Hotels in Washington DC
 

We will be visiting DC May 23-26. We tried to get reservations at the JW Marriott but their standard rooms are all booked up those days due to 4 conventions at that time. They only have rooms available that are $500+ per nite. My range is around 200-250. Could anyone recommend other hotels that you have enjoyed staying at as a tourist visiting the usual sights.
Thanks for your help.

We recently went to DC and stayed in 2 hotels - one at the beginning of our trip and one at the end.

The first hotel was The Hamilton Crowne Plaza on 14th and K for $170/night. The location was good - close to the Metro, walking distance to the National Mall although it was a good walk, a few blocks from the White House. There weren't a lot of restaurants nearby for dinner, but it is easy to get other places on the Metro. The hotel is a neat, historic building that has been updated, but it did leave a bit to be desired - nothing terrible, just not quite up to the standard I would expect from a Crowne Plaza.

The second hotel was the Dupont Hotel on Dupont Circle for about $150/night. We liked this hotel a lot - probably the most comfortable hotel bed I have ever slept in. And we really liked the neighborhood - it is more residential and there are a lot of restaurants within a few blocks. It is farther from the usual sights, but with the Metro, it is easy to get downtown.

We also stayed at The Dupont Hotel in August. We really liked the neighborhood and we found the hotel to be very nice. Room was small, but comfortable. I got it on Hotwire for $109, but that was August.

We love the Tabard Inn near Dupont circle for it's quirky charm, great location and very good restaurant.

LOL, we had our anniversary dinner at the Tabard Inn! It was a lovely meal.

If there are 4 conventions in towns the large business hotels and those near the Conventon center will all have high rates. Your bet bet is to get a smaller property and one away from the Convention Center - possibly in VA. (I would pick different dates instead.)

I also think the Tabard Inn would be a great choice. First of all, the room prices are the same all 365 days of the year.

It's close to Dupont Metro and in a nice area (and an easy walk to the White House). The hotel caters almost exclusively to tourists - not the business traveler (and certainly is totally off the radar for convention travelers).

With your budget, I would suggest you get the Penthouse Suite ($230).

http://www.tabardinn.com/rooms/tour/private_bath

DH has stayed at the Tabard Inn several times and really likes it.

Like Deb and NM, I stayed at the Dupont recently, and really liked it (but the room is quite small, so if size, as opposed to design, efficiency, comfort, etc. is most impt to you, I wouldn't choose it). Love the neighborhood. I would definitely stay there again.

Yes, the rooms at the Dupont are small. They did a really good job of designing the rooms though to maximize the space. In our room, the wall with the window had built in desk and sofa which was a really nice use of space. My only complaint about that hotel was that the bathroom could have been more private - glass bathroom doors just don't do it for me, even if they are frosted ;)

I just re-read my post after reading nm's and realize I made it sound like the room was small and therefore we didn't like it, and that's definitely NOT the case. We also thought they designed around the size and maximized the space. I didn't even think the bathroom lacked privacy.

Montereybob--

It's probably easier if you do a search first, and then post the names of the hotels you're considering. There are SO many hotels in DC, and the prices vary widely based on what is going on in town on any given date. So it's hard to make recommendations, but very easy to comment on a specific property.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I called the Dupont Hotel. Their lowest rate for my dates is $386 -- too much for us. Tabard Inn will probably be too much like a B&B for us. Any other suggestions?

Listed at $225.99/night on the Holiday Inn website:

Holiday Inn: Washington-Central/White House
1501 Rhode Island Ave NW

Listed at $199/night on the http://www.stateplaza.com/ website

Stateroom suite or state room two queens
State Plaza Hotel
2117 E Street, NW
Washington D.C. 20037

May is A LONG time away. I'd book something you could cancel and begin to worry again around February

I can tell you where NOT to stay.

The Hamilton Crowne Plaza- didn't care for the location. Great rate since we auctioned for it, so can't complain too much.

Embassy Suites West End- near Georgetown Dupont Circle- way too many kids. You literally felt like you were at a playground 24/7. Can't say I've ever had an experience quite like it. :) Perfect for families, though.

I agree with MikeT

I used 2 adults for my searches so hopefully that is what you are

I made a tentative reservation at the Hamilton CP for $250. What's the disadvantage to its location as mentioned by SOCALLOC?

To me, the area wasn't as aesthetically appealing and was geared more towards a business clientele. My impression was a sense of isolation. I preferred the location near West End a lot more with a mix of tourists, business and residential.

<<<Embassy Suites West End- near Georgetown Dupont Circle- way too many kids. You literally felt like you were at a playground 24/7. Can't say I've ever had an experience quite like it.>>>

Were you there during spring break? I think that's where my DD's 8th grade class stayed, along with 8th grade classes from all over the country....OMG, it sounds miserable :-)

Were you there during spring break?
__________________________________________________ ____________
LOL as a matter of fact we were! And don't ask me why, while planning our trip I never connected the dots of spring break + lots of kids = D.C. All I thought of was Cherry Blossoms. DUH LOL Live and learn. It was an experience for sure.

I had the same impression of the location of the Hamilton as SOCALOC. It wasn't bad, just geared toward business. We were only there for a couple days and those days were filled with marathon sightseeing, so I don't think we would have spent much time in the neighborhood even if it was more geared toward tourists and residents.

When we got back to DC, we had a more relaxed pace, so we really enjoyed being in the Dupont Circle neighborhood.

I think the strategy of getting a cancellable reservation now and then monitoring hotel rates is good. I had lagged on booking our hotel for the 2nd part of our trip and ended up finding that the rates had dropped.

Thanks, everyone. I'll keep the Hamilton reservation and see if rates drop closer to my visit.

Try the Hotel Lombardy on 20th and I streets - I block off of PA Ave. Centrally located, walking distance to Dupont Circle, the White House, Georgetown. Nice safe neighborhood close to GWU. It's a boutique type property with great service and nice amenities.

Just for kicks, I tried plugging your travel dates into the websites of a couple of my favorite hotels to recommend -- wow, the rates are high! I think you are at a disadvantage because you are staying Monday - Thursday, when rates are geared toward business travelers. However, as it gets closer to those dates and the hotels still have empty rooms to fill, you may well see promotions and price drops, so the advice to keep monitoring is good. (And actually, at that time of year, with college graduations, etc., weekend rates may not in fact not be that much better.)

That said, one hotel where friends often stay does appear to have rooms in your price range, The River Inn:
https://gc.synxis.com/rez.aspx?Hotel=18805&Chain=7505
It is in a residential neighborhood, and not as central as being downtown, but you will be within walking distance of Georgetown, the Kennedy Center, and the Foggy Bottom metro station. It's low key but very nice, and the attached restaurant, Dish, is well regarded.

I think MoonGirl's idea is a great one. The River Inn is in a quiet safe neighborhood and is convenient. It's a short walk to the Metro, Georgetown, and the Lincoln Memorial end of the mall. I lived in this neighborhood for several years and walked to all the museums and must see places. Best way to get to know a city.