Would be interested in your opinions of hotels in the Washington, D.C. area for May 3-7. Golfteam, Mrs. Golfteam and two teenage daughters. Have Starwood Gold Status, but would consider anything nice.

Given the wife and daughters, I think Georgetown may be the best overall, although it can require a cab or a bit of walk to the metro when heading toward more routine DC tourist places. [The reason for Georgetown is the variety of restaurants, plenty of areas to walk around at night, close to the Harbor, plenty of shopping]

In the Georgetown vicinity: Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, followed by the Four Seasons in Georgetown would be good suggestions at the higher price points. At lower price points, Lathams Hotel, Georgetown Suites, Georgetown Dutch Inn (I don't know if that last one is still around or not as an actual hotel.)

If you want to be closer to the Metro lines and are just looking at daytime tourist things to do, then some of the hotels close to or connected to Metro Center or around Farragut Square may work out and the price points provide reasonably good value on non-business days, but during the work week can be priced not so-great.

I don't know how amenable you are to moving hotels during the days you are there, but a change of hotels -- if there is not a lot of luggage involved -- can provide a better value price-wise and give you a better feel for different parts of DC. [Also, I would not hesitate too much to go for hotels in Metro-connected areas of Virginia that are just across the bridge from DC and do not require a car.]

If you are looking for classic DC hotels, then there is the Willard InterContinental, the Hays-Adam, the Mayflower hotel and some other such places.

If you want to stay within the Starwood family, I'd recommend either the St. Regis or the Westin Grand, with a preference to the St. Regis for location, quality and service.

Cheers,
Jeff

While not Starwood, my favorite hotel down there is the Hay-Adams.

If you want to stay within the Starwood family, I'd recommend either the St. Regis or the Westin Grand, with a preference to the St. Regis for location, quality and service.

Cheers,
Jeff

I did find a good rate at the Westin Grand $199/prepay or $219/cancellable incl breakfast and late checkout. It is only good Thur/Fri/Sat. so I am still looking and am inclined to move hotels if something else looks promising. Most Hotels are cheaper over the weekend. Keep up the advice and I'll keep looking. Thanks.

I did find a good rate at the Westin Grand $199/prepay or $219/cancellable incl breakfast and late checkout. It is only good Thur/Fri/Sat. so I am still looking and am inclined to move hotels if something else looks promising. Most Hotels are cheaper over the weekend. Keep up the advice and I'll keep looking. Thanks.

The Westin Grand is at least a 10 min walk to the nearest metro station.

The downtown 4 points is not all that unnice, but also not all that inexpensive. May is sort of high season in DC.

The Westin Grand is at least a 10 min walk to the nearest metro station.
You walk slow. :p

There is also a new westin in Ballston. The hotel is next to a metro stop and only about 15-20 minutes from downtown by metro. I checked rates the other day for some dates in April and it was pretty cheap ~$140/night.

I would recommend the Fairmont. Centrally located, upscale (but not pretentious) and welcoming to families. The metro is an easy walk and the suites are very nice. Sometimes the hotel runs specials for $150 and under, which would make it a steal in my opinion.

I would recommend the Fairmont. Centrally located, upscale (but not pretentious) and welcoming to families. The metro is an easy walk and the suites are very nice. Sometimes the hotel runs specials for $150 and under, which would make it a steal in my opinion.

It's pricing at $489/night. $569 /suite Any other suggestions?

Still looking.....help. May 3-7

Most are not Starwood Properties, I know, but here are my choices:

The Jefferson Hotel....right downtown.....beautiful boutique hotel, near National Geographic.

The Tabard Inn...quirky small hotel right in the heart of Dupont Circle......wonderful outside dining.

The St. Regis....classic. Near the White House.

The Willard.....pricey, but beautiful. Closer to the White House.

Hotel Monaco......close to the MCI center, Spy Museum, two great restaraunts....Zaytinya, and Zola....newly renovated


Have a great trip :)

The St. Regis DC is the one I would definitely not recommend as a good value unless SPG Plat or going after Starwood points. Other than that, there are better options and values.

Would second the Hotel Monaco in terms of the area - mostly re-developed area with good restuarants and you can walk to the Mall with Smithsonian / Natural History, etc. Also can take the Circulator bus over to Georgetown and close to Metro Center so you can metro anywhere.

More of a boutique hotel so may not be exactly what kids love, but still worth a look.

Thanks for the input, keep it coming.

I'll 3rd the Monaco.
If you are ok with older hotels, or even amenable to priceline, the Westin Embassy Row is worth a look. 1block from metro, great neighborhood, near the Zoo (baby panda), near Adams Morgan (diverse, good restaurants).

I had a work assignment near the Hotel Monaco and can vouch as a single female woman who is a bit safety paranoid for the safety of the neighborhood, it has indeed been revitalized nicely.

Lack of metro in Georgetown was mentioned...

Although Georgetown does not have a metro stop, you can take the "blue bus" every ten minutes from along M Street to Dupont Circle, a hub of activity and a red line metro stop. The Circulator bus is very comfortable and goes all the way to Union Station, stopping at all of the main tourist spots in between. Moreover, the National Mall and all of its museums, as well as the Kennedy Center are easily walkable (and the walk along the waterfront is nice). Teenagers would like the Georgetown atmosphere.

I agree with Analise that the Hay-Adams is probably one of DC's classiest hotels. If you're looking for lively nightlife, though, I'd go with Georgetown, as GUWonder suggested, or the Penn Quarter. The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown both get excellent reviews, and either would be a good choice. The Hotel Monaco, right in the middle of the revitalized Penn Quarter with lots of activity day and night, or the Courtyard by Marriott Convention Center also in the Penn Quarter but at a slightly lower price point, would be good choices in the latter neighborhood. If you do choose the Hotel Monaco, request rooms on the higher floors. There are several rooms in the basement that you probably want to avoid.

I'll give a third vote to the Hay-Adams!

There's my neighborhood, Woodley Park.
Two large hotels: Omni Shoreham and Marriott Wardman Park
Two B&Bs: Woodley Park Guest House and Kalorama Guest House

Close to Woodley Park metro station, a few blocks from National Zoo, restaurants, safe area.

Lack of metro in Georgetown was mentioned...

Although Georgetown does not have a metro stop, you can take the "blue bus" every ten minutes from along M Street to Dupont Circle, a hub of activity and a red line metro stop. The Circulator bus is very comfortable and goes all the way to Union Station, stopping at all of the main tourist spots in between. Moreover, the National Mall and all of its museums, as well as the Kennedy Center are easily walkable (and the walk along the waterfront is nice). Teenagers would like the Georgetown atmosphere.

The other option for the "Blue Bus" to get to Georgetown is the one from Rosslyn (right across the McDonalds there). Since Rosslyn is on the Orange/Blue lines, it might make more sense to go there -- especially off-peak/weekend hours -- than to transfer to the red line to get to the Dupont Circle stop. But this is all based on where someone is staying/starting from or going to.

Sorry to put a bit of a damper on the blue bus enthusiasm for transit to Georgetown, as I adore Georgetown as a place to stay, but the blue bus doesn't run very timely. It is also often crowded with loud teens.

Mandarin Oriental doesn't have a great location (it is off on the Tidal Basin), but it does have some of the nicest rooms. The architecture is quite stunning - that sort of Asian/western fusion. Also, prices are quite reasonable. Service, however, leaves a bit to be desired.

My fav in DC is the RC Georgetown. Beautiful rooms, very modern, very un-traditional RC. All built in the old G'Town incinerator. Breakfast, though, was very mediocre.

I stayed at the Ritz-Carlton on M street, and loved it, but the location isn't fabulous.

Much less expensive, but quite nice is the Hotel Madera - right near Dupont Circle. Great location, big rooms, good service. One of the Kimpton hotels

Had a great time in DC. The Westin was better than I had expected. Good location just 4 blocks from Georgetown. A short walk to the metro. Right next to the Fairmont and 1 block from the RC. A lot cheaper. Great service, nice rooms, good room service, etc. No problems. I appreciate all the info. Thanks