Why Pay High D.C. Hotel Rates: Here's a 4-Star Hotel with Great Access!

Hotels in Washington, D.C. can cost a fortune. But where can you stay outside of Washington, D.C. and yet not have a big hassle of getting there? Well, I'm glad you wondered! Because I recently stayed at the Crystal City Marriott, located just a few minutes from the Reagan National Airport in Arlington, Virginia. What makes this so convenient is that you can leave your car parked in the underground parking garage and use the Washington Metro trains. And to get to the trains, all you have to do is go downstairs from the hotel and follow the signs. If you're not in a hurry, stop in one of the 120 shops in the underground mall!

Checking In:

Check-in is at 4:00 pm and check-out is at 1:00 pm. This was a father-son weekend trip. We got to the hotel about 1:00 pm and our room was not yet ready, so the bellman checked in my luggage and locked it in the storage room (note: be safe, make sure your luggage is locked). The front desk clerk preregistered us and said the room and key would be ready when we came back later that night. They gave us a route map of the Metro and instructed us how to get to get to it by taking the elevator downstairs.

When we got back later that night, true to their word, our room and keys were ready. It didn't take more than a couple of minutes to get our luggage and the keys to our room.

The Room:

We stayed on the tenth floor, Room 1002. Now, while this is a Marriott and looks pretty fancy on the outside, the rooms are pretty plain. I'm not even sure there was any artwork on the walls! It actually looked like any other standard hotel room. There was a desk with wired high speed Internet access, a phone and a coffee maker. The two double beds had a night table between them with a lamp, digital clock radio, and a second phone.

While the room was pretty plain, I can't say the same about the comfort of those beds. The big chains have really started paying attention to the mattresses and making sure guests have a comfortable night sleep. I was in heaven on that bed!

The Bathroom!
Normally, you wouldn't think a hotel review would include something about the bathroom, other than whether it was clean or dirty. But this bathroom deserves mention. The shower pressure was one of the strongest and the spray was one of the most invigorating that I've ever experienced in a hotel. Also, Marriott uses the Bath and Body Works Orange-Ginger Aromatherapy shampoos, conditioner, and body lotions. Believe it or not after a long day walking around D.C. the shower and shampoos really help relax me! And I don't want to forget to mention the towels. Hopefully this is the standard at the hotel and we weren't just lucky, but the towels we got were large and plush.

Sundry Room Info.
As with most hotels these days, there's an iron and ironing board and a decent size TV with HBO.

Local phone calls are expensive at $1.00 a call. I do get upset at these hotels for charging $10/day for high speed Internet access. Many less expensive hotels include wireless or wired high speed connectivity.

Rather than the U.S.A. Today, Marriott delivers the Washington Post to your door and they also include the big Sunday paper!

You can call 24x7 to the front desk for free 30 minute workout program to be brought to your room. The in-room hotel guide said that the program which utilizes both aerobics and stress training.

Other Amenities
There is a pool and health club. It's open 24x7 and has stair steppers, free weights, treadmills, and an elliptical trainer. There's also a sauna and pool.

The hotel does have a restaurant but based on the $14 buffet charge for breakfast I didn't really check it out. You can also order room service.

Business Services
There is a business center on the dining level. Marriott will provide 20 free black and white copies and 20 free incoming fax pages. Anything over that limit and Marriott charges for copying or for additional faxes. Guests can use computers in the business center but it costs $.69 cents per minute for NON-Internet use and $.99 cents per minute for high speed Internet usage.

Nearby Restaurants
The front desk will, on request, give you a printed list of restaurants in the area, some within very quick walking distance. For instance, it only took about 4 minutes to walk to Bailey's Pub & Grille.

SMOKERS:
Marriott hotels in the U.S. are now all NON-smoking. This hotel was all non-smoking.

And NOW for the best news! Cost:

We paid $113 a night via a AAA rate. For $126 per night we could have gotten breakfast included. Also, parking costs $18/night for self parking, but paying for parking at hotels is pretty standard in the area. Obviously rates may be different at different times of the year or based on current availability of rooms, but this is still a very reasonably priced hotel with terrific amenities and extremely convenient access to Washington, D.C. I WILL definitely be staying at this hotel again.

Marriott Crystal City
1999 Jefferson Davis Highway
Arlington, Virginia 22202 USA
Phone: 1-703-413-5500