Holiday Inn Capitol
550 C St. SW, Washington, DC 20024, United States
Why We Like It
The Holiday Inn Capitol is a no-brainer when we need a museum fix, with all of the National Mall’s museums and monuments just a short walk away. The rooftop pool is a rare thing in D.C., with umbrellas and lounge furniture--you can see the Capitol from there!
Fodor's Expert Review
First and foremost, this 536-room, family-friendly hotel is all about location. The National Air and Space Museum is just a block away, with the rest of the National Mall beyond that. Just know that the surrounding, office-filled streets empty out on weeknights and weekends--meaning you won’t walking anywhere nearby for a bite or nightcap. But the hotel has two restaurants and a Starbucks, so it’s not too much of a hardship. Thanks to a 2015 reno, the public spaces and rooms look sleek and contemporary. The staff is friendly and professional. And a seasonal rooftop pool and bar offers stunning sunsets over the skyline. A good, solid chain offering all around.
Recommended Fodor’s Video
Room
The updated rooms are standard Holiday Inn fare, with a pleasing neutral palette with pops of blue. All rooms include a work desk and chair, complimentary Wi-Fi, Keurig coffeemaker, refrigerator, 42-inch flat panel HDTV and graphic images of D.C. iconic sights. You have your choice of a standard room, suite, and executive room, and connecting rooms are available.
You Should Know Passing trains have the habit of blowing their horns in the middle of the night. Ask for a courtyard room to avoid the noise as much as possible. The freebie ear plugs don’t really do the trick.
Bathroom
The updated bathrooms are standard chain variety, with bathtub, separate walk-in shower and lit-up vanity mirror over the sink.
Lobby
The large, open lobby has a sleek white registration desk at one end, with the rest of the shiny-floored room edged with chairs and tables for gathering with friends or waiting for your tour. There’s also an atrium lounge with white walls, modern-esque white chairs with dark-wood trim, and touches of burnt orange; grab a coffee and breakfast sandwich at the kiosk, open until 10 a.m.
Pool
There’s a seasonal rooftop outdoor swimming pool, with lounge chairs, umbrellas, and a poolside bar.
Gym
The limited fitness room has cardio equipment including treadmill, stair stepper, elliptical, stationary bike, as well as free weights. It’s on the rooftop, with plenty of light streaming through the windows.
Tip Ask at the front desk for running routes around the Mall, one of the nation's greatest places to run.
Dining
Capitol Bistro serves American fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. There’s also a daily breakfast buffet and weekday lunch buffet. The food is nothing to write home about, but given the fact that there are not a lot of options in the nearby neighborhood, it will have to suffice if you don’t want to hop into a cab. There’s a Starbucks in the lobby as well, serving breakfast and lunch.
Drinking
The 21st Amendment Bar & Grill offers American fare for lunch and dinner, cocktails and beer in a friendly setting with flat-screen TVs to catch your favorite sports. Live music Wednesday and Thursday evenings.
What's Nearby
Getting Around
The Holiday Inn Capitol is about as convenient as you can get to visit the museums and monuments on the National Mall. If that’s the focus of your trip, you’re golden. That said, dining can be a bit more of a problem, especially in the evening, since there really isn’t anything close by, and the streets empty out after business hours. You may not want to be walking the streets at this time. But it doesn’t take much to find a cab to hop to one of D.C.’s trendier neighborhoods, including the new Wharf neighborhood on the water and Penn Quarter, on the other side of the Mall. Parking is expensive, so you may want to think twice about bringing your car. For farther-flung areas, Metro is your best bet, with the Smithsonian metro station about five blocks away.
Restaurants
The new Wharf DC area has several dining options, including Hank’s Oyster Bar (15-minute walk), offering clams, lobster rolls, raw bar and other New England seafood specialties; and Kirwan’s on the Wharf (15-minute walk), an Irish-style pub with a refined menu, beer, and music. Or head north across the Mall to the Penn Quarter neighborhood, where Jaleo DC (17-minute walk) is a fun, bustling place for tapas, paella, and sangria.
Bars
Head to the Wharf D.C. neighborhood for the Brighton (13-minute walk), a British-themed watering hole. Or go north to the Penn Quarter neighborhood to Gordon Biersch (20-minute walk), a popular brewpub in a former bank.
Photos
Quick Facts
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