The true judge of a hotel is consistency and continued quality - that's why I give an Excellent rating.

I stayed at this hotel for two nights in June of 2004 while visiting the DC area.

The property hasn't changed much if at all since then. Very clean, well maintained, and friendly service.

The property is somewhat easy to find so long as you have taken a look at a map before your trip. It is tucked behind a few other buildings, so it can be a little tricky to figure out the street.
The lobby is adequate - enough space to wait on members of your party or such.
The breakfast area is nice, but I don't think it would be large enough for a capacity Saturday or Sunday morning.

The hotel is clean - dated, and a little shabby in a few places - but the property looks, smells, and feels clean as I said before. You can tell the management CARES about the property and takes the necessary steps to assure it is well maintained to guest satisfaction standards.

From the time I stayed there in 2004 until now I have stayed in a LOT of hotels for work and for vacation. For the price, this is a top hotel.

The rooms are very nice and spacious for the price. The bath is separated with the sink in the main room, and the toilet and shower separated by from the room by a space saving pocket door.
The carpet is clean and looks fresh. I did not hesitate to take my socks off and walk barefoot around the room. When I say the bathroom floor is spotless, I mean the bathroom floor was without any sort of dirt, grime, hair, or anything else that one might typically find on a bathroom floor in a hotel. It is tile, and even the grout was spotless.

The linens (towels, sheets etc) were clean and fresh.

The hotel has a nice assortment of in-room amenities (shampoo, soap, lotion etc) unlike a lot of value type hotels that are switching to packets of shampoo, or soap dispensers.

I used the iron and ironing board and both worked properly.

The shower feels a little like an escape pod as it has a standard stall shower door but the shower extends past the door into a rounded out alcove that extends out into the room which makes for a round wall as you enter the room which is a nice design feature for such a budget friendly hotel. If needed, there could be someone privately showering while someone else uses the toilet - it could be done while maintaining privacy.

Lighting in the room is very versatile and adequately bright. There is a wall sconce that would be nice to leave on if you plan to be coming in after dark. There is lighting above the bed, switched at the bed side - then there is lighting about the desk/storage closet unit switched by the entry door.

There is a value aspect to any hotel - services, amenity, quality of accommodations etc etc.
For the location and proximity to the DC metro area, this property provides a consistent and excellent value.

It isn't the Hilton, it isn't the Marriott, it isn't the Ritz Carlton. It isn't priced like one either.

This is a safe area, it is somewhat secluded in a business park - so you don't have to worry about it being around the corner from a 24 hour 7/11 with a pass-thru window after 10:00pm

The Shady Grove Metro (Red Line) is close (not walkable really, but they do have a shuttle, and there is plenty of parking at the Metro station) so if you are looking for close, but not too close this property is a great option.

The hotel would be OK for families that plan to visit DC and literally only plan to sleep and bathe in the room. There isn't much room for a family to 'hang out' in the room - but there is an outdoor pool for swimming in the summer, so it wouldn't be too bad in that case!

The proximity to the highway makes for a less than silent night, so if you are a very light sleeper turn the radio on to WAMU 88.5 for peaceful classical music at night, and talk/news in the morning and you won't hear the highway at all.

-The parking is free, another great reason to stay out of DC when considering hotels!
-Wi-Fi is free and reliable.
-Breakfast is free with more than enough variety - more than standard continental fare.

Also, something unexpected about this hotel is that you can order room-service! Believe it or not! There is a Crown Plaza across the parking lot from the hotel (across the lot and twice the price per night) but they offer room-service to guests at the Sleep Inn! The prices aren't bad at all, and the service fee is reasonable!

Now for the funny part - in June of 2004 I paid $45.00 a night through a 3rd party website - and this time I paid $79.95 with a AAA Discount. In 2004 I was in college and shopped for WEEKS to find a rate that low for a well rated hotel in the DC area. This time I searched for HOURS for a hotel that wouldn't break the bank, and would put me near the area where I would be working early the next morning. Both times I stayed at the Sleep Inn - things come full circle, and yet somethings never change!

I have stayed at some top hotels across the country, so I know value when I see it. This hotel is a great value for the price paid, and what you get in return!

As long as you don't expect a 5 Star Hotel experience, you won't regret choosing the Sleep Inn, Shady Grove!