I stayed here for a month and a half on business. It‘s best for someone trying to make the best out of a tight budget but wants to be within public transportation reach of Washington D.C.:

PROS AND CONS

1. It’s one of the cheapest hotels in the area, with a reduced rate for 30 days or more. Plus, they accept pets. (This is a plus or minus depending on your point of view.)

2. Onetime fee of $4.95 for wireless connectivity. It is the same if you stay for one night or thirty. However, the wireless can be pretty slow the more people that use it, so try to use it during non-peak hours.

3. Kitchen facilities - stove, microwave, sink, full size refrigerator and freezer. No oven unfortunately, though they do have enough dishes for two, you may need to supplement. For example, my room had one fork and no can opener and only one small pan. However, I was able to supplement this at a dollar store in the area. Plus, the front desk has contact numbers and often menus for local pizza and Chinese joints that deliver.

4. Iron and ironing board included, as is cable tv with about 20 channels.

5. Parking is free. The front parking fills up quickly but there always seems to be space available around back.

6. Walking distance from the Franconia -Springfield Metro station, if you don’t mind walking less than a mile. (There’s a bike/walking path in back of the property that parallels the highway and goes directly to the metro station parking lot.) Walking distance to Springfield Mall with shops and restaurants (less than ½ mile). You can walk north two miles to Springfield Plaza (K-Mart, Trader Joes, Giant, multiple stores and restaurants). Brookfield Plaza with a Post Office and numerous small scale restaurants and mom and pop stores is about a mile and a half south, and there’s a pedestrian skyway to let you walk over I-95. Or, you could, you know, drive…

7. Walking distance to a bus stop is about 200 yards on Springfield Mall Road by the Auto Dealership. Several buses go to the Springfield-Franconia Metro, or make the rounds of the different shopping centers in the area (Springfield Mall, Kingstown (with lots of stores, restaurants, grocery stores, 16-theater cinema, etc.), and Springfield Plaza.

8. Laundry facilities available onsite, as is a small gym, and a (very) small pool open seasonally. No on-site restaurant.

9. The surrounding area is charmless, being on a dead-end street in an industrial area. Quiet though.

10.. Maid service is only once a week unless you pay extra and it is very indifferent. Be prepared to do your own housekeeping, trash, etc. One tiny bar of soap the size of your thumb delivered for the week, except when the maid forgets. You can ask for more at the desk.

11. . I The desk is only open from 7 am to 10 pm which is weird. They will accept mail for you and also do linen exchange - towels, sheets, etc. on demand.

So if you are interested in the basics, at a cheaper price than usual, this is a “doable” stop within public transportation distance of downtown Washington D.C.

1. The location is somewhat lacking. On a dead end street across from a gated/barb-wire govt warehouse facility.

2. The staff leaves from 1100pm till 0700am. Never been to a hotel where there was no mgmt rep at all during the night.

3. Upon turning down my sheets I noticed that there were numerous hairs from the previous guest....yes, they hadn't changed the sheets at all, just made the bed.

4. The hallways had a musky odor to them.

5. I got a bar of soap, no shampoo.

I'll never stay here again.

Pros:

Big and Clean Rooms
Nice Kitchenettes
Helpful Staff
Near to restaurants, mall and supermarket.

Cons:

Small and Cold Outdoor Pool
No continental breakfast
Long walk to metro

Overall, this hotel is very comfortable and the kitchenettes are great if you're on a budget.

We spent 6 days touring all the sites in Washington DC. We were looking for a hotel that was nice, but affordable, nothing fancy, but we wanted a kitchenette so we wouldn't have to eat all our meals out. We also wanted one close to a Metro station since we didn't have a car. I agree with one of the other reviewers, this hotel is somewhat close to the last Blue line station but it isn't right next door. If you take the walking trail (an asphalt walkway that parallels the freeway) it is about a 10 minute walk, not something I would recommend if you have a lot of luggage, but we easily made the walk each morning when we were going into the city to sightsee. At night, I would not recommend taking this path as it is out of sight of the road and seems a little sketchy in the dark. Instead we had to walk by the Springfield Mall which added another 10 minutes or so.

The hotel was perfectly nice, but nothing fancy. The staff was very friendly and helpful, they helped us call for a taxi to a grocery store (there is not one in walking distance) so we could stock up on food when we arrived. The only other time we used a taxi was to get from the hotel to the Metro stop when we were going back to the airport (Reagan National is on the Blue line also) to save us walking with our luggage in the rain.

Metro is awesome, we had week long passes and we wore them out. It is so convenient, but still be prepared to do a lot of walking between tourist attractions!