Hotel Harrington, Washington, DC.
Written: Apr 10 '07 (Updated Apr 10 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great location!! Very clean room
Cons: A bit worn and old. Very small room
The Bottom Line: This hotel has been open longer than any other in DC. Though old and a bit worn, it is clean, well run and in an excellent tourist area.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Hotel Harrington/Washington, DC |
Last week my wife and I took a couple hour ride to Washington DC from Ocean Beach after the weather took a drastic change and no longer allowed for sunning on the beach. The good news was we entered the capitol during a peek days of the DCs famous Cherry Blossom Festival. The views near the Jefferson Memorial and around the Tidal Basin were gorgeous. We decided to stay an extra day, but where?
Not having the use of the internet on the road we picked up one of those tourist books you find at visitors centers and quick marts at gas stations. We made a few calls and settled on a place site unseen.
Location
Though we knew we were going to see the cherry blossoms early in the morning when low light was still on them, we did know we were going to spend most of our day on the northwest portion of DC near Ford's Theater, The Spy Museum and the building that's home to the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian American Art Museum. We were just one to three blocks away from all of them.
In the other direction is The White House, The National Aquarium, and much more. A five block walk south takes one to the Archives and two other art museum on the mall. The location of this hotel was perfect for us. A cab was outside the door most of the time too. I liked that.
The lobby's public area is small and a busy one for the 305 guest rooms of the hotel. A busy restaurant is open to the lobby. It's kind of like a diner look. It too is a bit worn but they serve an excellent burger. That's another review coming in the next week or two. There are many other restaurants in the area. Some for fine dining and other chains like the Hard Rock Cafe and ESPN Zone are just a block away. A book store is just across the street with Starbucks inside.
An Old Tourist Hotel
This hotel books itself as a tourist hotel. It's not as polished as a Hilton or Hyatt that aren't far from this neighborhood. In looking up the history of the hotel I read, The Hotel Harrington is the last of its kind in Washington, D.C.. Still owned and operated by members of the founding families, the Harrington continues its 94 year tradition of providing value and convenience to the tourists and visitors of our great Capital City. Now in its third generation of ownership, it has the longest record of continuous operation of any hotel in the city of Washington, D.C. That's a pretty good record. They also boasts that they have had but four General Managers in the 94 years it has been open. I suppose consistency is a plus. This seemed to be a very popular place for tourist. There was a huge group of students there too. No problem with them at any time.
The hotel is made up of a series of buildings that have a common lobby. We stayed in the 12 story building that was erected in 1918. You know you are in an old hotel.
Unfortunately the care of a couple of highly used areas would give the place an extra star. Simply painting the elevator door on the street level floor would do wonders for that "first site appeal".
Our Room
The room was very small but did have a queen bed. We were offered a larger queen room but it was smoking. No thanks.
There was just enough room around the bed for a TV cabinet, a chair one night table and a small dresser. There was a good size closet for hanging cloths. The bed, though seeming to be firm, gave me a back ache. The first I have had in years. My back was fine an hour after stretching and moving about.
The all old tile bathroom or is it the old all tile bathroom was clean and just big enough. No shelves or cabinet space. Everything was piled on a small windowsill.
Though old, the temperature control in the room was perfect and the plumbing excellent with a good hard stream of water in the shower.
The view outside our ninth floor room was a solid brick wall of the building next door. Not even a window to try and peek into. We could see it was a bright sunny day by looking straight up and catching a square of blue sky.
This room cost us $99. for the night. It served our needs and they kept our luggage safely locked up in a room after we checked out.
Parking?
When on the phone inquiring about the hotel I asked if they offered parking. They said yes, ten dollars a day. I thought that a reasonable price in a major destination. Only after signing in and asking where they valet was to park the car did I find out that I had to park the car in the garage myself. That's not so bad but, when I found out the lot was four and a half blocks away, I wasn't too happy. Thankfully I didn't need to use my car at all during the stay so I parked it once and and picked it up the next day by 4PM the time I was allotted. This was a self park lot and one has to have the ticket validated at the hotel. If you pick up the car later than four they start charging you for the next day rate at seven dollars for the first hour and then on up.
Would I Return To This Old Hotel With A Tiny Room, Uncomfortable Bed, Dirty Elevator Door and Parking Four Blocks Away?
The answer is, "I might." The price was right and the location excellent. There are times when I don't need to stay at a higher price, more modern hotel. If I'm just looking for a convenient place to lay down my head for some hours in a hotel that seemed safe enough and was clean, it could be there.
All within easy walking distance from this hotel.
International Spy Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The National Archives This has just reopened and it's bigger and better!!
US Navy Memorial Just a block or two from the American Museum of Art
Other DC Hotels
The Capital Hilton
Fairmont Washington Hotel
Dining
The Old Ebbit Grill Good Eats near the White House
Spy City Cafe Local eats next to the Spy Museum
Recommended:
Yes
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