We stayed here from April 19 - April 25th for 6 nights and I have to say it it deserves my 5 stars and praise.
The room was allocated to us at Check in and it was done speedily and without any hitches. I was worried that by booking this room via Hotwire we would get a sub standard room. When I saw the room, I could not have been more wrong. Ok, did not really have a view but (after seeking advice here on TA before going) knew that most of the rooms would not have this. It was spacey, cool and nice chic furniture. More than enough for us to flop out in!
I would imagine some other rooms are bigger than the one we had but it didnt matter, it was big enough for us. It had a large closet to put your suitcases and iron/ironing board stashed inside. Also, there were 2 robes (leopard print and zebra print) but I didnt put them on nor my partner) but for some - this might be nice after a bath. All for guest use - why not.
The products in the bathroom were very very nice. L'Occtaine products and from experience - these products are good quality and are not cheap rubbish. Again, a nice touch.
The bed was massive - I thought at one stage I would need binoculars to find my partner - very comfortable although me being picky - I like a firmer bed but it was a good sleep on this one. The pillows were a bit of a gripe for me, again, its probably me but I cannot sleep on duck feather pillows. I had a bit of a restless night and rang down to guest services asking for a synthetic pillow - once again, it was there for me when I got back from travelling about DC that same day. Strangely enough, the synthetic pillow didnt do it for me either so I ended up going BACK to the feather pillow. Never mind, most nights I was beat anyway. There was always a huge amount of scatter cushions and pillows and a big furry rug on the bed when we returned from sightseeing and although a bit of a nuisance - you actually can get comfortable just flopping back on them, we fell asleep like so one night!
All in all, a great comfortable stay at the Hotel Palomar. I didnt go into Urbana the adjoining restaurant - every time I looked in there you couldnt see anything. I mean, I did see some guests in there but how they managed to see their food I dont know. Looked very dingy and dark. And never full to the rafters with people dining. I wonder why....perhaps the Palomar could change this into a more relaxed, diner like American restaurant - with brighter lighting as it did not seem to be doing a lot of business.
The staff at the Palomar get a big thumbs up. Especially the door men who greeted and opened the door for us all the time. Always chatted and were very friendly. The housekeeping staff also very good, the cleanliness and quality of cleaning of the rooms very good. As a pet friendly hotel I would agree with other reviewers, never a hair or furball to be seen and spotlessly cleaned every day. And they also turn down your bed at night - another nice touch!
There is a CVS right up the street and also fabulous Dupont Circle where there is also a metro line (Red) which takes you to Union Station or to the National Zoo. Takes about 5 -10 minutes. Also you can get to GalleryPlace China Town for transfers to other lines.
We never really ate much on Dupont Circle although we did see alot of good restaurants. We ate breakfast at Johnny Rocketts at Union Station but we did last year when staying at the Capitol Hill end of DC. So for us, it was like seeing old friends again. And if you go to JRocketts say hello to Gamal (Luigi Mario Brothers! he reminded us of him). He remembered us from last year, I took a photo of him last year and this year gave that photo to him. I then took another one with his colleagues and myself in it (see below on my photos) and I said "I will be back again with THIS one! He laughed.
And ...do try Pizza Paradiso - very yummy pizza and I think it has been named (not sure if it was this year) as one of DC's best cheap eats. The prices are amazingly cheap and the pizza/pasta delicious - literally 1 block up from the hotel entrance. Across the road is a JW Marriot hotel - nothing special but probably just as nice but you got the feeling the Palomar had more of a vibrant clientel and the staff looked alot more happy. And why not. They work at a happy pleasurable hotel with fantastic location.
I hope anyone who is contemplating booking this hotel feels assured by my review that it IS worth staying here. You will get a great stay and you will want to keep coming back. Read other reviews, they are not wrong. Ranked 4 out of 116 hotels ....they did not get this status for nothing.
I love DC and I loved the Palomar. I want to come back here so bad....:)
NB - Not sure if my camcorder review of the room uploaded on this review. If so - will post on the forum where it is so people can view it if they so wish.

My family stayed here for our recent vacation and loved every moment of it.

I can't say enough about the staff. They were gracious, friendly, and worked quickly without ever seeming harried or rushed.

The room was spectacularly large. Since we booked this hotel on Hotwire, we were expecting the traditional "discount" room that we've received at other chains. (ie, giving "discount" customers the absolute worst room regardless of how full the hotel really is) But there was none of that at the Palomar. Not only did they accomodate our early check-in, they also gave us a corner room that I swear was larger than my first apartment. It was so large that our family of four never felt cramped.

My only complaint about the room was the water pressure in the shower. The pressure was virtually nonexistent.

The location is perfect, being a short walk from the Metro station. And there are so many great restaurants nearby.

I'd highly recommend the Palomar to anyone visiting Washington DC

I had not previously heard of the Kimpton chain of hotels, much less the Hotel Palomar before this trip. I found it while reviewing the list of favorite Washington DC hotels – it is currently listed as #4. A visit to their website convinced me to give it a try. – I’m glad I did. Before reserving a room, I first joined their frequent guest program. – this paid off well. A week before arriving, I received an email offering a variety of room upgrades at very reasonable prices. I did not respond but was upgraded for free upon arrival anyway.

I took the DC Metro from DCA and walked a few blocks from the DuPont Circle station. The hotel is on P St – which appears to be thoroughly yuppified. The lobby was crowded & loud when I arrived – it was time for the nightly managers wine reception. Nonetheless, my reservation was processed quickly and I was on my way upstairs.

My original reservation was for a “King Deluxe” room. As mentioned above, I was upgraded to a “King Spa Suite” on the 9th floor. The room included a Jacuzzi tub, an in-room exercise machine, and a variety of other simple, but very nice amenities. An arrival gift consisting of a handful of cherries, an apple, and a bottle of spring water was accompanied by a hand written card from the hotel manager – it was all very, very nice & classy.
Overall, the room was enormous, well furnished, nicely decorated, and extremely comfortable. The exercise machine was a top-of-the-line elliptical machine placed alongside a floor-to-ceiling length mirror and in front of a small flat panel television [I noted the same remote control problem as the previous review - the main television had two remotes, one for the DVD player and one for the TV. Strangely, the TV remote only worked some of the functions while the DVD remote handled the rest]. The bedroom came furnished with a desk, chair, two end tables, credenza with flat panel television, and another small table next to the chair. The TV was attached to a DVD player. An iHome iPod clock radio sat on the end table next to the bed.

The bathroom was spotless and nicely decorated. Unfortunately, I did not find time to check out the Jacuzzi tub. The stand up shower was great – hot water + a strong stream – just the way I like it.

The folks at Kimpton apparently strive to think of everything. I found a pair of animal print bathrobes hanging in the closet along with animal print nightgowns and boxer shorts (sizes up to XL) – the latter are for purchase. There was also an umbrella, fuzzy socks, and a safe that could easily accommodate a laptop.
A few minor hiccups I noted during my stay: I was not provided with a key to the minibar – the desk agent explained that they had “run out”. They have ice machines on most floors, but do not have soda machines. The receipt that was slipped under my door did not show a zero balance – since my accounting department demands this, I had to visit the front desk before departing. The attached restaurant/bar (Urbana) is pretty high-end, and doesn’t have a lot of room in the bar area. I had to wait for a while to snag a spot at the bar. It was, however, worth the wait – the bartender made a great mudslide martini and the wood-fired pizza was delicious.

Another surprise came the next morning – my wake-up call was from a real, live person, rather than a machine. That was nice for a change.

Overall, the Palomar was a great place to stay – easily one of the nicest hotels in DC. I’d definitely book it again

On the downside:

Low ceilings, small room, slow elevators, very brown decor, and a lobby constantly FULL of various conference attendees. Also, a bar at the end of the block with pretty rough characters hanging around outside of it.

On the upside:

Gracious, friendly staff.

I'm surprised this hotel is rated so highly on Trip Advisor. I wouldn't stay here again when there are so many other choices in WDC.