What would you guys do without me

General Information
Westin Alexandria is located in the new developmental area of Alexandria. There are a lot of mid-high rise office buildings, condos, apartments, and businesses popping up in the neighborhood. I really like the area and find some interesting buildings and parks in the area. I walked by a real estate agency and saw a few listsings . They were mostly from $300-$1 mil with average in the $400s. That may be nothing to Californians, but from my understanding, that's pretty pricey for VA/DC.

Transportation
Westin Alexandria is on Courthouse Sq, which is directly across the street from the courthouse. Should you be lost, simply ask for directions to the courthouse. If you are coming from IAD, simply go to Baggage claim area and look for Washington Flyer. One way fare is $10 (RT $16) and the shuttle will take you directly to West Falls Church Station. The shuttle leaves every 30 minutes, 15 and 45 on the hour. Then, hop on Orange Line towards New Carolton, transfer and Roslyn, walk downstairs via escalators, and transfer to the Blue Line towards Franconia. If you are coming from DCA, hop on the blue line towards Franconia. If you are coming from BWI,...just stay in BWI Get off at King St Station. Once you get off the station, it might be confusing, so walk AWAY from the George Washing Monument and towards Diagonal and Duke. Once you are on Duke, look for Dulany and make a left. Then, make a right onto Jamieson. Westin is on your left on Courthouse. There are plenty of offstreet parking spaces available should you take a car.

Hotel
Lobby
The lobby is simply elegant and beautiful. There are 2 check in desks and 1 concierge desk along one wall. There is a "grand staircase" leading up to the mezzanine. There is also an in house restaurant. Starbucks will be open next year.

Facilities
The hotel does have a small pool and gym available to guests on the 3rd floor. There is also a club lounge which offers continental breakfast and evening appetizers. It is open from 6am (7 on weekends) to 10 pm daily.

Dining Options
There aren't too many restaurants in the immediate surroundings. All the restaurants and cafes are mostly in Old Town Alexandria, which is about 20 blocks away (on King St). It is, however, a very pleasant and enjoyable walk to the waterfront area. There is a Whole Foods market about 5 blocks away. The hotel does have an in-house restaurant, the trademark (?). It looked very nice. As you know, when there is an in-house restaurant, room service menu often offers more variety. They also offer the latest smart foods menu. We ordered some crab cakes, parsaman gnocchi, and molten chocolate cake to finish. They were delicious.

Rooms
The lounge is located on the 8th floor. The hotel itself has 9 floors total. Rooms start from the 4th floor (I believe). There are 2 suites per floor and 1 presidential suite for a total of 11 suites. There are only 2 suite types: executive corner junior or executive corner full. Each suite is posted clearly outside the door and is located at the corner of the hotel. The hotel offers the following room types:
Traditional
Westin Workout
Club
Executive Studio Suite
Executive Suite
Presidential (Lee)

Check in/Platinum Recognition
As soon as I walked into the hotel, an agent came to greet me and asked me if I were Mr. BlissWorld I asked her how she knew my name and she just smiled They had a filing cabinet for all Gold and Platinum guest. I saw a few gold folios mixed with platinum folios. Yes, gold members, you are important to this hotel . She quickly retireved my folio and informed me about my Executive Junior Corner Studio Suite upgrade. My keys were already made. She offered my platinum amenity, told me about the gym pool and club lounge, offered late check out, then personally exscorted me to the elevator and sent me to my suite ^ Excellent service...almost the same as St Regis.

Executive Junior Corner Studio Suite
Considering the hotel only has 10 suites (presidential is out of the question), I really appreciated the gesture. I was on the 5th floor. I saw the clearly "executive suite" sign outside the door. Upon entry, I found an large and cozy corner suite. There was a large sitting area with sofas and a table. There were a large plasma (42"+) hooked up with a media box, mini bar, work desk, and of course the heavenly bed.

As a new Westin, the bathrooms have the lovely illuminated mirrors (I love them). Everything was brand new and the towels were extremely soft. There wasn't much of a view, but the hotel was extreme quiet, which I really enjoyed.

I really like this hotel. Finally, there are some excellent choices in the DC proper. With rate in the lower 100s, this hotel is a bargain. This hotel definitely has more personality than Westin Arlington Gateway (which is also a very nice hotel with exceptional lounge offerings). There are things to do in Alenxandria, but not much in the Ballston area. I will definitely return.