The hotel itself was clean the staff was mostly friendly but this hotel is not Downtown. As a matter of fact it is almost out of town. After an 8 hour drive all we wanted was to sit down to a nice dinner. There is a Checkers and take out rib place across from the hotel, but no where else to eat. When I asked if there was a restaurant to walk to, the clerk at the desk said something like, "I wouldn't walk around here." They told me there was shuttle service to Union Square (about 15 min ride) but it was extremely limited and difficult to get even with one hour notice. We got lucky and managed to get immediately on a shuttle that was not full even though the desk clerk had told us there were no seats available for an hour and a half. Also the shuttle does not run between noon and 5 meaning the next day we had to take a very harrowing cab ride back to the hotel to get ready for evening plans that we had. The cab drivers are reluctant to take passengers to the hotel because it is out of the way and they do not get a return fair. We met people on the shuttle the night before, when it was pouring rain, that could not find a cab driver willing take them to the hotel. We were lucky to find a cab that was willing to take us. The next day we had to take an 8:30am shuttle and wait around for the museums to open. If you stay at this hotel make sure you book your shuttles with plenty of time maybe even the day before or take your chances that you will find parking and it is not too expensive.

The hotel was clean, and up-to-date. The gym is small but functional. There is a small pool and jacuzzi that I didn't use.
Problems are the shuttle is limited 8 am- 12 pm, 5 pm-10:45 pm. It goes to union station. Sometimes it is very efficient in a nice van, one time the van (shared with holiday inn) was crowded and standing room only. (imagine that driving through downtown dc) Staff ranged from indifferent to good. Continental breakfast is ok. There is no room service or on-site restaurant so you have to do take-out. The neighborhood is not great- would not recommend walking too much around esp at night although I felt hotel was perfectly safe. I might be worried if my car was parked in the lot.
The biggest issue is not the hotel itself but location. It costs around $17-20 in taxi to get from hotel to union station or smithsonian museums. If you don't get shuttle and you go back and forth on day trips with cab, you might as well pay for higher end hotel closer to attractions. The Metro is NOT close enough to use for this hotel. More practically, take shuttle to union station and take metro.
Don't get swayed by Marriet label, this is a modest hotel.

My husband and I recently took a trip to DC to celebrate our 30th anniversary. We chose to stay at this hotel due to its free shuttle service to/from Union Station and the free breakfast. It is true that it is in a rundown neighborhood, but the grounds were very well-maintained and our airport shuttle driver told us that the police station was right up the hill, which made us feel a little more comfortable. The lobby was clean and inviting and the desk staff folks were polite and easy to deal with; they answered our questions and explained things very efficiently. They have a little snack/amenity area in the lobby that came in handy and I was pleasantly surprised at the prices being reasonable. Once we understood the shuttle system, we had no problems getting to and from where we wanted to go. (I actually called ahead of our arrival to ask about it and knew what to expect; the only thing I didn't know was that we had to sign up ahead of time to be on the departing shuttle). Most of the shuttle drivers were very friendly, but Brian was the most entertaining of them all...we really enjoyed listening to him on our trips! The breakfast area was also clean and well-stocked, even when there were lots of Girl Scouts and other groups there eating. Ana and Marcus did a good job of taking care of everything! It was typical breakfast bar food--hot oatmeal, waffles, boiled eggs, packaged breakfast sandwiches, pastries, etc., but we quickly found out that eating there at the hotel saved us about $20 a day as opposed to going to even a fast food restaurant for breakfast! The breakfast area also seemed to be a gathering place for local law enforcement folks--there were several who were there eating breakfast or drinking coffee every morning, which could be considered as a measure of security. Our room was clean and having the refrigerator and microwave was a nice bonus (but FYI, the refrigerator does not have a freezer). It was large enough for the two of us and we had no problems with excessive noise or intrusions where we were on the 5th floor. The A/C kept us cool, but the fan does not stay on all the time, so if you're someone who likes background noise while you're asleep, then bring your own "noise machine" or download an app on your smartphone and use it (which is what I did)! There are only a couple of things I'd like to point out that I feel could be improved upon, which I'll also make known if/when I receive a survey from Marriott. The linens (sheets and towels) are VERY thin--the towels had the Marriott name on them, but they have to be the least expensive ones available, or else they're very worn. I've stayed in much less expensive hotels and had better quality towels. There is no "bedspread" on the bed, just a small decorative coverlet across the foot, and if you are a cold-natured person, you might not be comfortable. The bathroom amenities are very minimum--2 basic, no name bars of soap, shampoo and conditioner. No sign that offers anything else if you forgot something, no lotion or shower cap. The toilet tissue and facial tissue are also of low quality. I think that if the owners would upgrade these few items, it would give the hotel a much more "upscale" feel, but that is just my opinion. To me, $200 a night is not a "cheap" hotel, even if this is in Washington, DC. Other than that, though, the hotel and staff met our needs quite well and I would recommend it to others.

Pros:
Hotel room was VERY clean and modern. Beds comfortable, mini refrigerator and microwave were a nice bonus, bathroom large and well ventilated, air conditioner worked great.
Pool and hot tub were small but clean. Workout room also small but up-to-date and clean. Free breakfast was convenient but few choices. Jimmy Deans sandwiches, batter for waffles, oatmeal, fruit, muffins, etc. Shuttle service to Union Station was convenient, though there is no service from ~11:30am-5pm.

Cons:
Hotel is in a rundown neighborhood, numerous abandoned buildings and sketchy people. Wasn't worried about parking our car their but definitely wouldn't have walked the neighborhood, even to go get food.
Would've given the hotel 4.5 stars if it wasn't for the service. The only person we encountered that seemed interested in even working there was the man at the front desk with the long dreadlocks (Sorry I cannot remember his name). He always greeted us with a smile and even drove the shuttle for us when the shuttle driver didn't show up, leaving us waiting for 1/2 hour. Every hotel I've ever stayed at had a receipt waiting for us at our door the morning we were checking out. No receipt, and when we went to the desk to check out the staff was in the business area on the internet instead of at the desk. The lady who watched over the breakfast station every morning had a scowl on her face and seem annoyed to be there. She failed to even refill the water pitcher?! There was a random homeless guy who was getting free coffee and arguing with a maintenance man the afternoon we checked in, and who was also hanging out in the lobby when we came back from downtown that night (no point in turning him into the staff because he seemed to be chatting with one of the ladies at the front desk). We had to excuse ourselves multiple times when bringing our bags to the rooms because the maids had their carts blocking the hallway and were standing around chatting. The rooms there are not cheap, which made the below average service even more frusterating. I don't think we'll be returning to this hotel next time we're in DC. I don't want to spend my $ at an establishment where it's not even appreciated, or even acknowledged for that matter.