Starwood Preferred Guest - Westin Arlington Gateway Washington, D.C. - Pre-opening discussion

See:

http://www.hotelnewsresource.com/article9500.html

Sweet, just down the street from my office. I'll use this frequently for putting folks up...

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gleff:
Sweet, just down the street from my office. I'll use this frequently for putting folks up...</font>

Hmmmm me thinks Gary is gonna score "VIP" status and ALOT of starpoints ... if he doesnt have enuff already http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by gleff:
Sweet, just down the street from my office. I'll use this frequently for putting folks up...</font>

Sick of the Hilton in Ballston? http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Anyword on how this is coming along?

Anyword on how this is coming along?

From the hotel's homepage at spg.com:

"Now accepting reservations for arrival on or after April 1, 2006."

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

Wow, the website was updated in just the past few days! A week or so ago (maybe 2 weeks) it still said opening Feb 8 and gave the address for the sales office.

A few months ago sales was promising that the Feb 8 opening would happen, but they weren't taking conference bookings for February or March (what did THAT tell you?).

I knew the schedule was aggressive when they were talking about working on the interior buildout in January.

Sales is taking me to lunch next week, I'll try to remember to post an update.

Looks like only rack rate is available online, sure hope they take SPG50s! ;)

Anyword on how this is coming along?
Just had lunch with the sales manager. They're taking reservations from April 1 now, but will be open before then. I'm hoping to do a test stay there at end of Feb.

Property is shaping up nicely. Standard Westin stuff with Heavenly Bed and Heavenly Bath (dual shower head, curved rod that the shower curtain hangs on). Nice plus is 32" flat panel TVs in all the guestrooms.

Outside of the building is lots of glass, very modern look and feel. A block or block and a half from the Ballston metro. It's a bit of a concrete jungle, but there's some nice benches and fountains of water in the area around the property.

One downside is that high-speed internet is via cable in the guest rooms and meeting rooms, not wireless. I do understand that the lobby and public spaces will have wireless. I don't believe it will be free.

Is this new Hotel a good place for a long weekend trip to washington im april?

Depends on what you want to do in DC!

It's brand new construction, so not run down a la Westin Embassy Row

Flat screen TVs, but high-speed internet is wired in the rooms, not wireless

The property isn't downtown, and not really walkable to nice restaurants or nightlife or touristy activities. But it's very convenient to metro.

Actual opening date has bounced around a bit... Feb... then April.. now website says March... It does look mostly done though so by April they should have some of the kinks out.

Very modern-looking, stylish property IMHO. Hoping they execute well, and hoping that the restaurant turns out to offer a nice option. (IIRC it's supposed to be modern italian)

The property isn't downtown, and not really walkable to nice restaurants or nightlife or touristy activities. But it's very convenient to metro.

Have you been to Ballston lately? This property is easily walkable to plenty of nice restaurants - and if you're willing to walk another 15 or so minutes to Clarendon, some decent nightlife, too. This ought to be a successful property.

I like the area. It is not as busy as DC is but you can easily just take the train to anywhere in DC. It has relatively good access to DCA (you have to change from the orange to the blue/yellow line) but still not a very long ride to the airport. I like the Courthouse area in Arlington which is just a couple of stops away and find it to a great place to stay on weekends to DC so I think this area would be good as well.

Ballston is ok, but it's not great for tourist things in DC. For one, from some lines it requires a change in Rosslyn if using the metro. (On a weekend at some hours or late at night on weekdays, the transfer can be 20-30 minutes.) For two, there is actually more petty crime around Ballston than closer in to DC along the Orange Line.

The hotel is certainly better than other current offerings along the Orange Line between Ballston and DC, but other than that I cannot recommend it for touristy things.

There is a mall near to the hotel and a growing selection of restaurants -- nothing spectacular but some ok for routine work eating -- but those are not reasons to stay there.

Have you been to Ballston lately?

Yes. Yesterday.

This property is easily walkable to plenty of nice restaurants - and if you're willing to walk another 15 or so minutes to Clarendon, some decent nightlife, too. This ought to be a successful property.
The property is easily walkable to plenty of restaurants. None that are especially impressive.

There's a little bit of nightlife in Clarendon, more down towards Courthouse, I wouldn't walk it but it's an easy metro ride. But then so is DC. Which was my point, it's convenient to metro and thus anything you'll want. But it really isn't 'right next to' much of what you'll want.

The only decent upscale restaurant (using both terms loosely) in the area is probably Willow, which started out as frankly quite bad on all fronts but which may be beginning to find its footing. IT was the most disappointing opening of the year, the exec chef from Kinkeads breaking out on her own should have been a marvelous undertaking. But the front of the house is a disorganized mess and the food is fine but unspectacular. (This is the restaurant, btw, that the Westin's sales staff had been taking all their clients to while working out of an office building across the street, next to the Holiday Inn).

Good posts. My personal opinion is, "yes." My "nightlife" tends to take place in D.C., work between D.C., Arlington, and Tysons, and it's true that there aren't any good upscale restaurants or shopping near this property. However, I agree with most other posters that Ballston is a good balance between basic amenities, accessible (by car, taxi, or train) location, and pleasant-enough environment.

Plus if you're a Starwood guru the chance to try out a new place is worth it. The Westin Embassy Row and Grand are both quite flawed for their own reasons, and the Sheratons in Arlington and D.C. are wholly mediocre (even by Sheraton standards). I am certainly going to check this property out the first chance I get.

Planning to check it out mid-March. The Embassy Row needs a renovation. The Grand is not bad but a bit of a walk from the Metro.

There's a little bit of nightlife in Clarendon, more down towards Courthouse, I wouldn't walk it but it's an easy metro ride.

I walk that all the time. But then when I have time on weekends I walk from Clarendon/Va. Square to Georgetown, and further. Different strokes.

The only decent upscale restaurant (using both terms loosely) in the area is probably Willow,

Agreed, not much that's particularly upscale. Which suits me fine - IMO, DC is a spectacularly mediocre restaurant town. Lots of reality that doesn't live up to the hype.

Thank You for Your answers. I've now made a reservation at the Westin and I think I'll cancel my reservation at the Sheraton Natinal Hotel I've made before.

For those staying in March to June, go to the hotel's Westin.com website...There's a 3000 bonus offer for every stay if you register.

Thank You,
I know but I'm not able to register online fo this promotion. I phoned with the european starwood desk and they can't register me too. Yesterday morning I sent a fax to scottland to starwood for register. I don't konw if they are able to register me because I got no answer.

DC is a spectacularly mediocre restaurant town. Lots of reality that doesn't live up to the hype.
I beg to differ. CityZen at the Mandarin Oriental can match some of the finest restaurants in the country. minibar at Cafe Atlantico is some of the most interesting dining around. Can generally recommend Tosca for Italian, IndeBleu for French-Indian fusion, etc. Lots of nice upscale options. ^

Thank You for Your answers. I've now made a reservation at the Westin and I think I'll cancel my reservation at the Sheraton Natinal Hotel I've made before.
This is certainly a better choice than the Sheraton National!!

I have no doubt that DC is one of the top metropolitan areas for restaurants in the US. And it certainly beats most of the cities I get to around the world -- and I get around a lot -- when it comes to comparing restaurants where the average entree costs less than $50.

I live in Ballston, and from what I've noticed there have been lights and people moving in the hotel rooms for about a week now, and today I spotted someone using the exercise room (the property is next to a long-wait intersection, hence the gawking).

Ballston is not a great place for tourists, more of a yuppy residential area with a below-average mall, but as many have mentioned, the hotel is right next to the metro station that can take you to better places in Arlington (Courthouse, Clarendon) and DC. But it is brand-spankin' new.

So it's really a cost-benefit analysis, depending on when you travel, if you'd be willing to pay a premium to not have to get on a metro/hop in a cab to nightlife.

The walk from Ballston to Clarendon/Courthouse is not too bad. Even the walk to Rosslyn or Georgetown is not too bad from the hotel, if a brisk, longer-type walk is desired.

A cab for one person from the Westin to say Key Bridge/Georgetown should be c. $10 or less. (From Ballston to Rosslyn is c. $7.)

Received the below offer in the mail today. Says it is only valid for recipients of the mail, but then says if it wasn't received directly from Starwood to call 1-888-625-4988 and mention registration code ARL to take advantage of the offer, or register online at westin.com/ArlingtonReg

Valid for every stay March 1 through June 30. Register by April 16 at westin.com/arlingtongopening.

Full details below:


Rejuvenate and recharge at the new Westin Arlington Gateway. Earn 3,000 bonus Starpoints on every stay from March 1 through June 30, 2006.

Reserve your stay by April 16, 2006, at westin.com/arlingtongopening or call 877-782-0019 to take advantage of this special grand opening offer.

Offer is valid for the recipients of this mail only. If this mail was not received directly from Starwood Hotels and Resorts, guests must call 1-888-625-4988 and mention registration code ARL in order to be able to take advantage of this offer. Guests can also register online at westin.com/ArlingtonReg. Offer valid for stays between 3/1/2006 - 6/30/2006. Other restrictions may apply. Visit westin.com/ArlingtonReg for complete terms and conditions.

This offer is NOT targeted :) Open to any SPG level

Register here:
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/promotions/registration/landing_page.html?promoID=ARL&EM=VTY_WI_arlingtonreg

This offer can be found directly on their Special Offers page. Great deal especially for weekends that can be found for just $129 or $139 per night!

FWIW, the T&C's say to allow 4-6 weeks for the bonus points to post.

Sorry for the double-post. Can a moderator retitle this thread to clarify that it is for the Westin Arlington Gateway?

Posting from my laptop, and accidentally Enter instead of Backspace when typing the title.

Thanks.

I tried to register for this promo, and it said that I already registered.

That's news to me. I'm quite certain I didn't register previously for several reasons, especially since I don't recall hearing about this promo before, and I don't have an emails confirming my registration for this promo.

Is the SPG web site / database hosed again, has my account been compromised, or did SPG simply auto-register a bunch of members without telling them? :confused:

Next week I will be flying into IAD for a week and will be staying at the Westin Arlington. I was hoping someone would tell me the best way to get there from the airport by using the Metro (I am planning on picking up a week pass for the rest of my week's stay) Also if you would have indications as to transfers and aproximate time it would be most appreciated.

thanks
sdcarver

i thought the metro didn't go to IAD.

I was planning on taking the Metrobus to get to the Metro

Just ask the airport.
http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/parking_transportation_3/ground_transportation/metrorail

I recently looked into a couple of options to get from IAD to the Westin Arlington Gateway.

By Metrobus, go to curb 2E and take the 5A bus to the Rosslyn Metro Station, which takes about 40 minutes. The 5A bus leaves hourly, around the half hour mark. From Rosslyn, take the Metro back toward Vienna to the Ballston Metro Station, which is 4 stops and takes about 7 minutes. At best, total time is about an hour. If you just miss the bus and have to wait nearly an hour for the next bus, it may take over 2 hours. Total fare is $4.35. Use the trip planner on the Washington Metro website (http://www.wmata.com/) for exact times.

The Washington Flyer Coach Service from IAD to the West Falls Church Metro Station takes about 25 minutes. The coach leaves at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Take the Metro toward New Carrollton to Ballston Station, which is 2 stops and about 7 minutes. Total time will usually be between 45 and 75 minutes. Washington Flyer costs $9 one way, $16 round trip, and the Metro costs $1.65. See the Washington Flyer website (http://www.washfly.com/metro.htm) for more info on their Coach Service.

From the Ballston M Station, the Westin Arlington Gateway is an easy 2-3 block walk.

I stayed at the Westin Arlington Gateway last night and found it to be very, very nice. I ended up renting a car, so I did not take the Metro after all.

Be sure you register for the 3,000 bonus point promotion here (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/promotions/registration/landing_page.html?promoID=ARL&EM=VTY_WI_arlingtonreg) .

The current $129 weekend rate promotion is here (http://newyorkcity.destinations.starwoodhotels.com/March_eExclusives/?EM=DM_030606_eExc_T1_P02#Prop1513.). The weekend promotion includes parking. I've also found a $129 rate during the weekdays that doesn't include parking. Valet parking (no self park option) is $20/night.

I recently looked into a couple of options to get from IAD to the Westin Arlington Gateway.

By Metrobus, go to curb 2E and take the 5A bus to the Rosslyn Metro Station, which takes about 40 minutes. The 5A bus leaves hourly, around the half hour mark. From Rosslyn, take the Metro back toward Vienna to the Ballston Metro Station, which is 4 stops and takes about 7 minutes. At best, total time is about an hour. If you just miss the bus and have to wait nearly an hour for the next bus, it may take over 2 hours. Total fare is $4.35. Use the trip planner on the Washington Metro website (http://www.wmata.com/) for exact times.

The Washington Flyer Coach Service from IAD to the West Falls Church Metro Station takes about 25 minutes. The coach leaves at 15 and 45 minutes past the hour. Take the Metro toward New Carrollton to Ballston Station, which is 2 stops and about 7 minutes. Total time will usually be between 45 and 75 minutes. Washington Flyer costs $9 one way, $16 round trip, and the Metro costs $1.65. See the Washington Flyer website (http://www.washfly.com/metro.htm) for more info on their Coach Service.

From the Ballston M Station, the Westin Arlington Gateway is an easy 2-3 block walk.

I stayed at the Westin Arlington Gateway last night and found it to be very, very nice. I ended up renting a car, so I did not take the Metro after all.

Be sure you register for the 3,000 bonus point promotion here (http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/promotions/registration/landing_page.html?promoID=ARL&EM=VTY_WI_arlingtonreg) .

The current $129 weekend rate promotion is here (http://newyorkcity.destinations.starwoodhotels.com/March_eExclusives/?EM=DM_030606_eExc_T1_P02#Prop1513.). The weekend promotion includes parking. I've also found a $129 rate during the weekdays that doesn't include parking. Valet parking (no self park option) is $20/night.

YUB,
Thanks for the detailed directions to the Hotel--very helpful. I have heard good things about the hotel and am looking forward to staying there. I have already signed up for the 3000 points and am doing the $129 rate as well--which is turning out to be quite a deal with both together.

thanks,
sdcarver

There is currently a special for Westin Arlington from travelzoo.

$89 per night
$99 per night with parking.

Great for MR, get away, whatever :D

Enjoy

Doh, I think Westin Arlington is the one that stopped the 3K SP bonus recently. There are 4 other DC area props with 1K SP bonus through end of month, but they're not that cheap. :|

Hopefully visitors can make use though :D

Do you still get SPG points and credit for a travelzoo stay?

Do you still get SPG points and credit for a travelzoo stay?

Yes, as confirmed by Starwood Lurker:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=571637

Bliss