I am planning to visit D.C. in July for 5nights and am trying to book lodging. It's so confusing to know where to reserve where it's affordable but decent and in the right area for us.

We would like to stay in the city and are looking at the Homewood Suites or Holiday Inn on the Hill. Any comments on either of these? Or other suggestions?

The room is for myself, husband and son (14) and dau (17).

Thanks for your input.

Kathy

Holiday Inn on the Hill is the better choice of the two. Nice property. Location is prettty good: 3 blocks to Metro, 3 blocks to Capitol and 3 blocks to Mall.

There are some very nice "splurge" restaurants close to HIOTH: La Colline or Bistro Bis. For mid-range try http://www.flyingscotsman-dc.com .
For more affordable, you should go to Union Station (3 blocks) where there are about 100 choices in all price ranges.

I would not choose Homewood Suites or any other hotel in the Thomas Circle area - too far to Metro and too far to walk to the sights.

Not sure what affordable means. The avaergage hotel room for July is about $350/night. That means low-end is about $200-$250. Did you have a price range in mind??

Topping for marthashealth.

To find past threads that you've started, or contributed to, just click on your own name/link at the top of the screen.

bardo1,

I am new to posting and just now found my original post and your reply. Thanks for the info.

I had no idea that average hotel prices would be so high. I was thinking more in the range of $100-$200. We won't be in the room that much anyway, so don't need tons of ammenities.

Are there any Day's Inn or similar lodging within the city?

Thanks again for your help.

Kathy

Anonymous,

Thanks for the tip. I actually stumbled upon that info while searching for my first post. But of course that was after I re-posted!

Maybe I'll get the hang of this soon.

Kathy

I checked the Holiday Inn website for prices and found a property called
Holiday Inn Washington-On-The-Hill
415 New Jersey Ave, NW

Is this the Holiday Inn that bardo1 mentioned? If so, it is listed for $179 per night. I didn't know if it was the same since it is quite a bit cheaper than suggested.

It sounds close in and affordable.

Any comments or opinions?

Kathy

marthashealth,

Yes, That's the same Holiday Inn I referred to five posts above this one. It's a fine choice. Although there's not much in the IMMEDIATE area of the hotel, Union Station Metro and the National Mall are both within a few blocks walk. Many families stay there but you might consider a taxi (about $10) if returning to Holiday Inn on the late at night (after 10 p.m.).

Similar too Day's Inn and in a central downtown location close to Metro is the Red Roof Inn Chinatown at 6th & H st. NW. If you're just ooking for a clean, convenient, safe place to stay, then this would be a great choice and even less expensive than the Holiday Inn.

Thanks again. I'll check them out and keep posting.

Kathy

You might check out the Holiday Inn in Rossly, VA, right across the river. We stayed there last year and it was not very expensive and was just fine. It's about a block ftom the metro and maybe a 10 minute metro ride to the mall area. It has free parking and in our case, if we joined Priorty Club we got free breakfast. YOu can also walk across the bridge into Georgetown.

www.biddingfortravel.com and www.priceline.com

My brother is in DC this weekend and he got the Hilton near the Whitehouse for $85 a night on Priceline.

I"ve stayed several times in the Rosslyn (Metrostation) area of Arlington. The Holiday Inn is good, there's a Best Western and a Hyatt nearby. A little further a Marriott (forget which one, Courtyard?) and further is Quality Inn Iwo Jima, maybe further than you'd want to walk; about 1/2 mi. The area is safe and quiet, too quiet at night. Not much.

There's a RED ROOF Inn near Chinatown - convenient, safe, clean, Minimal amenities, but a good sound building (used to be a Comfort Inn), unlike the cheaply contructed "Roofs" you see off interstates. Lots of restaurants nearby and not just Chinese. Visit the nearby National Building Museum if you stay there.

There's a Days Inn on CT Ave close to VanNess stop on Red Line - a busy but safe neighborhood.

I also stayed at Days Inn Camp Springs MD, a 10 minute walk from Branch Ave Metrostop (Green Line) ... it was formerly a Hampton Inn, but there was NOTHING nearby, and I mean NOTHING.

Remember that if you are at a hotel close to a Metro, then you're really "close enough" to most everything, although you probably won't want to be TOO far -- I recently stayed all the way in Springfield - the furthest station on the Blue ... but was worth it for the 2 $25 rooms I got. Look for hotels around Ballston and Courthouse too. Not too far out of the district (on Orange Line)

Good Luck

You might check the Embassy Suites hotel. I haven't stayed there yet, but it gets good reviews. We are planning on staying there this summer.

Hotel Washington located right across the street from the White House offers super family rates when Congress is not in session. Try asking for the New York Times rate (sometimes there is a special rate). The roof top offers dining and wonderful views of the city and the momuments at night. The phone number is 800-424-9540. The Holiday Inn at C St is right across the street and down one block from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. It has a small roof top pool which is crowded after the fireworks display. The Washington Hotel and the Holiday Inn at C St offers a cool escape when you need to take a break from all the 4th of July activity that will be on the mall that holiday weekend. The Holiday Inn phone number is 202-479-4000. The Red Roof Inn near the MCI Center and Chinatown is further away from the momuments but has a better selection of eating establishments. A short walk from the Red Roof Inn is Ford's Theatre and the International Spy Museum ($) - get tickets in advance and go early. The Red Roof Inn is located at 500 H ST NW. The phone number is 800 THE ROOF. The Hotel offer a inexpensive breakfast and lunch. Red Roof is also close to the Metro. Another hotel which may fit your needs is the Capitol Hll Suite Hotel which is located near the Capitol. The suites include kitchens. There is no onsite dining but restaurants are nearby. Capitol Suites is located at 200 C St Phone number is 800 424-9165.

Thanks to everyone for your replies. I will continue to explore all these possibilities and report back.
Kathy