Marriott in Washington DC
December 10, 2014 1:07 PM Subscribe
We will be visiting DC at the end of December for the first time. Any suggestions on which of these Marriott hotels would be most desirable.
I am interested in location as well as the condition of the hotel itself. At first I was interested in the Georgetown location but if another newer or in a better location (as far as accessibility to restaurants and sites) I would l like to hear about it. I've looked over TripAdvisor but none seem to stand above the others all that much. I need to stick with Marriott due to points.
I am interested in location as well as the condition of the hotel itself. At first I was interested in the Georgetown location but if another newer or in a better location (as far as accessibility to restaurants and sites) I would l like to hear about it. I've looked over TripAdvisor but none seem to stand above the others all that much. I need to stick with Marriott due to points.
Are you using points?
I'd personally stay a the Mayflower as I love historic hotels and it's the closest to the most incredible part of DC (Dupont Circle). It's not at all new though. It's the grandest hotel in DC, IMO.
The Ritz Carltons in GW area would have the highest quality/newest build, but could be a load of points. Kinda dead area but pretty nice walks to two great ones (Gtown and Dupont).
JW is in a dead area, IMO. The tourist district.
posted by sandmanwv at 1:23 PM on December 10, 2014
I'd personally stay a the Mayflower as I love historic hotels and it's the closest to the most incredible part of DC (Dupont Circle). It's not at all new though. It's the grandest hotel in DC, IMO.
The Ritz Carltons in GW area would have the highest quality/newest build, but could be a load of points. Kinda dead area but pretty nice walks to two great ones (Gtown and Dupont).
JW is in a dead area, IMO. The tourist district.
posted by sandmanwv at 1:23 PM on December 10, 2014
(In link, I had to select brand.) The Marquis is brand new (opened earlier this year) and although the immediate neighborhood (like within a 3 block radius) isn't that active, it's just a few blocks north of Penn Quarter, which is DC's new nightlife center, and a pretty easy walk to the hot 14th St/U restaurant strips, and just south of Shaw, which has even more restaurants. The JW and Metro Center locations are also very centrally located, but older hotels and again the immediate neighborhood isn't great. The Georgetown location is fine too - close to Dupont Circle - but it's not actually in Georgetown (not to mention that Georgetown is kind of dying - you probably won't want to eat out there, though you might want to walk through the neighborhood).
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:01 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 2:01 PM on December 10, 2014
Georgetown is great for restaurants and nightlife, but is a bit off the beaten track for tourist things. I don't think there is a Metro stop there if you are planning on using the subway for transport.
The JW Marriott is just a few blocks from the National Mall, where most of the monuments and museums are, and also a few blocks from the White House. But yeah, night time there is dead, dead, dead.
DC is pretty small so you're a short cab or Metro ride away from just about anything you'd want to see. So you'd really be OK in any hotel you choose, and Marriotts tend to be nice overall. Flip a coin?
posted by InfidelZombie at 2:07 PM on December 10, 2014
The JW Marriott is just a few blocks from the National Mall, where most of the monuments and museums are, and also a few blocks from the White House. But yeah, night time there is dead, dead, dead.
DC is pretty small so you're a short cab or Metro ride away from just about anything you'd want to see. So you'd really be OK in any hotel you choose, and Marriotts tend to be nice overall. Flip a coin?
posted by InfidelZombie at 2:07 PM on December 10, 2014
The Capella Georgetown is absolutely in Georgetown. It's like two blocks south of M Street, which is the main G-town drag. But Mr.Know-it-some is right that this isn't really a "happening" neighborhood anymore, so if you're looking for nightlife you'd be better suited elsewhere. The Four Seasons is near there, where G-town and West End come together. In your shoes I'd choose either the Mayflower or the Hay-Adams.
posted by schroedingersgirl at 2:07 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by schroedingersgirl at 2:07 PM on December 10, 2014
The Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown is gorgeous, but it's 60,000 points a night. (Same rate as the Ritz on 22nd near GW.) The JW Marriott is 40,000 points a night. The (new) Marriott Marquis is 35,000. Those would all be my top Marriott-branded choices in the area, I think.
I've been to conferences at both the Ritz and the JW Marriott. I think the Ritz is probably a nicer experience, but it's a hefty price premium.
One thing more to consider. The JW Marriott is within walking distance to the Orange Line on the metro. The Ritz near GW is a longer walk to the Metro. And the Georgetown one...well, it's Georgetown.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 2:32 PM on December 10, 2014
I've been to conferences at both the Ritz and the JW Marriott. I think the Ritz is probably a nicer experience, but it's a hefty price premium.
One thing more to consider. The JW Marriott is within walking distance to the Orange Line on the metro. The Ritz near GW is a longer walk to the Metro. And the Georgetown one...well, it's Georgetown.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 2:32 PM on December 10, 2014
Best answer: I've stayed at a bunch of DC area Marriott's, and the best of the lot was the Marriott at Metro Center.
posted by Runes at 3:03 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by Runes at 3:03 PM on December 10, 2014
I work near the JW Marriott, it's in a great location. Yeah, it's quiet at night, but it's like two blocks to the Red, Orange, Blue, and Silver lines at Metro Center and only a few more blocks (or easy transfer) to the Green and Yellow at Gallery Place. It's also on 14th st, so it's served by a ton of buses.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 3:06 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by everybody had matching towels at 3:06 PM on December 10, 2014
I stayed at the Residence Inn in Dupont Circle, which has a full kitchen and on site parking and laundry.
Marriott's CEO is a Mormon, but did not support Proposition 8.
posted by brujita at 4:04 PM on December 10, 2014
Marriott's CEO is a Mormon, but did not support Proposition 8.
posted by brujita at 4:04 PM on December 10, 2014
The Hay-Adams is legitimately historical in its own right (they tore down the houses of one of the most storied secretaries of state and John Quincy Adams' son to build it) and overlooks the White House. It's within three blocks of the Red, Orange, Blue, and Silver lines (so, all but Green). It's where President Obama and his family stayed before the inauguration. No personal experience, but it's definitely well-located.
posted by wnissen at 4:21 PM on December 10, 2014
posted by wnissen at 4:21 PM on December 10, 2014
Best answer: My mother-in-law has golden Marriott point handcuffs and my wife plans meetings. MIL recently stayed at the Marquis (modern, swank, and soulless, but with a nice lounge on the club floor) and has previously stayed at the Fairfield at 500 H St NW (not fancy, but respectable. MIL has happily gone back there and would have on this last trip if she hadn't been treating a friend who hadn't been to DC since her kids were in school). The Mayflower is maintained to a high standard but is, I believe, currently undergoing renovations (which is sort of a fact of life for hotels, so YMMV). The Renaissance Downtown is kind of shabby compared to the JW Marriott and the Marquis (and I wouldn't say it really compares to the Mayflower, which is also a Renaissance), so I'd place it low on my personal list. I don't really know much about the Marriott Metro Center (recommended above), but my wife toured it recently for her job and shrugged and said it was pretty much a Marriott. The JW Marriott used to be the brand flagship in town, but it's in a part of downtown that does roll up its carpets a bit at night, and the Marquis is brand new, and ALSO a flagship brand, so … an expert in the finer details of Marriott's branding would have a better idea than I do about which one more closely matches your expectations.
As for locations: none of the Marriott locations are precisely in the middle of exciting nightlife (e.g. the Renaissance Dupont Circle and the Marriott Georgetown are both in the West End, not Dupont or Georgetown), but several of them aren't far. DC has had a recent boom in nightlife along 14th St NW (from about Rhode Island Ave to V St NW) and in the Shaw neighborhood, which is too large to be a useful description (there's stuff around 7th & T, there's stuff scattered along 9th from the convention center towards U, but not a lot of density like 14th). The growth in new neighborhoods has sucked some of the life out of previously hot neighborhoods like Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. Georgetown hasn't really gone anywhere but it's isolated enough that I wouldn't recommend being stuck there between the traffic, the salmon pants college set, and children of diplomats.
With an eye to nightlife the Marquis is on the southern edge of Shaw and a short walk from Penn Quarter (which has a bunch of restaurants, a few standalone bars, and a number of theaters), so it might be the best combination of "nice" and "interesting." The Marriott Metro Center is about the same distance from Penn Quarter as the Marquis, but more convenient for Metro. The Mayflower and the three hotels in the West End (also counting the Ritz-Carlton) would all be a bit of a hike to much nightlife. The "Residence Inn Washington DC Downtown" would be closest to the restaurant strip on 14th St NW (go north until you find something you like, basically), but it's a Residence Inn. And FWIW the "Courtyard Washington Convention Center" is actually in Penn Quarter (Marriott hotels in DC are mostly named for locations they're near but not in, it seems) so if you like the look of the Partisan then it might be your place.
FWIW Marriott is headquartered in Bethesda so you can expect every property in DC to be a very good example of its brand standard. If you have enough points to care, you probably already know which brand you like.
posted by fedward at 6:40 PM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
As for locations: none of the Marriott locations are precisely in the middle of exciting nightlife (e.g. the Renaissance Dupont Circle and the Marriott Georgetown are both in the West End, not Dupont or Georgetown), but several of them aren't far. DC has had a recent boom in nightlife along 14th St NW (from about Rhode Island Ave to V St NW) and in the Shaw neighborhood, which is too large to be a useful description (there's stuff around 7th & T, there's stuff scattered along 9th from the convention center towards U, but not a lot of density like 14th). The growth in new neighborhoods has sucked some of the life out of previously hot neighborhoods like Dupont Circle and Adams Morgan. Georgetown hasn't really gone anywhere but it's isolated enough that I wouldn't recommend being stuck there between the traffic, the salmon pants college set, and children of diplomats.
With an eye to nightlife the Marquis is on the southern edge of Shaw and a short walk from Penn Quarter (which has a bunch of restaurants, a few standalone bars, and a number of theaters), so it might be the best combination of "nice" and "interesting." The Marriott Metro Center is about the same distance from Penn Quarter as the Marquis, but more convenient for Metro. The Mayflower and the three hotels in the West End (also counting the Ritz-Carlton) would all be a bit of a hike to much nightlife. The "Residence Inn Washington DC Downtown" would be closest to the restaurant strip on 14th St NW (go north until you find something you like, basically), but it's a Residence Inn. And FWIW the "Courtyard Washington Convention Center" is actually in Penn Quarter (Marriott hotels in DC are mostly named for locations they're near but not in, it seems) so if you like the look of the Partisan then it might be your place.
FWIW Marriott is headquartered in Bethesda so you can expect every property in DC to be a very good example of its brand standard. If you have enough points to care, you probably already know which brand you like.
posted by fedward at 6:40 PM on December 11, 2014 [1 favorite]
Also as a local I'm probably hyper-aware of neighborhoods in a way an outsider wouldn't be (and in fact probably more than many other locals) so don't let me scare you. Several DC neighborhoods sort of ooze into other neighborhoods (like the West End, which is basically the area formed between the nebulous edges of Georgetown, Dupont, and the generic "Downtown"). If you don't mind an urban walk you can easily walk from any of the hotels in the West End to any of those three neighborhoods, or from the Convention Center / Mt. Vernon Square area to Penn Quarter or Shaw (which itself bumps up against 14th St on the west and U Street on the north, and which contains the sub-neighborhood Logan Circle).
The problem for nightlife is that the Marriott hotels aren't really in the middle of it, just sort of on or near the edges of the places the nightlife is. And in some cases if you walk the wrong way out of the hotel, you'll end up in the all-business part of downtown where nothing really happens after 6 PM. Not unsafe, just … boring.
posted by fedward at 7:04 PM on December 11, 2014
The problem for nightlife is that the Marriott hotels aren't really in the middle of it, just sort of on or near the edges of the places the nightlife is. And in some cases if you walk the wrong way out of the hotel, you'll end up in the all-business part of downtown where nothing really happens after 6 PM. Not unsafe, just … boring.
posted by fedward at 7:04 PM on December 11, 2014
Response by poster: Followup: we stayed at the Marriott Metro Center and it was great. The location was very, very good and we walked to many sites like the White House and surrounding area. We also walked to DuPont Circle and Cleveland Park with our 7 year old in tow and it was no problem. The subway was 5 minutes away. The Hotel was more than adequate and we enjoyed the pool, staff was very good.
Thanks for your help!
posted by waving at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thanks for your help!
posted by waving at 7:10 AM on April 16, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by waving at 1:15 PM on December 10, 2014