I just concluded a staty at the Westin National Harbor, a new Starwood Property 2 minutes walk (next door) to the new, immense Gaylord Resort in National Harbor MD. Of the hotels 195 rooms, 5 are suites, and I was able to snag one (room 435) on the NW corner of the hotel overlooking the Potomac River. The front desk clerk, Tommi Blake, an energetic young lady was able to upgrade me to this suite, and assured me that the hotel has the finest cusine in the neighborhood. Along side the 2000 room Gaylord, the Westin is far more attractive, and being a small hotel, I never got lost as I constantly did at the Gaylord. Room 435 basks in flood lights all night, so it was essential that I was able to close the drapes completly so that light did not filter in.

National Harbor is a $25 cab ride from DCA as well as downtown;on one of our evenings we took a cab downtown to our favorite DC restaurant, Vidalia, as there are only a few choices in this new development. We ate at the Gaylord, and the local McCormick and Schmicks, but Tommi Blake was correct-the Westin has far better food than any of the competitors in the neighborhood. One problem with the Westin is that if one walks down the hill from the Gaylord, the Westin signage is not visible to street traffic walking down the hill. I would suggest that the Westin quickly implement a fix for this glitch, as they would be able to attract additional diners or drinkers if the captive audience at the Gaylord knew that they had just walked by a Westin.

The development at National Harbor is huge with the Gaylord, the Westin, an Aloft, and two lower level Marriott properties. The neighborhood is advertised as having a large number of exclusive shops, but I was able to tour the entire neighborhood in about 45 minutes. It also appeared that there were not very many guests at the Gaylord on some of the days I was there, and the Westin was nearly empty as well. I suspect the Marriott properties did not have very many guests, as there were almost no lights on in the rooms in the evening. Frankly, there is little to do at National Harbor, and although there is a Disney hotel planned in the near future, I can't see how the large number of hotels in this desolate location will be able to survive, as the convention business is shared with the Convention Center in downtown DC. There is a ferry to Alexandria, and many who stayed in these hotels took the evening ferry to dinner in the Old Town, and then cabbed it back to the hotel after dinner.

Some have commented that the Westin may not participate in the SPG program. However, when I checked in, I was asked if I wanted the 500 points as my ammenity, and upon checkout, on the bottom of the bill was a listing of the SPG points I had obtained. I have no reason to think these points will not post to my SPG account.

In summary, I found this modern-styled hotel very attractive, the staff attentive, the food superior to that of the nearby competitors, the suite large and comfortable with all the Westin ammenties. No doubt, I would return, as this property offers a far better value (much better rooms and food slightly less costly than the Gaylord. I would urge all to stay at this property rather than the Gaylord! However, I have concerns from my stay that a number of the shops and hotels in this new neighborhood will close within the next year.