Might not be the prettiest but you can't beat the location
My family and I stayed at the Holiday Inn Washington - Capitol this past June 2012 for 2 nights on our way to Virginia for a wedding. As we started looking into hotels, I'll be the first to admit that a Holiday Inn was not my first choice. After more research and some serious sticker shock I started to expand my horizons and lucky for us found this hotel. 
There is a restaurant and bar (bonus) in the hotel, a Starbucks (double bonus) about 250 feet from the hotel's main entrance and a cafe type restaurant where you can grab and go or sit for a quick meal. One of the main draws to the hotel is that you are about 3 blocks away from the Mall and the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum. 
We also took advantage of the hotels proximity to the train and one evening explored some other areas. It was a fun adventure!
While the furnishings could use some sprucing up and the hotel bathroom some serious love, our family was happy with the hotel.