Very nice stay and great value
We had the opportunity to book the Normandy Hotel through the Living Social website, which made the stay a great deal ($125 for 2 nights, excl. tax, breakfast and wifi included).
* Breakfast was excellent - nice setting, great selection, ex. with salmon and fresh fruits
* The wine hour (each day) had a great atmosphere - wine and red are available self-service, with small plates of various cheeses. After a long day of sight-seeing it's a great way to meet fellow travellers, relax, and get ready for a night on the town or a lazy evening.
* Public transport: a bus stop is around the corner; the metro is a bit farther away. We opted not to user public transport on this trip as we came by car and had some stops outside the mall area planned.
* Parking: parking at the hotel was a bit expensive ($30/day) and space very limited (7 spots only for 75 rooms), though additional parking is available at the sister hotel 2 blocks further up. For us, we were able to find curb-side parking every time within a block or two (we stayed Thu-Sun). If you have a compact car and comfortable with parallel parking I think it's doable. Note: Mon-Fri parking has a 2-hour limit 7 am - 8:30 pm.
* Location: we had read about "U-street" as an interesting area to check out for restaurants and city-life. On our way there we stumbled upon the Adams Morgan district, which was a pleasant surprise: lively, wide selection of restaurants, average prices, great for a stroll, too. Other things in the area: Washington Zoo is 5 min by car (or 15-20 by foot); Rock Creek Park has a paved trail running alongside the creek; and of course there are numerous embassies in historic mansions that might be interesting to check out.
* Room: we stayed on the 6th floor. The bathroom was upscale and fairly roomy compared to most hotels we stayed in. The king-size bed was comfortable and we slept great. You can set the thermostat any way you like it - in our case we decided to switch it off, which was also possible. The window curtain could open only a few inches, blocking the view on an otherwise blind wall anyway, so no big deal, just don't expect to wake up in bright sunlight.
* Service: every one was very nice, eager to make sure we felt welcome and had an excellent stay.
Overall, an excellent hotel experience in a different part of town. If you get a chance for a deal like we did then it would definitely be worth considering.