Yub

Arlington County has a parking lot at the Ballston Common Mall just down the street.

http://www.arlingtonva.us/Department...sBallston.aspx

gleff

There just aren't a lot of suites here, they do upgrade Plats subject to availability but it's generally a long shot. And often they have conferences and events going on, which will frequently take up some of the suites they do have.

Occupancy is generally much lower on the weekends, rates drop significantly as well. But even that doesn't make a suite likely here. I dig the suites, quite stylish, but they're small, and the bathrooms remain tiny.

dmbfan222

Yeah, I just found it quite odd that he said their policy is that the most a Platinum gets there is a SPG Preferred floor. Had this been at a resort or something I would have pushed the issue a little more, since I just needed a bed for a couple of nights it wasn't a huge deal

gleff

This is definitely not the policy. I would have gotten the name of the person who said this, as it's definitely a re-training opportunity.

seawolf

My collegue is a brand new Platinum. Got upgraded to a suite on a three night stay (M-Th).

n5177c

I just spent the weekend here and we had a great time. The rate was fantastic ($99 Starpicks) and we got rooms on the 10th floor. Rooms were very nice but I wasn't overly impressed with them. Public spaces were very nice. Pool was small but the lifeguard was very good looking.

eightmillionmiler

Stayed there again last night, upgraded to 2 room suite 1142. Didn't even have to ask about upgrades! Very nice.

Only downside was placing breakfast order in room at 6AM and then getting phone call at 6:12 that it would be more than an hour more to deliver my eggs.

Before someone asks -- yes, I know about the lounge but needed heavy duty breakfast to help with some very stomach-unfriendly medicines I have to take. Not a pleasant morning as I didn't have the extra hour to wait around.

Ignoring the unacceptable lag for room service breakfast, the rest of the experience was good. Recommend this hotel to anyone planning to stay in the area.

seawolf

The service at the hotel is excellent. When I order delivery from outside the hotel, Marriott usually require me to come down to meet the delivery guy. The Westin actually sends someone to escort the delivery guy up to my room.

dkelly1110

Stayed at this hotel from Dec 29-Jan 1. Thought everything was excellent. I am only a "preferred plus" member, which I was told gives similar perks to a SPG Gold member, but in any case, we received a checkout of 1pm on the 1st (no matter as I was going back to NY relatively early that day) and were placed on a nice room on the 10th floor. I am not sure if this is a special SPG floor or not, but the room was more than sufficient. The decor was nice and the HDTV actually had HD programming which made watching some bowl games extra nice. The service at the hotel was excellent, they brought a large bucket of ice up when I called down (I had brought a bottle of champagne). The pool and hot tub were nice and there was never more than 3 other people there at the time we went. Also the gym was well appointed with TVs built into the treadmill/eliptical's LCD screens. All in all, I was quite pleased.

jimcoddington

Please give me your feedback on this hotel.

I know they do not offer airport shuttles from DCA, but I have been told the Ballston Metro Station is easy to get to from DCA.

I will be there over a weekend, and their Club Lounge is open on weekends, so that is a HUGE plus for me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you, Jim

gleff

Follow the signs to the metro. You'll have to buy a metro card at the entrance to the station. The exact price can be found on a grid at the machines where you purchase the tickets.

Both the Blue and Yellow lines run in and out of DCA. You want to take the Blue Line towards Largo (aka To Washington DC). Then get off at the Rosslyn station. At Rosslyn you will get off the train, walk to the escalators and head downstairs.

At the downstairs platform - which is for trains heading out of DC - you will wait for an Orange line train. Make sure you don't get on a blue line train or you'll be headed back where you came from The trains say what color they are, and the electronic board will say what it is as well, so it really isn't complicated

Then get off at Ballston, which will be your 4th stop.

mecabq

I stayed here over a weekend recently and got a good rate, but they didn't acknowledge my Platinum status. I am surprised that there is a club lounge here. They didn't even offer me a Platinum amenity.

TL2000

I have been staying at this hotel a lot over the past couple months and I will say that it probably beats most of the other Westins even remotely close to it (with the execption of the Grand, which I have not stayed at in a while). The Ballston Orange line metro stop is fairly close (5 min walk w/ suitcase), the hotel is clean, and the staff courteous.

That being said, Platinum status does not seem to get you very far at this hotel. I have only been upgraded once over 7 stays and it was only b/c I was there for one night. Unless you desperately need the space though, the suites are not really that big of deal at this hotel. I would say the access to the 15th floor lounge is the best perk. Make sure you check out the late night snacks (after dinner, but before 10) as they have rotating theme nights with very good treats.

My experiences at City Center and Embassy Row have left me wanting to be done with either of those hotels forever. The rooms are small, the service is non-existent, they can never seem to resolve a problem, and they do not have lounges or generally upgrade you (ER especially as the hotel is under construction). I have been waiting for my platinum 500 points at City Center for 2 weeks now and cannot get anyone in accounting at Embassy Row to call me back about a room they mistakenly charged me for.

If you're really in the mood for the other end of the Metro Orange Line and are just looking for a bed, check out the new Sheraton 4pts there. It is only $145 during the week usually.

Hope my post was helpful.

bpoe19

Just had a great stay at the Westin Arlington Gateway from 14-19 Sept (Sun-Fri). The staff was really good from top to bottom. I was recognized by name most of the time when I entered the hotel after the business day had ended, which was great since it was my first stay here. I had three rooms reserved for my group, got a suite upgrade for my room, and lounge access for everyone. I was disappointed that you had to pay for drinks in the executive lounge, but other than that, I would stay here again in a heartbeat!

enigmamatt

I stayed here twice ealrier this year. Both times upgraded to suites on the top floor. Service was always excellent at check-in (I was there for a grand total of about 7 hours each stay).

In contrast, I stayed at the Westin Embassy Row on one of my trips as well and did not receive any type of upgrade. Although the location is superior, I prefer the Westin Arlington.