Family Vacation
My husband and I traveled here with our two young sons, ages 9yrs and 6yrs old. We actually flew into DC and drove straight to Baltimore where we stayed for 3 nights. From Baltimore, we went to Gettysburg a night. Then drove from Gettysburg into DC for 4 nights, flying home from there.
I reserved this hotel through Hotwire guessing this was the property we'd end up with. At around $100 a night we knew it was steal. We arrived on Tues around 6pm (got a little lost coming into town with so many "round abouts"! We checked in easily. The front desk gave us a king room with a sofa sleeper. We figured that's what we'd get and the receptionist was sure to metion "it's what Hotwire reserved for you". I didn't much care if we had this type of room or (2) Queen/Full beds. As long as we had beds. Parking is expensive, but we knew that in advance which is why we opted for Hotewire. We parked the car on Tues and didn't move it until we left on Sat.
I have to admit, by the time we got to the hotel I was getting stressed. It was the last leg of our trip and it's a big city! The hotel was a little more worn that I'd hoped for and truly we just wanted to get check in and to bed ASAP. The next morning we had reservations to tour the White House at 7:30am and I was nervous having a commitment to venture out so early not being familar with where we were going. We walked right out the door and down 15th Street like they suggested, and sure enough we got there! It was a good walk, probably 6-7 blocks. We should have taken the taxi that was at the hotel waiting for business, it would have saved my boys legs! Poor things were getting worn out.
After the White House tour we walked around a bit until we realized we were completely twisted around, even having a map. One reason I booked this hotel was because the Old Town Trolley picked up there in the morning at 9:20, 9:50 and 10:20 and would take you to their "Welcome Center" where you could ride 3 different lines with guides who were VERY good at giving history of the city. In the National Mall we found a trolley ticket booth for these people and hopped on the closest one. What a life saver!!! We rode that thing all day, hopping on and off at various stops. At the end of the day, if you make it back to the "Welcome Center" they will give you a ride back to the hotel. All part of your ticket. This was way more expensive than the Metro, but it was so nice and relaxing. So informative, and such an easy way to travel. We got a 2 day ticket and were taken back to our hotel each night, and picked up there on the morning of day 2. SO EASY!
So for the location of 6-7 blocks from the White House and main downtown area, I recommend it. It has a rooftop pool which was another must for my kids. They love to swim and we did use it. No hot tub though. The hotel sits on a corner, right next to a Double Tree. It's restaurant is actually really good, and kids eat free! Free coffee and teat in the lobby until 10pm, a nice perk! Parking was around $30 a day with tax included. Elevators were a little slower, no big deal to me. Computers were in the lobby for hotel guests. A small gift shop was also there with the basic items you need. Pop machines were reasonable at $1.50 a bottle. The pizza you order for room service from the hotel restaurant was SO GOOD!!! It was $11.95 for a large with whatever you wanted on it. Highly recommend it.
Now, they are trying hard to update putting new carpet in the halls in rooms. Ours had this. We had the granite counter tops in the bathroom. The bed was very comfortable as were the linens. The sitting chair and sofa sleeper in the room were icky. Very dirty and worn. Ther was a new LG flat screen tv (Directv). Coffee maker, hair dryer, and shampoo and conditioner provided. You can just tell even with the painting they've done that this place is old. No getting around it. My son found a roach poisen trap glued to the bottom of a table in the restaurant! I saw mice traps in the stairwells. I think they are doing what they can to keep it up, but it was just a bit dingy and "tight" quartered if you know what I mean.
With all this said if I were to go again, I'd probably try another hotel that where they Old Town Trolley picked up, because I'd use them again. But I wouldn't rule this place out entirely. It was safe and ok for us. About 2 blks away there is a Whole Foods store and a CVS. Not much for eating though without a long walk or taxi ride. No Metro close either, you have to walk several blocks.