L'Enfant Plaza Hotel

[Bobo912]

In years past, didn't ABD use the L'Enfant Plaza for the Spirit of America adventure? If anybody has stayed there, could you let me know what you think? I'm planning a trip in May so my son can see the Capitol, monuments, Smithsonian, etc. The hotel's website quotes a price of $251 per night and the well-known travel sites, like Hotels.com and Priceline, range from $252 - $322. But I went to Nextag.com, a website that searches other websites for the best price, and it came back with $138 at EasyClickTravel and $167 at GTAHotels. I've never heard of those websites before. Anybody have any experience with them? My original thought was to stay outside the city and take the train, but might reconsider if this rate is for real.

 

[thatslygirl]

Hi, Bobo912,

While you may get cheaper rates outside the city limits, keep in mind that Metro does have its flaws and track maintenance, so if you're a person who values your time, I wouldn't recommend getting a hotel any further than Silver Spring, Crystal City or Ballston. My bf lives 20 minutes away from the Vienna/Fairfax Metro and I usually try to be at the station at 12:00 so I can be on time for a 1:30 shift at the hotel I work at, which is near the Smithsonian station. It normally doesn't take that long, as I arrive by 1pm, but being at the end of the line often means waiting 7-15 minutes for a train to come. And I am always waiting for at least 10 minutes after I get off work, too.

You might want to try the betterbidding.com board and check out the Hotwire/Priceline forums for DC. My bf has had very good luck utilizing their forums and got some really great deals for 3/4 star hotels, including an $80/night stay at the Omni Shoreham, which is near the National Zoo. Currently I am seeing people getting deals for 4-stars for $90-120 that are very close to Smithsonian. It's not as convenient as L'Enfant Plaza hotel, but it would be more convenient than staying outside the city.

Also keep in mind that hotel occupancy levels would probably be higher in May so that may affect the price when you bid.

 

[Bobo912]

Thanks, thatslygirl. Before I saw the $137 rate at the L'Enfant, I was looking at the Hilton in Arlington that is directly adjacent to the Balston station. I definitely need a hotel near a Metro station, since I don't want a car. Wouldn't mind accumulating a few more Hilton points too. But when I saw the rate for L'Enfant I thought that might be a more convenient choice for taking my DS sightseeing. But the rate is so much lower on the Easyclick site than it is anywhere else, it makes me suspicious.

 

[sayhello]

But the rate is so much lower on the Easyclick site than it is anywhere else, it makes me suspicious.

Check the site to see what their policy is. I saw an unusually low airfare on Travelocity once, and booked it. Turns out it was a mistake, and the airline honored it because it was what Travelocity advertised. I don't know if everyone will... But it worked well for me.

Sayhello

 

[thatslygirl]

I stop by Ballston all the time. Not for fun, as there really isn't anything fun to do there, but it is a heavily used station for public transit. It is a good choice for "outside the city". Some good food choices nearby, although mostly chains: Cosi, Panera Bread, Chicken Out, Chipotle, Potbelly's, Noodles & Co... quick service restaurants that cater to the office crowd. If you're looking for good local chains, try Rockland's BBQ & Grill or Booeymongers. Oh, and El Pollo Rico is a very popular local Peruvian rotisserie chicken joint. It is so good that one time one of of the locations by my house burned down and people were traveling to VA to get their fix. There is a Ballston Mall, which doesn't have much of anything, but there is a Macy's and movie theatre there.

I can recommend The Hilton Garden Inn. It is across the street from McPherson Square, and only 3 stops away from Smithsonian on Metro. We stayed there once during Valentine's Day weekend using expedia.com and AAA discount. I asked my bf if he remembered how much his rate was and he thinks it wasn't over $100/night.

 

[Bobo912]

Actually, the Hilton Garden in Arlington was the hotel I was first considering. I've stayed at Hilton Gardens in various cities and liked them all. When I started pricing hotels, I found the Hilton for $195 and the Hilton Garden for $208, so they were both still on my list. But since you brought it up, I went back and played with the dates a bit I got a much better rate. I was entering May 27 - 30 (Wed - Sat) for the dates and it came back with $208 per day. If I change the date to May 28 - 31, the rate is $132 per day. There is just something fundamentally wrong about that! I can understand charging $208 for Wednesday and then $132 for the the other days, but charging $208 for each day just because your stay starts on Wednesday instead of Thursday just seems wrong. Tried the dates on the AAA website and it did exactly the same thing. Anyway, off my soapbox. Thanks for the suggestion. I think I'll go with the Hilton Garden. I believe that there is a Metro station very near this hotel too. Is that correct?

 

[thatslygirl]

Yup, it is right across the street! Can't get better than that!