable courtyard entry with a fountain and double curving steps up to the the door. We stayed at the end of a week in DC, so we each had a large suitcase and a carry-on to haul awkwardly up the steps - maybe stay there when you are traveling more lightly. The front desk staff were adequately friendly. I am not disappointed in the service, but I did not have the outstanding experience that some reviewers have written about. We were upgraded to an Illustrator room, which is a corner room on a high floor. I found the room very clean and in good repair. The mattress was medium firmness and we slept well. The shower had good water pressure. We did not hear any noise from outside. Unfortunately it began to rain shortly after our arrival so we did not get a chance to explore the area. I did go downstairs for a complementary glass of wine. We were there on a Sunday so the restaurant was closed. Be sure to note the square footage of the rooms. They are smaller than average rooms in a 4-star hotel. The room did feel small but I think it was due to the 8-foot ceiling because it did not feel cramped. The air conditioning unit was a bit noisy but like I mentioned above, we did sleep well. Parking is in an underground garage below the hotel. Our vehicle was parked for us but they do not have valet services.