bennnie

Orbitz has a good rate for a Holiday Inn located at 1501 Rhode Island Avenue, NW. Its $80 per night cheaper than the Embassey Suites in Foggy Bottom that I'm also considering.
Is this Holiday Inn clean, updated and convenient to the museums and monuments? Is the neighborhood okay for a family? Any comments would be appreciated.

missjanna

This hotel was rated poorly on Tripadvisor, by 2 people who seemed to have stayed there this month! Other than the Embassy Suites, you can also check into the Summerfield Suites by Wyndham which is in a great location by Dupont Circle, about 2-3 blocks from the Metro, and has 2 bedroom suites available for around $129 with an outdoor pool.

missjanna

This hotel was rated poorly on Tripadvisor, by 2 people who seemed to have stayed there this month! Other than the Embassy Suites, you can also check into the Summerfield Suites by Wyndham which is in a great location by Dupont Circle, about 2-3 blocks from the Metro, and has 2 bedroom suites available for around $129

bardo

This hotel is in an OK neighborhood, but is not conveniently located. It is not that close to any subway stops.You would have to walk 15 minutes just to get to the subway and walking to museums/monuments is not an option. I would suggest you look at the Radison Barcelo: 1-1/2 blocks to the dupont subway in an area that is loaded with dining in all price ranges, shopping, and is safe at all hours due to the foot traffic. Here's their website:
http://www.radisson.com/washingtondc

You can also look for this place on orbitz and the like..

kayd

I do not know anything about the HI inside, but its location (near 15th and Mass.Ave.) is about 5 blocks from the Dupont Circle metro (19th and Mass), so the walk would be about 10-15 minutes along a pleasant and safe avenue. The area was really dicey as recently as a few years ago, but now it is surrounded by expensive apartments and the nearby new Whole Foods market is jumping at all hours.
If you can't find better room rates closer to a metro station, HI would not be a bad location. For a family, though, Summerfield Suites Embassy Square (20th and N) and Embassy Suites (22nd and N) are probably better choices.

bennnie

Thanks for the info. I think I'd prefer to be closer to the Metro. I'll keep looking. Thanks

bardo

bennnie,
Look also at Capitol Hill Suites: 1 block from the Capitol South Metro stop and 2 blocks from the Capitol Bldg. Also lots of restaurants a block north on Penn. Ave. They sometimes run specials for $99, but even without that their prices are good.
http://www.capitolhillsuites.com/

bennnie

Kayd - Thanks for the suggestion for the Summerfield Suites. Unforunately they are booked for the week we want.

Bardo - Thanks for your suggestion also. But the Capitol Hill Suites doesn't have a pool on site which is a must for my kids.

Thanks to both of you and Missjanna for your help. I will probably end up at the Embassey Suites. I've stayed there on business before so I know what I'm getting. We're not going until July so I have plenty of time to bargain hunt. I'm kicking myself for not booking the Marriott Metro back in Oct when I found a $99 a night rate. Oh well.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

During the (very hot & humid) summer, you often find good deals on hotel rooms in & around DC. If you are close to a Metro, you're close enough to most things you'd want to see. There's a Hyatt, Holiday Inn, & a Best Western very close to the Rosslyn Metro Station in Arlington VA. A little further away, but walkable, is the Quality Inn Iwo Jima, with a covered pool and free parking. Not only are Virginia hotels/motels less expensive, but the tax rates are too. If I recall, the Holiday Inn (Select?) on/near Lousiana & others ran some decent prices last summer too. I've stayed at Radisson Barcelo, and found it to be a great place, big rooms, reasonable price & great location.

jasmo

I highly recommend the Summerfield Suites at 20th and N. We stayed there last year. But I don't think they are booked Bennie (did the website say "not available"?) They are closed for renovations until October they told me. We are returning this summer and would have stayed there ourselves.

bennnie

Thanks rbtraveler. I believe you've posted this advice in the past and I'm am definately considering Rosyln. I finally bought a map last night and figured out that VA really is very close. Getting free parking would be very helpful. I don't mind being in the suburbs. Would we find enough restaurant choices in that vicinity?

Also I am finding it hard to find a desirable hotel for under $175 night even in the suburbs. I was hoping that the hot summer would be a bargain time too but so far it hasn't been the case. But I'll keep looking.

Budman

Check with priceline. You can pick the area you desire. Biddingfortravel.com can give you a ballpark idea what is going for a reasonable price and what to bid for a 4**** in different areas. The money you will save will more than compensate for any taxi fares to/from metro lines if the hotel you get is not near a metro.

obxgirl

Rosllyn itself doesn't offer too many options for dining but you'll have many great options nearby in Georgetown, Arlington and Alexandria.

bennnie

Jasmo - Yes - it was their website that said it was unavailable. I thought that it was weird that a hotel could be booked completely this far in advance. I figured there was a school group or convention. But all the Democrats will be here in Boston that week. Must be construction.

Budman - I have an irrational fear of Priceline. I am too much of a control freak to not know what hotel I'm paying for. But I'll check out biddingfortravel. I'm a control freak but I'm also cheap.

Is Rosylln completely devoid of restaurants or just populated with chains? We're not looking for fine dining for the most part. Chain restaurants work okay when the kids get a little travel weary.

SarahQ

I work about two blocks away from the Smithsonian Museums, sort of between them and Union Station. I think you should try the Hyatt hotel chain - there's a nice one up the block from me, I think at 1st and D streets, NW. Also try the Holiday Inn closer to Union Station, that's not so bad. If you want to go a bit more upscale, try Hotel George.

Anonymous

As a cheap control freak, I offer this Priceline strategy: Whenever I'm booking a "new" city, I go to the hotel lists at biddingfortravel.com, print out the list of hotels, then read the reviews, annotating which hotels are great and which are terrible as well as winning bid prices.

By ruling out zone/star combinations with undesirable hotels, and focusing on better-rated combinations, I'm able to bid with some confidence even though I don't know which specific hotel i'll get, I have a short list of acceptable ones, one of which I'm almost certain to get (yes, I realize the PL list changes).

So when I went to DC last spring, I was able to bid for a 3* in Convention Center/Capitol Hill knowing that the 3 hotels listed on BFT were OK. And I got the Marriott Metro Center, literally next door to a Metro station, for $60!

obxgirl

bennnie, When I worked there a few years back, Rosslyn was a business district with a few assorted hotels. I think Tom Sarris Orleans House (steak and prime rib) iis still in business. It's been there forever. I think there's a chinese restaurant and a couple of fast foods. Lots of great food is a five minute car ride away up Wilson or Clarendon Blvds. Georgetown is walkable across the Key Bridge, tho you all might be fried after a day of touring.

Crystal City (also just a couple of Metro stops outside of DC) has a lot of hotels, many more restaurants (chains like Chevy's and California Pizza Kitchen), and an upscale mall (Pentagon City). You may be able to find a place with a pool there. CC is pretty souless too but more popular with tourists. I've gotten good deals via priceline on the weekends in CC.