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Grex > Travel > #73: Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC | |
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jep
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Hellllllp! finding hotel room in Washington, DC
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May 29 19:06 UTC 2007 |
I'm taking the family to Washington DC at the end of next month (June).
There's my wife and I, and 4 kids (age/gender: 16g, 14b, 11g, 11b).
We'd like to find a room for 3-4 days with a kitchenette, pool, and if
possible, free breakfast. We haven't got a whole lot of money. If I
can avoid taking everyone out to eat for a lot of our meals, we can
squeeze our budget a lot and maybe not have to walk to get there.
When you try to put in 2 adults, 4 kids for most of the hotel finding
sites, they snicker and chortle and say "that's a lot of people". If
they return anything, there's the option to look through 600 WWW sites,
490 of which don't have any rooms available of any kind (and which are
for 20 different locations with 24.3 WWW sites each), 87 of which have
rooms for 1-2 people and most of which are located further away from
Washington DC than where I live, and 19 of which have kitchenettes and
such but cost $490 per night. I am getting pretty worn out, trying to
find a place to stay. I'm going to NEED this vacation by the time I get
to take it.
I should perhaps just buy a house there. Or my own hotel chain.
But instead, I thought I'd ask my wise and noble friends on Grex for
suggestions. Do I just not know how to use the travel WWW sites or
something? Is there no way to put into a travel WWW site what my
requirements are, so I don't have to explore a lot of individual pages
in hopes of stumbling across one that offers what I need?
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| 126 responses total. |
edina
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response 1 of 126:
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May 29 19:10 UTC 2007 |
Hmmmm...look on Craig's list and see if there are any vacation rentals
for a week? That might lead to something.
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edina
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response 2 of 126:
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May 29 19:17 UTC 2007 |
http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/vac/340347401.html
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mcnally
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response 3 of 126:
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May 29 19:23 UTC 2007 |
Print yourself credentials claiming to be from the Department of Homeland
Security, then find a home you like in the area and explain to the owner
that you are commandeering their property to quarter troops. If they
seem reluctant to cooperate, ask in a grave tone: "You DO support the
troops, don't you?" If they continue to be obstinate, or give you any
guff about the Bill of Rights or the Constitution, tell them that you are
empowered to suspend their right to habeas corpus and that will shut them
up. Do not attempt this with anyone who already works for the Department
of Homeland Security. Bonus points if the person you evict works for the
Justice Department.
:-p
Seriously, though, ask someone who's knowledgable about the area to
recommend an outer suburb that's safe but not too pricey and has decent
connections to the capitol-area public transportation system.
The Craig's List suggestion is not a bad one if you're willing to take a
risk and don't mind compromising on your "free breakfast" preference..
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marcvh
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response 4 of 126:
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May 29 19:39 UTC 2007 |
As you've found, most hotels don't have rooms that can handle 6 people
(even if they allowed it, it sounds more like torture than a vacation.)
The classic technique for a normal hotel would be to get 2 rooms,
possibly adjoining ones. Presumably only one of the two rooms would
need a kitchen.
A vacation rental is probably a good option to explore. Unfortunately
June is kind of a popular time for people to take vacations (and not
very long from now.) Not sure if you're looking for something right in
town only minutes from the museums, or if you'd be OK with someplace out
in the exurbs. There look to be some good vacation rentals in DC, but
most of what I'm seeing runs at least $1500/wk (not sure how much you
wanted to spend) and are also already booked solid for June.
Housing swap might also be worth checking out if you don't mind the idea
of somebody living in your house while you live in theirs, but the
chances of finding what you need on short notice seems uncertain at best.
Failing that, the standard inexpensive lodging solution for a large
family is camping. Unfortunately a large city like DC isn't like to
have it particularly close by. The best approach for close-in camping
would be to find some relatives who live in DC and see if they'll let
you pitch a tent in their yard.
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slynne
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response 5 of 126:
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May 29 19:52 UTC 2007 |
I know of a web site that is all houses/apartments available for rent
by the week. It is:
http://www.homeaway.com/
One of the nice things about their site is that they have availabilty
calenders. I did a quick search though and there was only one
affordable house that was available in June. Craigslist might be the
better choice.
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krj
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response 6 of 126:
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May 29 19:54 UTC 2007 |
I used to live near Washington DC, but that was decades ago.
My understanding is that tourists are now being guided to hotels near
outlying Metro (subway) stops in Maryland and Virginia.
I don't have any more detailed suggestions. The last time I was riding
it, about five years ago, the Metro was a fine way to get around.
It shouldn't be hard to find a map of the DC Metro system.
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marcvh
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response 7 of 126:
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May 29 20:03 UTC 2007 |
One thing that's surprising is that even in suites, hotels generally
do not seem to like having 6 people. Even the Presidential Suite at
the DC Four Seasons only allows 2 adults, 1 child, and maybe also 1 baby
as maximum occupancy, even though it's bigger (1,924 sq ft) than any
house I've ever lived in. Besides, it's $6,500 per night (not including
breakfast), and it's already booked.
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slynne
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response 8 of 126:
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May 29 20:04 UTC 2007 |
Another good site for looking for hotel rooms is
http://hotwire.com
There are some hotels in the DC area there that are available for a
week in late June for as low as $89 a night. That works out to around
$1250 for a week for two hotel rooms.
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jep
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response 9 of 126:
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May 29 20:20 UTC 2007 |
When my son and I visited Washington a few years ago, we drove only to
the nearest Metro and went into the city on a train every day. This was
a great way for us to get around the city. I am planning on using it
again next month.
My basic plan was to rent a moderately priced motel room and pack the
kids into it. It would be embarrassing and inconvenient to be thrown
out of the room for over-occupancy, though. Then my wife mentioned it'd
be nice (read: cheaper) to get a room with a kitchen so we wouldn't have
to eat out every meal.
Brooke: Thanks for that pointer! I e-mailed them with further
questions. I've never tried that particular approach before...
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edina
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response 10 of 126:
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May 29 20:25 UTC 2007 |
Let me know how it goes. It's a great location and it would give you
the chance to be able to cook for most meals.
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jep
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response 11 of 126:
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May 29 20:39 UTC 2007 |
re resp:8: Hotwire and Priceline don't let you specify things like
non-smoking room (my wife would never stay in a smoking room), # of beds
(given the composition of our family, we need to be conscious of this),
or by amenities such as pool or kitchenette. It is very hard to find
what I need through these types of sites. I get discouraged after my
first several hours of reading through their listings, trying to find
out whether any of them have what I need. If I found one, though, it's
possible it might be a good deal. But I'd never know until I went there
and stayed there. I am too risk-averse for this type of site.
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marcvh
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response 12 of 126:
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May 29 20:44 UTC 2007 |
Staying outside the city and driving to a Metro station seems reasonable
enough; as a kid I saw Toronto that way (albeit camping, not in a motel)
and it worked out nicely.
Exceeding the maximum occupancy is kinda hard to predict. If you were
just going to be there one night to crash during a road trip then it
would probably be fine, but if you're spending a whole week there and
using motel amenities like the pool then it seems more likely that
somebody (housekeeping, or guests in rooms around you) might notice and
say something. A well-placed $20 "gratuity" might get it taken care of
but it's hard to know for sure.
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jep
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response 13 of 126:
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May 29 21:02 UTC 2007 |
We might have to consider camping. I have plenty of camping gear for
two people, but not for 6. Also, camping requires a certain tolerance
which my family might not be able to generate.
Washington DC is a metropolitan area, but there are scenic parts around
there, too.
It's something to think about. It might not work this time but it's
something to think about.
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keesan
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response 14 of 126:
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May 29 21:34 UTC 2007 |
I suggest giving up on the pool and kitchenette and bringing a one-burner
hotplate to cook on (and a pot) or an electric frying pan. It would increase
the number of places available and reduce the price - what does the
kitchenette cost per day? We have a large tent (four person?) you could
borrow if you have enough camping mats, but I doubt there is any campground
in DC. Why do you want a kitchen and to have someone else cook breakfast?
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edina
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response 15 of 126:
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May 29 21:44 UTC 2007 |
Because when you're trying to get people out the door to go do
touristy stuff, it's easier to have a place where they can go get
breakfast. I love staying at a Hampton Inn or Country Inn, as I can
grab breakfast, as well as usually some granola bars for later, on my
way out the door.
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johnnie
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response 16 of 126:
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May 30 02:18 UTC 2007 |
re room stuffing / getting caught:
Any moral issues aside, I don't think getting caught with extra people
in a room is something to worry about. With 3 kids (albeit younger than
yours), we've "over-occupied" on trips, never got caught. As long as
you're not blatant about it (such as the whole group going to the front
desk to check in), there's so many people running around that the staff
can't keep track, or doesn't much care.
Of course, that will require that a couple of kids sleep on the floor,
and there will be competition for bathroom time, but that still beats
camping, maybe.
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johnnie
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response 17 of 126:
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May 30 02:43 UTC 2007 |
>Is there no way to put into a travel WWW site what my
>requirements are, so I don't have to explore a lot of individual pages
>in hopes of stumbling across one that offers what I need?
If you go to the web site specific for a particular hotel, you can
typically search for specific room types (one bed or two, non-smoking,
whatever).
That said, I doubt you'll find a place that meets your requirements for
much under $200/night.
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tod
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response 18 of 126:
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May 30 03:10 UTC 2007 |
re #0
Find yourself a Super 8 in a sleazy neighborhood. So long as you don't leave
the compound then you should be fine.
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cyklone
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response 19 of 126:
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May 30 03:41 UTC 2007 |
Jep. for cooking, get a business suite with a kitchenette. Look for a
place that caters to businessmen on weekly or monthly out of town
assignments. Then get cheap room at a Motel 6 nearby. The gals can stay in
the suite with the kitchentte (because they'll be the ones cooking ;). For
the guys, get a room with two beds. If the place won't provide a third
cot, take one of the two beds apart, tossing the mattress on the floor.
You, of course, get the full bed, and boys can fight, or flip, or
whatever, for the mattress v. the pad. It's an old trick I learned when I
did out of town gigs.
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richard
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response 20 of 126:
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May 30 14:03 UTC 2007 |
re #11 jep, I lived in D.C. for years. You have got to concede some
things to get what you want. Your wife should be willing to stay in
a "smoking" room. If somebody smoked in that room six weeks ago, you
won't know the difference. Kitchenette? In the city? Forget it.
The hotels want you to eat out. It helps their friends the
restaurants.
For what you want, you may need to look outside D.C., rent a car and
get a mom and pop motorlodge maybe thirty minutes or an hour outside
town out on the highway in maryland or virginia.
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slynne
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response 21 of 126:
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May 30 14:12 UTC 2007 |
You can rent cabins in rural places. I think the KOA in Harper's Ferry
has cabins for around $80 a night. It's not too far of a drive from
there to a metro stop plus if you are there during the week, you can
take a commuter train into town.
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richard
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response 22 of 126:
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May 30 14:16 UTC 2007 |
Or look in Baltimore, its only an hour away by cheap local commuter
train. Plenty of people commute from there.
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marcvh
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response 23 of 126:
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May 30 14:46 UTC 2007 |
OK, but the fare for Baltimore to DC is $7 each way per person, or $52.50
for a weekly pass. Multiply that by 6 people and it becomes significant.
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edina
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response 24 of 126:
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May 30 14:58 UTC 2007 |
Yeah, the MARC is not cheap. Besides, then you still have to pay for
metro, and then it's getting pricey.
I think the idea of a kitchenette in the burbs is a great one.
Especially if you're in a hotel that has a shuttle to the metro.
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