Washington DC Hotel Question

[pixieprincessmom]

We are beginning to plan a DC trip for next summer. The prices for most hotels are really more than I thought, but my DSIL recently stayed at the Best Western Georgetown and said it was a nice hotel and within walking distance to a few attraction and the Metro (of couse she walks several miles a day, me, not so much; we plan on getting to the city on amtrak and hope to not rent a car). BTW it will be my extended family- about 20 people.

If anyone has stayed there or have any suggestions please let me know. Kids will range in age from 4-16, what should be on my "Don't Miss" list?

 

[AnnaS]

We might actually be going there within two weeks. An unexpected short trip. I have relatives coming fro Europe this Friday and that is one place they want to go to.

I looked at Hotel Harrington. Prices seem reasonable and in the center of it all. Not sure if we can even get a room on such short notice. We would just need a clean, safe place to sleep. Check it out.

 

[Wendynat]

I suggest staying outside the city near a metro station. We go up rather often for 'Skins games (we're season ticket holders that live in Va Beach), and here are the hotels we normally stay at that are walking distance to the metro: Arlington:
Residence Inn at Pentagon City (free breakfast, near Pentagon City Mall which has a great food court and a metro stop for blue and yellow lines),
Hampton Inn Reagan Ntnl Airport (free breakfast, near Crystal City which has a metro station blue line)
Vienna/Fairfax:
Courtyard Marriott Dun Lorring (across from Dun Lorring orange line metro station, near Tyson's Corner mall, free parking, sometimes has special rates that include full buffet breakfast).

There are other good hotels outside the city and next to a metro stop.

 

[thumpery]

We are going in July and will be staying at the Marriott Residence Inn in Pentagon City. We are paying $104/night with a full breakfast. We stayed there last year and were pleased. It is about a 2 block walk to the metro. Hope this helps!

 

[Teacher03]

Try some of the hotels in Arlington, VA. My daughter lives near the Rosslyn metro stop and there are some reasonable, nice hotels there. It's also right across Key bridge to Georgetown. We always stay at the Holiday Inn. The parking is free there which is a plus. We have pricelined before with great success. Good luck.

 

[Janet100]

We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Washington, D.C. We stayed at The Liaison Capitol Hill - An Affinia Hotel. It was one block from the Capital. There were lots of families staying there. A really nice pool on the roof. We got a good deal on Sams Club travel. The Union Station is just right around the corner. Maybe a 2 block walk.
There is so much to see and do in Washington. You guys will have a wonderful time.
Janet

 

[torinsmom]

If you don't mind Priceline, you can get a great hotel in DC for less than $100/night. We just got back last Thursday after staying at the Marriott Wardman Park for 2 nights. It was an amazing hotel and right beside the metro, two stops from downtown. We got it for $95/night. YOu can use betterbidding.com to see what hotels you are likely to get based on star rating and zones. I only bid on 3* or better in Convention Center/White House/ Dupont Circle zones in order to avoid areas that might not be as safe. We did end up getting the Landmark Hilton in Alexandria for our last night for $70, but I didn't see a metro stop closeby. We didn't need it, so we didn't ask.

Marsha

 

[prncess674]

I would advise against staying in Georgetown. It is not on the metro and it is a lengthy walk to the metro. I agree with all the hotels suggested in Virginia near Pentagon City. They are all clean chains.

Hotel Harrington = Roach Motel. AVOID!

I wouldn't stay as far as Vienna/Fairfax, that is a LONG metro ride. Another area to consider is Bethesda.

 

[AnnaS]

We are going in July and will be staying at the Marriott Residence Inn in Pentagon City. We are paying $104/night with a full breakfast. We stayed there last year and were pleased. It is about a 2 block walk to the metro. Hope this helps!

I put dates in (I have put same dates for every hotel) for two nights and I get an average of $250 a night. I do not want to spend that much.

 

[AnnaS]

We are going in July and will be staying at the Marriott Residence Inn in Pentagon City. We are paying $104/night with a full breakfast. We stayed there last year and were pleased. It is about a 2 block walk to the metro. Hope this helps!

How did you get this rate? Are you staying weekend? I am wondering if weekend is less money.

 

[pixieprincessmom]

Thanks for all the suggestions! I will check them all out and see which has the best rates. I was starting to think this might be a little out of our budget, but you guys have given me hope!

 

[The Princess]

We are thinking of the Fairmont in Georgetown. any info on that hotel???

 

[pixieprincessmom]

This so not like planning a Disney trip!! Do you think the prices are so high now because the dates are so far away (close to a year)? Since we are relying on the metro I thought we better plan early, but maybe I should wait to get better rates.

I guess my biggest worry is getting there and having to rent a car (or 3) because we are not as close to the metro as we thought. Not knowing the city makes it hard, so I guess I need to research more,

 

[DisneyDawnNH]

I am currently planning our first trip to DC for the end of August. From what I have found is Thursday through Sunday are the least expensive nights (weekend stays). I think we are going with the Residence Inn Alexandria Old Town. My requirement was pool, onsite parking, near metro and free breakfast suite. We figured it was worth the extra time on the metro to park for less money as long as we were near a metro station. AAA rate with 3 night stay was 97.00 night!

 

[Wendynat]

You can use Googlemaps to see if a particular hotel is ACTUALLY close to a metro stop. You can also check tripadvisor - usually folks will mention in a review how close the hotel is, or isn't, to a metro.

Weekend rates are significantly cheaper than during the week. During the workweek, the decent hotels are filled with business and government travelers and can charge much more, so they do. Priceline might be an option, but since you're talking about so many rooms for a group of 20, I don't know how well that'll work out.

We've stayed at the Courtyard Dunn Loring in Vienna/Fairfax, and it's right at a 30 minute ride on the orange line to the Smithsonian stop. It depends on what you're used to, as far as how long that'll seem to you .

 

[torinsmom]

Wow, I missed the part about it being 20 people! I do think it is a little early to be pricing hotels. Many of the ones I was checking said they didn't take reservations more than 330 days in advance. Maybe they would if you called? I would try around 5-6 months before. You can check rates for the same dates THIS summer, and see how they are running, and get an idea of hotels you would like to try.

Weekends will definitely be cheaper, but you may not get tours of Federal buildings on weekends. If you find a hotel that is close to the metro, but charges more for parking, you can park at the Ballston garage in Arlington for $8/day and metro in. That's what we did(Marriott was charging $32/night to park)

I don't know if you have seen the thread, but there is a current one about DC here

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2197159

Marsha

 

[thumpery]

To those that inquired about the Residence Inn Pentagon City. I booked a few months ago for July. We are going a Thursday till Monday - 4 nights. It was a AAA special. I booked it right through the hotel's website. It was still available a few weeks ago.

 

[librarygal]

One thing I discovered in helping visitors find lodging here in DC is that prices are much cheaper Thursday through Sunday. I have noticed some good deals on Travelzoo for last minute weekend stays in the D.C. area. Here is an example.

This Week's Top Pick from Four Points by Sheraton D.C.
$99 -- Weekends at D.C. Hotel thru September w/Breakfast
Central location; near White House; rooftop sun deck
Thursday-Sunday July 1 - Sept. 30; +$50 midweek

By the way, although Georgetown would not be a location I would choose there is a bus that travels from Georgetown to Union Station via downtown. It leaves every 10 minutes. It is called the DC Circulator and only costs one dollar.

 

[NotUrsula]

If you will be there all week, split your stay to save money. Price the hotel for Sun-Wed, and again for Thu-Sun. (Not change hotels, just make it officially two stays.)

The weekend will be much cheaper on its own, but if you price the entire period most search engines will show only the higher rate for the entire period. Just did this at the Hampton Crystal City last week: I paid $220/nt for my business trip from M-Th, and then $119/nt for Th-Su when the family joined me. (BTW: the Hampton Crystal City is a 3 block walk to the Metro.)

 

[jrasmom]

We went in May of last year. We stayed Thursday through Saturday I'm thinking it was $89 or $99 a night with free parking.
We stayed in Arlington, VA @ the Marriott Key Bridge location, 2 blocks to the metro station. We just walked to it every morning, hopped on and got off at the stop closest to where we were going that day.
Look up Marriott, then speicals for the area. Although I do think it's a little too early to book just yet.