DCA hotel suggestions
 

We are traveling with our teenage children to DCA next month. We are looking for nicer hotel suggestions that are near the Mall so they are in walking distance of most sites.
We would either need two rooms, or a suite-type hotel.
Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Flyerdoc

This is a bit of a broad request. How much do you want to spend? Do you have a preference on brand? What types of services do you want your hotel to provide?

Thanks for helping me make my request more streamlined...
Since we are committed to comfort, we either need two hotel rooms or a suite arrangement (including a suite style hotel). Given that fact, we are assuming hotel costs of anywhere from $250-$400 a day. I know it's a broad range, but the cost is not our limiting factor. We don't have a brand preference, per se, though we would rule out the low end options (Holiday Inn style) very quickly. We are most particular about finding a better hotel with the location being close to the mall area, so we can do a lot of our exploring on foot.

I hope this is not too vague. I don't mind doing the work on the phone or web, I just need to narrow down the options.

thanks,
flyerdoc

Embassy Suites has a bunch of locations in DC that will meet your needs for two rooms (well, a room and a pull-out couch) and, better yet, for the price of one. There's one near the Convention Center (easy Metro access to the Mall) and one near DCA - the airport - itself.

Or try this link. St Gregory is a suite-hotel on 21st/M, also quite convenient.

This might be a bit difficult as most hotels are set away from the Mall; some are a couple of blocks at the closest but most of them are farther. You'll most likely end up taking the Metro to one of the stations closest to the Mall and if that's the case, you may want to base your hotel decisions on proximity to a Metro station rather than to the Mall itself.

Chinatown/Gallery Place is a nice area for tourists. So is Dupont Circle. Both have ample restaurants and shops to keep you busy in the evening. The Kimpton Hotel group has a nice bunch of properties in both areas. They will hit the upper limit of your price range though.

My preference runs to the Hay-Adams, with a room overlooking the white house.

Your request is ideal for priceline. choose whitehouse and convention center areas.

There is a JW Marriott, a Marriott and the Grand Hyatt all right near metro center. From metro center you can get around DC pretty easily and without changing lines (which can be time consuming if it is not rush hour). It is only 2 stops to the smithsonian, 1 to chinatown and 2 to the achives. Union Station and the capitol area are only 3 stops.

I would have to agree on the hay-adams, but as stated it, along with the Williard and St Regis, are typically in the 350-400/night/room range.

Near the Pentagon City Mall, there's a Residence Inn. It would be a short trip on the Metro over to the Mall. Since I live here, I don't know the room rates, but I would suspect that VA is cheaper than the District. Also, there are a bunch of other places to stay in Crystal City. Both locations are 1-2 Metro stops away from DCA. The Crystal City area has plenty of inexpensive places to eat as well. Also -- something very close to all of us -- the TSA HQ is located in an office complex right across the street from the Residence Inn. Located at the Pentagon City Mall is the Hyatt at which the TSA held their oft-cited awards extravaganza last year. If you played your cards right, you could avoid a rental car if you stayed within walking distance of a Metro station.

I second the suggestion to try Priceline. A good source for bidding tips is www.biddingfortravel.com. In July of this year, I secured two rooms via Priceline for a two-night stay in Washington at the Wyndham Washington for $60/room/night plus tax and Priceline's processing fee (about $6 or $7 per room, I think). The hotel accommodated my request for a king bed in one room, and two double beds in the other.

Of course, depending on the demand when you are traveling, you might have to pay more than $60/night, but you can often get very good deals through Priceline.

I would recommend Priceline as well. The central DC zones are all convenient to metro and you can get some great deals.

There is a new Residence Inn approximately two or three blocks behind the Air & Space Museum (which is on the mall). It is very close to the L'Enfant Plaza metro stop. I stayed there recently while having some work done on my condo and it is a nice property.