Has anyone stayed at the Holiday Inn Capitol - Smithsonian? I have reservations there and was wondering if it is in a safe area and if the hotel is okay.

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Is this the one on C Street? It's not a bad area. The problem is that it is absolutely dead at night and on weekends, and there are no real dining options. If you want a Holiday Inn, there is one on New Jersey Avenue in walking distance to the Capitol and Union Station which has many options for dining, including a food court.

stayed at HI capitol about 4 years ago....the rooms were a little small and faced the street but i don't remember it being very noisy at night....area seemed safe enough....good location for walks to the attractions...and close to union square which was the only place where we could find any resturants.

MS -- It would not be my first (or second, or third) choice of neighborhoods to stay in, mainly because (as Ilisa pointed out) it is so dead after dark and there really aren't any restaurants within walking distance. You would be better off staying in Dupont Circle or downtown.

As someone who lives in the DC area, I would not stay at this hotel. For one thing, as someone else mentioned, the area is completely dead at night.

Also, although it's fairly safe during the day, there is a lot of crime sometimes around Capital Hill at night, and if you look like a tourist and make a wrong turn, you'll be in trouble.
My suggestion for areas where you'll have lots to choose from after a long day of sightseeing is Dupont Circle or just in the suburbs, Bethesda, MD. Both are on the subway line.
Generally, it's best to stay where you'll have options for things to do at night, and where there will be a lot of people walking around, for safety reasons.

Stayed there a couple of times and loved its location. Walked thru the Air & Space Museum right onto the Mall and all the Smithsonian attractions. As for being quiet at night, it seems to be in a business area and once the business close for the day..... However, we went to many great restaurants simply by hopping into a cab at the cab stand right at the front door. And when you come home after a great meal, you'll love the quiet area so you can get a good night's sleep without traffic noise, etc.

We stayed there summer of '99--our family loved the location since we had small children and the location was convenient to the Air and Space Museum, Capitol and the Mall. We walked everywhere during the day and were close enough to the hotel for a mid-afternoon pool/rest break. As for no restaurants--there are several Metro stops close by--easiest thing in the world to hop on and go anywhere you choose. I remember taking a taxi once or twice, also. It's a nice Holiday Inn--it seemed to be recently remodeled. It's not fancy, but I wouldn't hesitate staying there again.

Thanks a lot for the replies. I really appreciate everyone's input. I want to be close to downtown so I might stay at this Holiday Inn. I've tried getting into other hotels and they are either booked or too expensive. Thanks again.

MS -- You say you want to be close to downtown? Just so you know, this hotel isn't downtown.

I'm actually trying to find a hotel that is relatively close to the National Archives. I'm going to be taking a class there. This is my main reason for being in D.C. From the information that I got from the web, this hotel is the closest that is not booked up.

There is actually one place to eat near there, although it's very casual -- it is the Vie de France deli/coffee shop/bar in the shop area above the Maryland Ave metro stop which is right next to it. I am in that area fairly frequently at night due to classes in that building (which belongs to the USDA) and the Smithsonian and I lived on Capitol Hill, also, and all of the Capitol Hill crime that I know of and that you hear about (with rare exceptions) is not around there -- it is east of the capitol building in the residential area going from 1st St east to RFK stadium, the further east, the more crime, which is QUITE far away. In fact, the HI Capitol Hill is not really on Capitol Hill, IMO. There are also places to eat near the Capitol South metro stop which is just two (I think) stops east of there. It starts getting dicier east of the Eastern market metro stop. There are places to eat around the Archives, also, that's getting to be a popular area for restaurants and clubs, etc. I think you are fine and that the one on NJ Ave. is no better, in fact worse for safety, as you are not very close to a metro stop there--I think you have to walk blocks to one; the one on C St is 1/2 block from a stop, as I said, and you can go other places to eat and return fairly safely that way. It is well-lit around there, also. As I said, the USDA has night classes until 10 pm or so in the building right next to Holiday Inn Cap Hill, so there is that factor, also.