My significant other was in DC for work, and we spent one night at the Latham.

The lobby is quiet and elegant, which makes a good first impression. However, this was quickly negated by the fact that our tiny room was in the windowless basement (which is creepily decorated like a stage set of a Georgetown street)

The room itself was clean, and decently furnished (although nothing at all like the nice photos that the Latham posts on their website). However, windowless-ness is extremely depressing. If you're a very light sleeper who would appreciate the tomb-like silence of the Latham basement, then this is the hotel for you.

They also charge for in-room wireless internet, which seems like par for DC, although I feel that a truly superior hotel would not do so.

Despite enjoying Georgetown, walking the canal path and walking to the Mall, we would never stay here again.

I stayed here for 4 nights in October 2007 as part of a corporate function. We did not have a choice of hotels - this was it. Before arriving, I read all of the scary reviews on Trip Advisor and set my expectations to "LOW" accordingly.

WOW. These reviews are all spot on. Roaches, loud air conditioners, poor maintenance, and a general "we're not on top of it" attitude ("express" check out took the clerk 5 minutes). Even wearing my "Trip Advisor" t-shirt, the staff could care less. Not so smart. The air conditioning (and heating) system is located about 6 inches from the thermostat. This means that the unit clunks on and off (think of dropping a brick on concrete from a height of 10 feet) literally every 5 minutes. Many of us in the group had trouble sleeping until I found out that by taking the shower cap from the "luxury amenities" in the bathroom (read as one soap that you had to move from the tiny tiny sink to the tiny tiny shower) and putting it over the thermostat, and opening the grate on the air conditioner, I could get it to run for longer periods of time. You're sort of on your own at this hotel after you check in so you need to learn these types of things.

After spending 15 minutes trying to get one of the two treadmills in the tiny gym (size of a guest room) to work, I called the manager and was told they were both broken and he didn't know when they'd be repaired/replaced. I asked about nearby gyms and he was similarly unhelpful, and quite rushed to get off the phone.

At the attached restaurant, La Madeleine, it became sort of a sick game each morning to see who would find the roach in their food first. The ice machine was a guaranteed roach producer. The Vietnamese restaurant across the street was very good.

I could go on, you get the idea, and besides, many of the other reviews mention many of the same things. There's a definite trend, which I'll recap:

Pro's:
* Close to lots of shopping, $20 cab to DCA airport
* Quiet, set back from street (but a/c is noisy)
* Recently refurbished rooms, nice sheets but pillows are like huge foam rocks, not down/feather.
* Good price relative to location, but there's a reason these rooms are only $200 a night!

Con's:
* Indifferent service
* Poor maintenance (stopped up sink drain, broken fitness equipment, a/c issues, etc.)
* Very small rooms with microscopic bathrooms
* Far from the closest metro (subway) stop
* No one to help with luggage, taxi's, etc. Once you check in, you're on your own.
* Roaches

With this and other reviews you've been warned. Suggest you choose another place.

I recently stayed at the Latham for two nights. The hotel has a lot of positives; a wonderful location, great setting, clean, nice beds, European feel. The room was small and the bathroom downright tiny, however this more excusable considering it's location and when it was built. The interior of the hotel was nice, I felt a lot of the other criticisms given in reviews were baseless. The Latham is located right in Georgetown, cannot beat the location. It isn't near the typical DC attractions and the metro is a bit of a walk. Parking at a total of $72 for a two night stay is brutally expensive.

All things considered I would consider going back. It wasn't the greatest hotel I had ever stayed in but it was far from the worst and would be ideal for anyone looking to experience Georgetown as opposed to a more "traditional" DC trip.

We live in DC, and just wanted a quick getaway from the kids for our anniversary. I wanted to be in Georgetown... and I wanted to park the car and walk everywhere. Plus - I wanted a the hotel to have a special feeling (not that antiseptic Courtyard Marriott feel).

There are only 3 hotels in Georgetown: The Rizt Carlton, the Four Seasons, and the Latham. Since the Latham was less than 1/2 the price of the other two... we gave it a try.

And it was very nice: small rooms, but clean. Tastefully decorated. Certainly not the Ritz.... but it still felt special. The linens were above normal... tho the foam pillows were hard. The staff was friendly and helpful.

I was concerned because there were some poor reviews of the Latham, but frankly, we had a very nice stay - even if it was only 18 hours!

One note: the hotel on site is Michel Richard's Citronelle. It is not your typical hotel restaurant. It is one of the highest rated (and most pricey) restaurants in DC... perfect for a special occasion and wonderful dinner. But if you think you can drop in for a quick burger, it is not the place to be.