Which Hyatt in Washington D.C.?
 

I will be in D.C. in August with my 14 year-old daughter and we are able to stay at a Hyatt using bonus points--lucky us! Any feedback about the Grand Hyatt at Washington Center (Convention Center) or the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill? Unfortunatly we don't have enough points for the Park Hyatt. <BR><BR>I like that the Grand Hyatt is right on the Metro Station, but am worried the area/hotel is big and impersonal. <BR><BR>I've been reading different postings about hotels and it sounds like the Hyatt/Capitol is a bit off the beaten path.<BR><BR>I would appreciate any recommendations or feedback. Thanks!

I don't know much about the Grand Hyatt, but have stayed and sponsored some meetings at the Hyatt on Capitol Hill. The Capitol Hill Hyatt is a very nice one in a reasonable location, although not downtown like the Grand Hyatt. I wouldn't say it is "off the beaten path" since it is near Union Station and the Capitol building. There are several other hotels in the area and it is within walking distance of the Mall. From my experience it is a well run hotel and convenient to the Capitol end of the Mall and to the subway.<BR>

Grand Hyatt is better located, both in terms of proximity to Metro and in terms of proximity to tourist sights.

It kind of depends what you want to do at night. The Capitol Hill Hyatt is convenient to the Mall and Union Station but is not really near anything, no restaurants (except in a few hotels around it), no nothing. that is why people think of it as off the beaten path. I don't think it would be too dangerous to walk from Union Station to that hotel in early evening--in August it will be light until 8-9 pm, I guess, although that's no guarantee. I wouldn't want to walk around that area later and it gets dicier fairly quickly to the east of Union Station (north also but no one would go there). The Grand Hyatt is more convenient, I agree, but you've nailed the problem -- it is a huge convention hotel.<BR><BR>It's hard to pick, if you don't want to stay out late and plan most of your activites around the Mall, the one on Capitol HIll might be a little better. I would choose the Grand Hyatt for its proximity to the metro stop--at one level, once you are in big business hotels like that and in your room, the size isn't that crucial to me. Those hotels aren't really that different in size, only about 100 rooms or so -- Cap Hill about 750 rooms, Convention Center about 850. So, it's not like one is huge and one a small personal boutique hotel.

There are quite a few nice restaurants near the Hyatt on Capitol Hill (although not as many as downtown). For instance: Bistro Bis, La Colline, several inside Union Station (not in the food court - Thunder Grill, America, B. Smith's), Dubliner, Capitol City Brewing Company, as well as the restaurant within the hotel itself.<BR>