Thank God for this site. I almost booked at the Harrington Hotel based on their website but decided to do a search here. For obvious reasons after reading all the negative comments, I didn't book it. But I am so confused. First time I have looked to book through the internet. There will be 4 adults so we need two rooms. The other couple are from Europe and we are so looking forward to showing what a great country we live in.We are going for 2 days the first weekend in May. Money is a concern as we are paying for both rooms. Plus my husband insists he wants to stay in D.C. not on the outskirts which I am sure would be cheaper. Does anybody have any suggestions for a hotel. I tend towards the chain hotels only because of their reputation. Obviously I am not a good picker of privately owned hotels since I almost picked the Harrington. Any help would be appreciated.

I'm not from DC so I don't really know the answer to your question but I am in the process of planning a Washington DC trip for June and have just booked a room at Loews L'Enfant Plaza which seems to be a luxury hotel, with pool, at a metro stop, centrally located, and reasonably priced at $145 a night for all of this. I hope I'm right about it being a great place, maybe others could help us both.

Could you have come up with a worse header?

what part of that header would have led us to believe that Wash DC was the topic at hand?

Don't thank me for this site. I had nothing to do with it. But seriously, folks. If you are going to shell out that kind of cash for a room, go to Priceline second. First, go to www.biddingfortravel.com to figure out how much to pay.

Don't be worried about being an Internet virgin. Read carefully and plunge right in.

The Loews L'Enfant plaza is a perfectly OK hotel-the closest one to the Smithsonian-but it isn't a true luxury hotel. But few in DC are. Join the Loews First program at www.loewshotels.com before you go for freebies including a bottle of wine and upgraded room.

To fff and duh, go easy on Diana, she's new here.

Gee sorry I made a mistake. I didn't know it was a crime. The only person it would hurt would be myself so don't get so sarcastic. Mistakes do happen. You can tell some people are getting back to normal after the last few months. Remember when everyone was saying after 9/11 that we should all be more tolerent and understanding?
Since I did select Washington DC and I have never used this site before I thought it would show only if you selected Washington DC not in the general category. Obviously some people figured it out. Like I said in my first post. I want to show my relatives what a great country we live in. Hopefully, not the nasty people who responded like some of the ones did here. Boy did you get up on the wrong side of the bed. Hope you don't have to deal with the public. And for "God" thank you for the reply. It is appeciated. Guess I will go back to AOL travel message board where I usually go. They are much nicer. Bye

Well hopefully you haven't abandoned this thread yet.

I think a lot of people have had good luck getting reasonable room rates ($100-$150/night) at the Radisson Barcelo hotel near Dupont Circle. I'm a local, so haven't been inside, but it's a great location, right in the middle of the restaurant/bar area around Dupont, and close to the metro stop. Another suggestion is Club Quarters, www.clubquarters.com, it's a private hotel for corporations who join (then they use it for business travelers), but on the weekend they're not as booked, so open it up to non-affiliated people. There's one in the center of DC, near the White house. I stayed in one in New York, and although the room was small (one bed), it was great, and had nice bathroom, tv/cd/nintendo entertainment unit. Basically everything a business person would need for under $100.

Hope you are still around - unfortunately, on this site you have to wait a few posts for the friendly, HELPFUL people to answer your question. I recently stayed at the capitol Hilton - reasonably priced, nice rooms, good location. Easy booking online but call too - sometimes you can get better rates that way.

Have a great trip!

Hello - and welcome! I think you'll find this site to be invaluable when planning your trips. I know I have. I just booked a late April stay at the Carlyle Suites near Dupont Circle - for $109. I read lots of recommendations andit looks as though it has what we want: good location, good price, clean and well-maintained. You can do a search by typing Carlyle Suites in the keyword box. And I'm sold on the Dupont Circle area as the place to be for a visit. Good luck, and have fun.

Diana-
Some people are real losers... just ignore them!! I went online to expedia and travelocity and was able to find great rates at several four and five star hotels. The Mayflower was offering $109 on weekends and the SwissHotel(at the Watergate) was offering $129. This was in January. Dont know what they are now, but certainly worth looking in to. ALso, call the hotels directly to see what types of specials they are offering. Good luck!

My family stayed at the Omni Shoreham in NW Washington several years ago. It is in a nice neighborhood - Woodley Park and close to a Metro station. We also were able to walk to the zoo. Got rates by contacting Quickbook, Central Reservations Service, Omni 800 #, and the hotel directly and was able to work a reservation with the best rate per day from each source. Hotel is one used for inaugural events too.

Two sources of inexpensive hotel rates in Washington:

http://www.washington.org/inspired_hotels

"Now is the perfect time to return to Washington, DC. The nation's capital is more affordable, more fun and more inspiring than ever with new "Come. Be Inspired." hotel packages. Select from the hotel listings below to take advantage of great values between now and March 31 or April 15. Contact the hotel directly for reservations, special terms and conditions. Some terms and conditions may apply for listed offers."

They're offering a $99 rate at the
Radisson Barcelo Hotel, which has been mentioned here; we opted instead for their $112 rate at the Barcelo, which includes buffet breakfast for two.

Another source is
http://www.hoteldiscount.com

Their rate for the Barcelo is $99.95/night, with $20 rebate after staying 3 nights; larger rebates for longer stays. But note cancellation policy: Bookings are subject to a $50 USD fee for any CANCELLATION/CHANGE. If cancellation occurs within the Cancellation Policy period, a one-night charge will be assessed.

We are going to Washington D.C. wintin the next few weeks. I booked at the Crowne Plaza, 14th & K Streets. Has anyone heard anything good or bad about it?

14th & K is downtown. Will be crowded with business-types during the day and deserted at night. I'd suggest staying in Georgetown or even on Capitol Hill for the charm because you certainly won't find it downtown!