1. Aren't there any reasonably priced ($50-80)hotels in DC near a metro stop that would suffice for 2 nights? All we need is a bed, a shower, a TV, +free parking. All we see is $150 and up, plus $15-20 for parking.
2. Are prices less on weekends?
3. is one better calling direct, or booking them online?
4. If online, which site, and how far ahead (or soon before) of a stay is best for price?

What is your date of travel?????????

I would be very careful about cheapo places to stay near a metro stop. You could end up in some very questionable neighborhoods by taking this tactic.

Look on biddingfortravel.com and see what people have paid for hotels and what hotels are coming up. Priceline might be a better strategy for you.

We stayed at a Holiday Inn in Alexandria 300 yards from the Eisenhower metro stop for under $100 a night with a priority club discount last September. It has a decent restaurant on the premises, free parking, and its right off the I 95/495 beltway south of Reagan National Airport. You will probably find better rates if you're willing to go out a little farther. Hope this helps....

No, there really aren't any $50-80 hotels near a Metro stop, just as there isn't any reasonably priced housing near a Metro stop--it is *very* desirable to be near a Metro stop, and prices are what the market will bear. Land is also scarce and expensive in general in such a crowded area, which explains why free parking is nonexistent. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, tomboy--you might luck out and find a cheap motel somewhere slightly dicey. Your travel dates are an imporant piece of info--if you're traveling anywhere near spring break, for instance, forget even the cheap motel. I, too, would suggest Priceline as your best chance at a cheap rate and a decent pad. Are you a veteran? If so, you can stay for cheap on one of the many military installations in the area. Best of luck to you!

I would recommend finding a hotel near the Metro in the Virginia suburbs. That should be much less expensive. I've known people who stayed at the Days Inn in Crystal City, Virginia. It's within walking distance of the Metro and about a 10 minute ride into the city.

Try looking for hotels in Rosslyn, Crystal City, and Alexandria. Those should be less. I've listed them in order of closest to city. All of them should be Metro accessible. Hope this helps.

Yes weekends are much cheaper. During the week the hotels are full-up with our legislators who don't care how much of our tax money they spend on a room!

At weekendwebsavers.com, you can get Holiday Inns at special prices, but only 6 days in advance, they are last minute bargain rooms. We stayed at the Holiday on Rhode Island Ave and it was just fine. I would rate it 3 1/2 stars. Have also seen rates of $119 on the weekend at the 4-star Watergate. If the Watergate is that affordable, you should definitely be able to find what your looking for in the $60 range. On weekends.

If you mean *IN* DC for that price -- not very likely, although the DC Red Roof Inn sometimes has prices near whay you're looking for on weekends. If you're willing to look OUTSIDE DC, then places like the Holiday Inn that "retired Teacher" suggested, or hotels/motels in Crystal City, near Rosslyn (Motel50, QualityInn IwoJima). Or try Camp Springs MD Days Inn (15 min walk to Metro) or staying up in Laurel (several motels, we stayed at RedRoof - about 12-15 min drive to Greenbelt Metro). Maybe the Hotel Harrington in DC (no free parking, but there ARE some reasonbly priced places to leave your car) -- altho Harrington has seen its share of complaints on travel boards.

I'm back.
We'll be in Williamsburg April 20-22, Virginia Beach a few before or after that, and Washington. Dates are flexible, could do weekends in DC if prices dictate. Suburbs are OK, we don't mind a 15-20 minute subway/tram ride (45-60 min might get dull). How long are the rides from these towns you mention?

1. Not for $50-80. Actually $150 is considered a very reasonable price since the average room price is over $200.
2. Yes, but they will still be over $100. Also, time of year and the presence of conventions affects price.
3. I would go for on-line. Find a place you like and then either bid for it or get the "internet only" special that many hotels have.
4. Try them all priceline, orbitz as well as the hotel's own websites.
5. Get a reference here or at another board.
6. I think Hotel Harrington would be OK. Not fancy by any stretch, but conveniently located, clean, basic, safe, and 1 block to a Metro station (about $100).

FYI, be VERY wary of places under $100. You'll likely be in an area that is not safe to walk in. Or (worst case scenario) you could end up stuck on New York Ave. NE (or Bladensburg Rd NE).

As suggested above, if you want the suburbs, look at Quality Inn Iwo Jima or the Motel 50. Both are located in Arlington, VA and are a 15 minute subway ride to the sites in DC. I also 2nd the recommnendation for the Red Roof Inn in Chinatown (very convenient) - call them and ask for a weekend deal.

We had a lovely room at the Marriott Metro Center, just a half-block from the very central Metro Center stop, for $60. We used Priceline!

Read all about Priceline at www.biddingfortravel.com, paying special attention to their instructions about bidding techniques, their lists of hotels for your target city and the reviews of those hotels. Choose one or more combinations of star ratings and geographic zones in which you'd be willing to stay in any of the hotels that BFT lists, and bid according to recent winning bids. Works every time, I've never been disappointed with a PL room booked using this screening technique.

topping

I always stay near the Shady Grove metro stop in Gaithersburg MD. There is a Comfort Inn, Sleep Inn, and Quality Suites all within very easy driving distance. I'm not sure they'll be under $80, but they'll probably be no more than $95 (cheapest on weekends) and parking is free, the neighborhood is safe, and there are plenty of inexpensive restaurants nearby. The metro ride to Dupont Circle takes 30 minutes...bring something to read and you'll be fine. I always booked through the chain's web site (Choice Hotels) and took the AAA discount.

The metro ride from Cyrstal City to DC is about 10 minutes, at most. Alexandria a bit longer and if you want to go to the Springfield area, it is about 30 minutes. The metro from Bethesda is about 30 minutes.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites for $75 a night with continental breakfast. This was a spacious two room suite just off Dupont Circle (very nice area) about 10 minutes walk to the nearest Metro stop. We used Hotwire.

Thanks, all!

Tomboy - check out hotwire.com. I just booked at room at the Westin in Embassy Row/Dupont Circle for $83 per night.

The trick is you don't know thename of the place you're staying in until after you've booked and it is non-refundable. But you pick the neighborhood and number of stars you want it to be. Four stars is a Westin, Wyndham, or Hilton, for example. Check out the site, the info is all there. Best deals in my opinion. Have fun!

The Westin is very nice. I can never figure out why its rates are so low but take advantage of it if you can. Sometimes the Radison Barcelo has good rates too. Having tried in the past to do it cheaply in DC, I've found that it's well worth it to spend a little more to be in the city. There's nothing to do in the suburbs in the evening while DC has a lively downtown to wile away some time. And it's great to see some of the sites (such as the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials) in the evenings when they're all lit up.

Zootsi, what dates are going going? I checked 4/9-4/16 in DC on Hotwire and can't find Embassy for that deal. Am I doing something wrong?