KENNECTED

I recommend you review previous threads on hotels in Washington, DC. and Stay away from the St. Regis.

Lots of discussion in the Washington D.C. which hotel? 2007 onward [Master Thread]thread or specific washington DC hotel threads in The SPG Forum FAQ & Hotel Master Thread List sticky.

James Luckard

Aside from sitting in the crowds on The Mall, the best view of the fireworks in the city was always from the roof bar of the Hotel Washington, which has just reopened as the W Washington.

I haven't been there since the renovation, but it used to open for reservations on July 5 for the following year and always filled up in a couple of hours, so you might be out of luck.

Mike Alt

Thanks, I just booked the W using FWN!

Peatisback

They're having a rooftop party at the W. Call the property to get tickets.

James Luckard

Excellent. Even if you don't get into their rooftop party, it's one of the most centrally located hotels to walk to The Mall, along with the Willard InterContinental and the JW Marriott.

Also, if you can't get into the W terrace and don't want to fight crowds on The Mall, the Kennedy Center has a roof terrace that's huge and has free admission. It's a bit farther away, but has a nice view too.

PapaSmurf

I've stayed there twice last month. Both stays were one-night over the weekend (Sat/Sunday). I have not received an upgrade on either of the stays. I have another trip planned in the near future and will most likely not stay there again.

gleff

Westin Grand just doesn't have many suites to hand out.. so with no lounge, there's not a lot for Plats there.

Saycheese

Based upon the Flyertalk members notes, I booked the Fairfax for our family vacation to DC this week. I am glad I did.
We were upgraded to a Superior Suite (perfect as it had 2 sofa beds), and given certificates for the happy hour at the lounge where we enjoyed nice wine and cheese before eating at the Jockey Club.
While the restaurant had limited guests, the prominent guest was a General who shared most of the headlines yesterday.....food and waitstaff were very good.

I was most impressed by the staff who seem genuinely happy to be here and welcomed us back by name when we returned from sightseeing.
Based upon my experience, I would stay here again if my corporate rate allows (vs Westin City Center or Westin Grand where I usually stay)

Frebis

That general basically lives in that hotel. I've stayed there 40-50 nights in the last year, and he (and his entourage) has been there almost every time. i'm sure that will change in the very near future.

PapaSmurf

Stayed at the Fairfax on my most recent visit to D.C. Received an upgrade to a suite, but nothing else. The staff was helpful and overall I was pleased with my stay although personally I prefer more modern hotels. I also found the bed to be somewhat uncomfortable.

nevansm

I'm thinking about using one of my free weekend nights at a DC area hotel (I live in Arlington, just having a good night out). Should I choose the W? I don't see very many opinions on it...

Helena Handbaskets

I've read quite a bit (but not nearly all) in the FT threads on DC properties, and am still undecided which one to choose for a 4-night trip in October with my wife and 2 kids (5 and 8). I was initially headed to the W because of the location, but the discussion here on FT has convinced me it's not the right place for the kids. I like the Embassy Row location, and it seems like there might be a good chance at a suite upgrade there, but there's no pool and no lounge (though the loss of the lounge is pretty well compensated by the nearby availability of some good family breakfast options.

Any advice for a family visit?

Here are the features that are of value to me:

1) proximity to a Metro stop: Embassy Row, Crystal City, Westin City Center, 4 Points seem like good bets, and maybe Arlington Gateway. What about the shuttle from Sheraton National to the Metro? Is that really almost on-demand (in which case Sheraton National starts to have some appeal) or is it a major pain to use?

2) Club lounge - for free breakfast for the kids. I won't be paying typical cat. 4 or cat. 5 breakfast prices for 4 of us, so a lounge with breakfast, especially one with a hot item or two, is of value. That or a good nearby opton outside the hotel, such as at Embassy Row. The 4 Points web site shows a "lounge" that looks an awful lot like a club lounge. If it's not, what are the breakfast options near the 4 Points?

3) Suite availability - I have Platinum status, and I'd like to maximize our chances of being upgraded to a suite. However, to have value it must be a suite with a separate bedroom (and an opaque door between the bedroom and the sitting area, and a sofa bed in the sitting area. The W's suites don't have sofa beds, and one of the properties (I believe it's Westin Alexandria?) has frosted glass doors between the bedroom and sitting area. It's not abundantly clear from the photos whether the Embassy Row's suites have sofabeds, but I believe they do from posts I've read here. Suite availability is not an absolute must, but is definitely in the mix of things that will detemine the choice. Does anyone know the suite count at the 4 Points? What about Embassy Row (it was a pretty good number prior to remodeling and rebranding - has that changed?). What about suite availability at Crystal City? The reports here that Arlington Gateway is stingy with suite upgrades is a factor against them so far.

4) A swimming pool. I believe I've read here that none of the properties in the district proper have pools, but the 4 Points shows one on their web site. Is this in error? Here, too, a pool is not essential but the lack of a pool is one of the reasons I'm less excited about the Embassy Row property as some others here seem to be. The rooftop pool at Sheraton National looks like a good one. I think Crystal City once had an outdoor pool, but there's no photo on their web site, so I suppose this is gone now? Not much use for an outdoor pool in October anyway I guess.

5) A view from the room. Embassy Row seems to have some rooms with good views. And Sheraton National also seems to have some decent views. Any others I'm missing, besides the W? You'd think Crystal City would have views, but I haven't seen that mentioned anywhere.

6) If everything else were equal (of course it's not), the property's luxury or "wow" factor would be something to consider, as well, in order to impress / pamper my wife. But for now this comes after the considerations for the kids.

We'll be staying on weekend night awards, points or cash/points, and may also use the 25% off coupon. So the typical room prices are not an issue, and even the difference between cat. 5 and cat. 4 awards is not a big issue in this case.

At this point I'm waffling between Fairfax Embassy Row, 4 Points, and Sheraton National.

controller1

I would recommend the Fairfax Embassy Row, even though there is no pool.

Here is a listing of Starwood properties and their proximity to Metro stations. Embassy Row is in a great location for restaurants.

_______________

Here is a list of Starwood hotels in Washington, DC and their distance from the nearest Metro station. Those in red are the closest to a Metro station.


WASHINGTON, DC
HOTELS and METRO STATIONS


STARWOOD
Fairfax Embassy Row
 Dupont Circle (1 short block)
 Red line

Westin Grand
 Foggy Bottom (5 blocks)
 Blue line/Orange line

Westin Arlington Gateway
 Ballston (2 blocks)
 Orange line

Westin Washington, DC City Center
 McPherson Square (3 ½ blocks)
 Blue line/Orange line

Four Points – Downtown
 Metro Center (3 ½ blocks)
 Red line/Blue line/Orange line

Sheraton National
 Pentagon City (7 minutes – complimentary shuttle)
 Blue line/Yellow line

Sheraton Crystal City
 Crystal City (1 block)
 Blue line/Yellow line

Sheraton Suites – Alexandria
 Braddock Road (7 blocks)
 Blue line/Yellow line

St. Regis
 McPherson Square (1 block)
 Blue line/Orange line

Helena Handbaskets

Thanks for that list. I had seen that in the other thread, but it's helpful to have it here.

I'm familiar with the restaurant selection in the DuPont Circle area, and one of the things that appeals to me at the Fairfax is the possibility of getting takeout from a nice place for a nice dinner in the room with my wife after the kids are put to bed. Don't know if that would be a possibility at the 4Points or Sheraton National. But the 4Points and Sheraton National have cash and points availability while the Fairfax does not. Maybe this trip is not one to look for C&P since I'll have the 25% off deal.

Any other thoughts?

Triley

Hello all, I will be traveling to DC with my grandmother and mother for a Friday to Sunday trip in late April. So far, there are great rates at the Westin City Center, and some hotels in Arlington, notably the Sheraton National. (Ended up getting the revenue manager to give me the AAA rate of $129 for a traditional for 3 people. Seems like a great rate.)

Which would you consider to be the lesser of two evils? The Westin City Center, or the Sheraton National? Cheap Elite ranked the Westin City Center second to last in rank of SPG hotels in DC, so that kind of would have me hesitant. And price has to be reasonable, as I am not actually paying for this trip.

If it's any help, we will be taking the Acela to Union Station, and will be flying back out of DCA. We do not mind taking public transportation to/from the hotel, and would actually be preferred, since we won't rent a car for such a short stay. (We would rather be close to a subway station as opposed to the bus, although it would definitely be okay if the hotel runs a shuttle to a subway station.)

Any help that is provided will be appreciated. Thanks!