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?

126 responses total.

Hmmmm...look on Craig's list and see if there are any vacation rentals 
for a week?  That might lead to something.

http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/vac/340347401.html

 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..

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

>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.

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.

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.

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.  

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. 

Or look in Baltimore, its only an hour away by cheap local commuter 
train.  Plenty of people commute from there.

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.

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.  

yeah, Marc is an expensive ho.
;)

Yeah, wow. I just checked and the *one way* fare on MARC from Harper's 
Ferry is $9!!! (but that is to Union Station). ON the other hand, one 
can drive from Harper's Ferry or thereabouts to the nearest Metro 
station. Harper's Ferry is a location I am suggesting just because it 
is so pretty there and because there are some historically significant 
places to visit there as well. 

resp:25 - HAHAHAHA. Yeah I guess if you want Marc to service you, 
you'll have to shell out some serious bucks. 

resp:20 Umm, if a person smoked in a room 6 weeks ago then yes- you may
still be able to smell it. Some people have a REALLY hard time dealing
with cigarette smoke. My father is one of them, and cannot sleep in a
room where there have been smokers. He also travels with a smaller air
purifier... 

I do have a reputation to uphold.  In general commuter rail is expensive
(even with significant operational subsidies) though still a lot cheaper
than Amtrak.  Out here, for example, the Sounder Commuter Rail fare is
25% more than the equivalent bus fare.

I think that a kitchenette would work great for some types of vacations.
For a family of 6 to vacation at the beach, renting a cabin/cottage with
a small kitchen would be perfect; you just pick up some provisions at
the grocery store and you're all set.  For visiting DC it doesn't work
as well, since most of the time you won't exactly be near your room.

I like the way some Grexers think out of the box!  If you'd all come
over to M-Net, I'd give you some gribblies.

I like the idea of taking an electric skillet or griddle.  That'd almost
have to violate safety codes for any place that doesn't have a
kitchenette, but it'd sure save a lot of money.

We'd want a kitchenette because, for at least one meal per day, we could
eat in the room and not spend money.  We'd want a free breakfast
because, for one meal per day, we'd eat outside the room and not spend
money (even though the room costs more if a free breakfast is provided).
Also, it will take 1/3 of the time that going out to eat will take.

And we can take sandwiches for most of our lunches.  We'd still be
buying snacks and drinks, no doubt.  But eliminating the cost of 3
restaurant meals per day for 6 people is significant.  McDonald's for 6
is about $40, Red Lobster tops $100, you're talking $200 per day in
saved meal money.  

re resp:20: There are things you concede and things you don't.  There's
always an alternative.  If it's a choice between a smoking room and not
going, we won't go.  But we're not alone in that kind of decision
making.  Hotels have plenty of non-smoking rooms and do not charge extra
for them.  Why would they?  They're cheaper to clean and less prone to
damage and accidents.

re resp:23: Now that's the sort of tantalizing remark that I find
frustrating.  Just how would you go about finding a hotel with free
shuttle service to the DC Metro, while maintaining a full time job and
everyday family life?  Answer me that and I might send you some
gribblies through an inter-Backtalk banking transfer.

Thanks everyone!

 What about renting an RV?  If the trip goes badly enough you could sell
 the film rights and make a fortune!

Ok, I looked at the Residence Inn in the Fair Lakes area of Fairfax - 
they have a 2BR Suite (w/kitchenette) for $149 per night.  They 
include a free breakfast, 2 BR and a sleeper sofa - you can call them 
to ask if they have a shuttle to the metro, but most places do.  The 1 
BR suite is $99 per night.  

You can always get yourself a $10 hotplate and a $10 heat element to do your
own cooking.  That's how we do Vegas, anyway.  As for cold stuff, once you
get to town, go hit a cheapo drug mart and get the $3 styrofoam cooler and
then keep it stocked with ice from the hotel ice machine.

So, instead of going to see La Reve, do you just put on tights and prance
around in the bathtub?

The idea is that we save money on lodging in order to have more to spend on
entertainment.  Vegas isn't exactly the place that wants you to hole up in
your room when you get hungry.

Sure they do!  They'll be happy to bring you a $16 cheeseburger from room
service, or you can enjoy a $5 Snickers from the mini-bar.  But if you
stay downtown, lodging and food is pretty darned affordable.

If you don't mind the 10 mile walk through the casino to get an ice cold coke,
sure.  Sometimes, you just want to get up in the middle of the night and have
a coffee or a sandwich without having to trek through Gomorrah.  Most of the
downtown hotels in Vegas do not even have coffeemakers.

A small (1-burner) butane camping stove would be easier to transport than a
hotplate and could be used again for camping.  How much extra does the 'free'
breakfast cost and does it consist of more than coffee and toast?

I'm not sure how well a butane camping stove would be received at the airport
baggage x-ray.

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