Hotwire Hotel: Need Help identifying a 3.5 star hotel

[2ndseason]

Hi,

I am new and am so happy to have found this forum, what an excellent resource for bargain travelers! I am heading to DC for Memorial Day and trying to guess which hotels these are.

Here's the amenties listed for a 3.5 star hotel in Arlington. It says customer favorite and costs $66 a night:

Pool, Fitness Center, Business Center, Restaurant, Airport Shuttle

Also,

There's a 3.5* hotel in Alexandria/Old Town also for $66 a night

Pool, Fitness Center, Business Center, Restaurant

Any clues? I usually would lean towards priceline, but with the discounts posted in the hotwire tips forum, I could get this down into the $50 range. Thanks in advance!

[thereuare]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What are the actual check-in/check-out dates of your stay?

[TravelGuy]

It's probably the Holiday Inn Old Town Historic District, which is really a 3* at best. I would try a $45 bid on Priceline first.

[KatiesMom]

The 3.5* in Arlington sounds like it could be the Sheraton Arlington National (anyone else think so?)

If the customer favorite review mentions a shuttle that takes you back and forth to the metro, it may be it.

I stayed there last summer. Nice enough hotel, pleasant and comfortable. But in a dreadful location. Not near a metro, not in a good area to walk around in. If you have a car, you'll be doing a lot of driving. If you don't have a car you will be doing a lot of waiting for that free shuttle back and forth to the metro.

[TravelGuy]

I also think the 3.5 in Arlington could very well be the Sheraton National, although I'm surprised that could be a customer favorite.

And come to think of it, I'm less sure now about the 3.5 in Alexandria/Old Town being the Holiday Inn, as I'm sure they have a shuttle, which is not among the amenities listed. I would be careful with that zone on Hotwire because it infers that the hotel you might get in Alexandria is going to be convenient to Old Town, which isn't necessarily going to be the case. All the hotels that come up on Priceline in the Alexandria/Mt. Vernon zone are truly close to Old Town if not right in it.

[2ndseason]

Welcome to BetterBidding!

What are the actual check-in/check-out dates of your stay?

Hello!

Check-in 5/28

Checkout - 6/1

Thanks for the tips everyone. I was thinking it may be the Sheraton also. I will have access to a car, which is why I'm bidding for hotels in the NoVa zones (to avoid the high parking fees downtown).

[TravelGuy]

Well my friend, things are looking very good for a cheap, high quality stay in the DC area for the Memorial Day weekend. At this point I'm confident that the 3.5 in Alexandria/Old Town is the Hilton Mark Center. The rate for your dates on hilton.com is just $111.

Definately do not use Hotwire first for this though. Try a bid of just $34 on Priceline for 3* in the Alexandria/Pentagon zone. If that fails, add Springfield try $36.

This hotel is not within walking distance of a Metro and you'll have to use your car to get around to see the sights more than other locations closer in, but it's a terrific value. As to the parking situation there, here is a board member's recent assessment.

[2ndseason]

Thanks Travelguy for the quick, informative response and doing some additional research.

I will consult with the Mrs. and use Priceline, following your advice exactly. The price is most important for us and we can always drive to a Metro station and park there.

I will keep everyone updated :)

[TravelGuy]

Any news on this?