I need your sage advise please. I am planning a trip to visit several sets of friends. One set lives in the Timonium area outside of Baltimore. The other lives in DC in Cleveland Park. I will be there from March 31st- 4th of April. Since I don't know who will be available during that time to see me I really don't know where to focus my search for a hotel. The focus of my trip is to see friends not really to be sightseeing..did that years ago. So I don't have to be in the "thick of it". I will be using Marriott points.
I was looking perhaps at the area around Laurel,MD.
Any help would be appreciated, Thank you!

Then let THEM come to see YOU...Marriott Wardman Park; or much better IMO the JW downtown (why inconvenience yourself from being close to the major sites?)

Yes, the JW Marriott downtown is much more upscale than the Marriott Wardman Park, and in a better location for sightseeing, however, the Marriott Wardman Park has tons of restaurants and shops nearby, which the JW does not.

Laurel is a mid-level suburban area with not much for a tourist if anything. Nothing against Laurel, but not a place to base for a vacation. If you won't have a car, absolutely not the place. If you do have a car, you are still in the middle of nowhere with long drives to both cities on 95 or 295.

Why not stay in DC for half the time, then take the train to B-more for the other half? This way when your friends aren't available, you will have plenty to do.

In DC, I really liked the Marriott Wardman Park when I was there for a conference, and the area is charming for strolling and dining, then hop on the metro to get to museums.

In B-more, there is a nice Marriott in the Inner Harbor/Fells Point area with tons to do and see, or there are a couple in Towson, a nice suburb with a walkable "downtown" just below Timonium.

If you want a base equidistant between the two cities, Annapolis is slightly east but is very charming and fun. Of course, you would definitely need a car.

Thanks!

I stayed at the Marriott in the Harbor area in Baltimore for work not long ago and loved it there, with the shops and restaurants almost across the street. There are also cruses that go from that area you can take, really pretty in the evening.

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And the Marriott Wardman Park is basically on top of the metro. And oh, very close to the zoo (in case that interests you)

I have stayed several times across the street from the Marriott Wardman Park. It is a wonderful neighborhood and I felt safe walking around at night by myself. And yes, it is literally half a block down the drive of the hotel to the Metro stop to go any where in DC you wish. Great dining options too. In Baltimore, the harbor is a great place to be if you find yourself with time on your hands. The shopping is a bit touristy but there is a great museum, The American Visionary Museum, the Aquarium and the Science Museum. If I remember correctly, there is also a lot of public parking so your friends can come to see you.

If you wanted to go without a rental car, a hotel near BWI would work. There is an Amtrak station there and the fare on the NE regional is less than $10 to Baltimore and DC.
The DC Amtrak station is directly above a Metro station.
The Baltimore station will require a taxi to get to the Inner Harbor area.
I once stayed in a hotel in Laurel which had the rental car office in the lobby. It was very convenient.
If you want to go into DC without a car, you can ride in from the Greenbelt Metro station.

Re: Marriotts in DC, the JW Marriott is the one of the chain's flagship hotels and has a great location, but I far prefer the newer Courtyard Marriott Convention Center, 900 F Street NW.