Cheap place to crash in the DC area

August 14, 2007 6:17 AM

I need a cheap place to stay in Washington DC or College Park, MD for a few days this weekend. Inexpensive is important, level of comfort is not (I'll be working the entire time and just need to crash someplace in the off hours). Suggestions?
posted by agent99 to Travel & Transportation around Washington, DC (10 answers total)

I have a house in Washington, what are the days you are looking to be here?
posted by parmanparman at 6:35 AM on August 14, 2007

I regularly stay in DC for a night or two, and don't book until the day of. I use priceline's name-your-own-price feature and almost always pay $80 or under for 3- and 4-star hotels in northwest DC. I can imagine that if you didn't care what star-level the hotel was, and if you picked somewhere outside of the northwest, you could get a place for $50 or under.
posted by lagreen at 6:36 AM on August 14, 2007

Response by poster: Parmanparman: it's for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, so not exactly weekend, sorry about that.
posted by agent99 at 6:58 AM on August 14, 2007

There's a hostel right in downtown on 11th that a friend of mine stayed in a few years back, it was acceptably clean and plain. It's $28 a night.
posted by phearlez at 8:57 AM on August 14, 2007

If you're going really cheap, yes - the hostel on 11th street isnt bad.
posted by jare2003 at 9:16 AM on August 14, 2007

Try the Allen Lee
posted by chickaboo at 10:26 AM on August 14, 2007

Have you checked Craigslist sublets & temporary listings? I didn't look through it much, but I did see at least one room for rent on a daily basis.
posted by echo0720 at 1:07 PM on August 14, 2007

Hotel Americana in Crystal City (Alexandria). $89 a night, free parking, 1 block from the Metro and free donuts in the morning!
posted by sandra_s at 2:45 PM on August 14, 2007

Response by poster: Update for future accommodation seekers: ended up staying at the Washington International Student Center at Columbia Road and 18th Street, which is populated mostly by young backpackers. PROS: conveniently located, $28/night, friendly folks. CONS: filthy (by hostel standards, and I've stayed in them all over the world), cramped (3 bunk beds in a tiny, tiny room). But if your standards are pretty low and your pockets pretty shallow, it works.
posted by agent99 at 2:31 PM on August 17, 2007 [1 favorite]

In light of that I'd suggest future seekers try the Hostelling international property on 11th (what I linked above) - it was at least as clean as the average motel when I saw the insides of it. And the same $28.
posted by phearlez at 3:24 PM on August 17, 2007