Priceline Hotel: 5* DC (White House - Downtown) Willard Intercontinental

[diamondcutter]

Hello,

 

Can anyone help me identify the following:

 

Location: White House-Downtown

 

Star Rating: 5*

 

Arrive: 9/22/14

 

Depart: 9/25/14

 

Full Amenities: Pet friendly, Smoke Free Rooms, Fitness Center, Restaurant(s), Business Center, Internet access, Spa Services, Accessible for the blind, Accessible for the deaf, Accessible path of travel, In-room accessibility, Accessible bathroom, Handicapped parking, Roll-in shower

 

Hotwire Reviews: 95% Recommended

 

TripAdvisor: 4.5 out of 5.0

 

Sale Price: $269

 

List Price: $435

 

Also, can anyone recommend the best area to stay in?  I was originally leaning towards the Capitol Hill-National Mall area.  I'm also considering the White House-Downtown and Dupont Circle-Embassy Row areas.  My wife and I are avid walkers so ideally we would like to be central to as many tourist attractions as possible.  We're not partiers, but we wouldn't mind being somewhere that would be fun to walk around at night.  Another thing to consider is that we are arriving and departing at Union Station by Amtrak.  Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks in advance!

[Alex in MI]

Greetings, dc. I'm not with BB, but I do travel to DC semi-regularly. I'd be willing to bet that your hotel is the Willard Intercontinental.

 

As far as the best area in which to stay, I guess it depends on which tourist attractions most interest you this trip. There's so much to see, and three days, plus or minus, is just starting to scratch the surface. For walking around at night, I'd certainly choose Dupont Circle. The White House-Downtown area is pretty centrally located.

 

The Union Station thing is a minor consideration. Cabs are abundant, and there's a Red Line stop right at the station.

[yellowdog]

diamondcutter

Willard Intercontinental looks to be upgraded to 5* so that would be my best guess.

Keep us updated on your progress and let us know what you ultimately decide or if we can be of further help.

Please use the PRICELINE and hot.wire links on the board to begin your purchases and searches.

Yellowdog.

[thereuare]

I'll also add that there is a Metro Station about a 3-4 block walk from Union Station so that could also be an option to get to your hotel more economically (assuming your luggage/bags for this trip is manageable)

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know what you decide and how it goes or if we can be of further help.

[Alex in MI]

Actually, the Metro station (Red Line) is right in Union Station. It's a bit of a walk from the Amtrak and MARC gates, but at least you don't have to go outside.

[diamondcutter]

Thanks everyone for the advice thus far. Do you guys have any thoughts on The Willard? Is it worth the current price tag? Or do you all think there will better deals to be had by waiting. When I look through the BB results, it seems like the best deals take place much closer to the arrival date.

[thereuare]

Actually, the Metro station (Red Line) is right in Union Station. It's a bit of a walk from the Amtrak and MARC gates, but at least you don't have to go outside.

Thanks for the clarification... quite a few years ago i took the bus into DC and i recall the Amtrak station being right by the bus station and needing to walk outside a few blocks, but perhaps things have changed since then.

Nobody can say if rates will come down, or move higher, between now and your trip. If you're happy with the hotel and it works well for your needs, another risk is that this hotel disappears entirely and is no longer offered for your travel dates (and/or is replaced by a hotel that is not as well reviewed or not as well located for your needs). Currently this is about a $75/nite savings over a conventional booking, so you need to decide if this is enough of a deal in order to lock in this hotel and rate now.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

Let us know whatever you decide and how it goes or how we can be of further help.

[diamondcutter]

I've decided to pass on this property for now.  I booked a refundable room (with AAA discount) at the Topaz for 3 nights.  My rate is $235.87/night out the door, or a total of $707.61 for 3 nights.  I'm going to keep an eye for good deals on Hotwire and Priceline between now and my trip.  I figured I better at least guarantee myself a room while I'm looking.  Thanks for the help everyone!

[thereuare]

Thanks for the udpdate.

Let us know whatever you decide to do for this stay or if we can be of further help.

Please use the PRICELINE and HOTWIRE links on the board to begin your travel purchases.

[Alex in MI]

Topaz is a Kimpton Hotel, so if you're not already a Kimpton InTouch member (free), I recommend doing so. At the very least, it gets you free wi-fi and the ability to request certain room amenities in advance. It also gets you on their mailing list for special rates.

 

It's also on a very pleasant block. I highly recommend the recently re-opened and re-done Iron Gate restaurant, which is right across the street. (Check out the reviews under the "Press" link on the website.)

 

Next door is the Tabard Inn, which used to be one of *the* places for brunch. However, there's been serious turmoil and turnover there over the past year, so no guarantees.

[diamondcutter]

I signed up as a Kimpton InTouch member when I booked the room.  You can't beat free wi-fi!

 

While researching hotels, I've noticed I've been drawn to the Kimpton hotels.  Perhaps I'm attracted to how modern and stylish they look.

 

If I end up keeping the room, I'm glad to know it's in a nice area.  

 

Thanks for the restaurant tips.  I'm looking forward to trying them.  If you have any other nuggets of wisdom for my stay, I'd really appreciate it!

[diamondcutter]

Based on all the research I've done, I felt confident I'd be bidding on the Willard InterContinental.  HOTWIRE listed this property for $269.  PRICELINE EXPRESS listed it for $265.  I won with a bid of $260.  The extra bonus was that I used the 7% discount code that i had.  It's only good through July 2.

 

My final price after the discount, taxes, and fees was $857.76 for 3 nights (or $285.92/night).  I had previously booked the Topaz as a backup hotel for $235.87/night out the door.  For $50.05 extra per night, I think I got a more desirable property.

 

I went to PRICELINE via a BetterBidding link to make my purchase.

[thereuare]

Congratulations on your success!

Glad to see you received the hotel you were hoping for and are happy with the deal for these dates.

Thank you for sharing your win and using the PRICELINE links on the board to begin your bidding.

Enjoy your stay.