Well, I booked this for my boyfriend and myself for the 2012 Cherry Blossom Festival. We checked in on March 24th and checked out on March 25 so only a 1 night stay. Just all we could afford really because prices everywhere in the D.C. area are jacked up for the festival. I had read reviews (good and bad) before booking with this place and although I have some critiques it was overall a good experience with them.
First, it is not the best looking area. It is Washington, D.C. for goodness sake though. If you want to stay Downtown then look to pay the price as it was around $300+ a night. The area around it looks a little run down and their parking deck is literally underneath the hotel. It can be a little dark at times and there isn't too much around food wise, etc. There are a couple of gas stations across the street but I wouldn't recommend walking across to get to them as it's a high traffic area. We felt safe in our room (5th floor could be the reason) and had a pleasant experience. They also have a menu of local places in the hotel room that either delivery or do carry out/pick up.
Hotel is nicely kept. Lobby is very pretty. Free breakfast in the morning from 6:30am to 9:30am. Waffle makers. Sausage, fake eggs. It's a hotel breakfast and it's free so don't be but so critical.
The room was a suite with a king sized bed (5th floor, #508) as well as a living room attached with a sleep sofa (check out the photos along with this review). LOTS of space. Very clean. Microwave and a mini fridge that we used to keep sandwich fixings and drinks. Coffee maker and coffee in the room too.
My boyfriend noticed that the electrical outlets and circuit breakers in the room/hallways could be replaced/updated as well as the elevators but he's in "remodeling of our house" mode and those are the kinds of things he's used to noticing/fixing right now. The bathroom was very nice yet small. The tub had a little bit of wear and tear on it but nothing so ungodly that you wouldn't want to use it.
This is "near Union Station" but in no way is it within walking distance (they didn't claim it was within walking distance but it is about a 10-15 minute ride to Union Station). There is a free shuttle with a very funny driver to take you to and from Union Station. The schedule for that though may be unattractive to some people. It runs everyday but only from 7am-11am (expect a shuttle every half hour) and then again from 5-10pm (every hour at about a quarter after). So, it's not something you can count on during the peak "tourism" hours during the middle of the day or to be your "drunk bus" back to the hotel after 10pm. So either get an early start and early finish or just take cabs around. So, in essence, the shuttle schedule caters to families visiting with kids. There are a lot of cabs but you'd have to call one to come to this hotel as it's too far out to be considered "tourist enough."
The front desk staff we encountered were very nice. We got a call around 2 hours after we checked in to see how our stay was going so that was a nice touch.
Another con/pro of this place would be the $12 a night parking fee. However, if you try to park at Union Station or the like for a whole day while sight seeing, you're looking around $20 or more. The best part about that $12 nightly fee was of course we were only there 1 night but they let us stay parked there after we had checked out on Sunday morning. So, we parked our car there Saturday before we checked in and were allowed to keep it there until about 9PM Sunday night. Take as much advantage of that fee as possible because like I said, you could pay a lot more for less time anywhere else around D.C.
More advice, especially for the nightly shuttle, be there on time. If he says he'll drop you off at the same place he'll pick you up... be at that EXACT place EARLY/BEFORE a quarter after the hour or he will leave. We watched him just leave right at quarter after one night (forced to get a cab instead of waiting a whole other hour but even that was only about $12 with tax/tip) but we let it go since we got to park our car there all day on the 25th to sight see. AGAIN, the EXACT place he drops you off is where he will pick you up because he doesn't go all the way up to the main entrance of Union Station for drop offs/pick ups. He stays towards the part where you can easily turn around and exit through the construction without waiting in a HUGE line of taxis, tour buses, etc.
Lastly, if you are a light sleeper like I am (and you are used to absolutely NO outside noise at night when you are trying to go to sleep) then request a room that faces AWAY from the street. I had a hard time staying asleep and this hotel is also near a train track. Our view on the 5th floor was the train track and the road. So if you are sensitive to noise then request a room on the other side away from the traffic. The A/C was a little loud too but the only thing I'm picky about is my sleep. As you can see though, I survived.
All in all, you escape the ridiculous prices of the Downtown hotels but it's not close to much. If you're only there for a night or two just plan your meals around the shuttle, take your own car around, etc. It isn't the best area but lock your doors and you'll feel safe enough. If you don't like white noise when you're trying to sleep, then request a room away from the road/train tracks. Mind the shuttle schedule. I'm giving it 4/5 because the cons were things that the hotel staff itself can't do anything about and what this place lacked in outside appeal was made up for with other things.
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