Embassy Suites Dulles North....A Withering Assessment? Not For $45!
Written: Dec 30 '07 (Updated Dec 30 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Recently renovated rooms, great price, good breakfast
Cons: Anonymous hotel- could almost be anywhere, dinner was poor
The Bottom Line: If you can get a deal, this offers good value. Otherwise, it's standard-issue here. Dine elsewhere at dinner.
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| tombarnes's Full Review: Embassy Suites Dulles North |
When necessity dictated that we should book a hotel room near Washington's Dulles Airport, my thoughts immediately turned to Priceline. In this case, I was exceptionally lucky to have an almost foolishly low bid of $45.00 accepted. Total price? $55.00 with tax. This included breakfast for two and transportation to and from the hotel. Not bad at all when considering the alternative of a $55.00 one way taxi ride into the city.
Arrival
One of the best perks in staying here is the complimentary shuttle to and from Dulles Airport. Bear in mind that the hotel isn't exactly next door to the airport. In truth, it's about seven miles away. Nonetheless, the shuttle should make getting there and away relatively painless for you.
Lobby
There's nothing terribly special about the lobby if you have stayed at an Embassy Suites before. The six storied building has a large atrium at its center complete with a glass elevator and black marble fountains. A splash of color or two would do wonders for the place. As airport hotels go, this isn't a bad choice, but there is virtually nothing about the hotel beyond its value (if you happen to get a good deal on the rate as I did) that you would remember after boarding your plane the following day. For that matter, you'd be hard pressed to recall it five minutes after walking out the door.
We were received with more of a welcome than I had expected, having booked through Priceline. Though most of the suites here are alike, we were given one on the top floor. I suppose that one could possibly be upgraded to one of their Presidential Suites, but I didn't bother to ask about it- not at the rate we were paying anyway!
Room
Standard-issue yes, but also a grade or so more attractive than I remember from previous stays at other properties in the chain. The living room was compact, but had everything one would need for an extended stay. The color scheme was soothing Timid browns and mushroom tones prevailed, but did not offend. The furniture, mostly a cherry veneer, was apparently solid and did not command attention. This suite also had a small refrigerator and a counter area with a coffee maker.
The bedroom was small, but contained two comfortable beds on which we had little trouble drifting off to sleep after our long day. A large supply of pillows is a plus in their favor as well.
Bath
Again, a compact arrangement, but the bath had about everything we needed or could expect. The only real adornment in here was the counter which purported to be granite- in reality more of a highly polished imitation. The hot water was sufficient and there were enough towels. Don't expect too much in the way of amenities, but I rather liked the shampoo and shower gel called Bloom+Energy. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it wasn't too flowery.
Dining
I'll start off with the positive aspects of dining here first. The breakfast and evening happy hour (5:30-PM-7:30 PM) are both free, so you know what they say about gift horses. If you expect to find more than pretzels, Chex mix and potato chips, you'll be sadly mistaken. Just forget about it and belly up to the bar for your free scotch and enjoy. As for breakfast, the omelets were fresh and the potatoes not too greasy. Indeed, we found the breakfast vastly superior to the dinner we had had the previous night. Whatever you do, even if it means finding a Chili's or something similar nearby, don't bother with having dinner here. The strange amalgamation of pasta with "chicken croquettes" my father ordered turned out to be a large plate of tepid penne topped with chicken fingers gasping for air underneath a leaden armory of batter. I had a similar chicken sandwich and (almost) cold shoestring potatoes. A request for Dijon mustard brought the news that they had run out of it. How can any hotel kitchen run out of Dijon mustard?
Pool and Fitness
We didn't use the indoor pool, but went over to inspect it. Nothing much to report here beyond a plain rectangular pool with a heavy smell of chlorine pervading. The singular lack of warmth within was not only due to the temperature, but also to the baldly clinical aspect of the place as well. I did use the adjacent fitness room and found its machines well cared for and in good working order.
Supposedly, there was an outdoor pool somewhere in the complex, but I never found it. Perhaps it's next door in the Homewood Suites. We weren't exactly looking for an outdoor pool in December anyway.
Business Center
Free internet is surely a perk that many guests will find convenient. I used it for all it was worth, but found that many ordinary newspaper sites were inanely blocked by whatever firewall had been established by the Hilton people. At least the staffer I spoke with was quick to place the blame on Hilton. There's really no way around the firewall, so if you need to check may newspapers in here, you're out of luck.
A pocket of a newsstand operates next to the front desk. Here one can find all the frozen dinners and cheap chocolate bars one ever wanted. Still, I suppose it would be convenient for a long stay.
Overall
For what we paid, we received far more than fair value. If I had paid more, I might have found more cause for complaint. For the purposes of comparison, I'll add that the supposed regular rates here vary between $269.00 and an amusing $599.00 rate for the two bedroom suites. Before you book the rack rates, I'd suggest shopping around on the internet.
The hotel is what it sets out to be and little more. A quick walk through the attached Homewood Suites reveals this to be a veritable palace in comparison. Take it for what you will.
Embassy Suites Dulles North
44610 Waxpool Road
Ashburn, Virginia 20147
Tel. 703-723-5300
FAX 703-723-3811
Toll free 800-362-2779
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
tombarnes
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 - Top 100 |
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Member: Thomas Barnes
Location: Fort Lauderdale & Washington, DC
Reviews written: 675
Trusted by: 435 members
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The King Edward rises again! Watch for it in 2009!
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