Well, I arrived about 3am and I said to myself, what is this? It just did not look like what I expected nor was used too because I have stayed in a lot of suites in my travels and being tired and all it looked like a run down old hotel. Well, it is not. I would stay here over any other places I have stayed at in a heart beat. The parking is free, they will shuttle you to the market and pick you up when you are ready, also they will shuttle you to the station to catch the metro into DC if you want to save on gas. The location is perfect for shopping, there is a mall not even 2 min away, a drug store and 2 supper markets, restuarants and much more. I am impressed. I had a chance to meet Walter (general manager) who will go out of his way to ensure your stay enjoyable trying to meet your every need as well as his staff. The staff is friendly and makes you feel welcomed at all times. I was here for six weeks and enjoyed every moment of it. I really enjoyed the Mangers reception offered Monday thru Thursday. I f you did not want to cook and just wanted to meet people or just have a meal and something to drink it was perfect. Hot/cold breakefast which ever you prefer was offered everyday. Amazing and I would reccommend staying here to anyone who asked. Whatever need I had, whether it was heating issue, fax, or I missed breakfast the staff are tenative to assist you right away. The staff is amazing, and they feel like family to me. My company placed me here and I was able to meet the Liaison (Mia) whom that has never happened before, she sought me out to introduce herself and let me know she is here for anyway she could make my stay a pleasnat and enjoyable one. I am impressed and have a good taste in my mouth about Hawthorn Suites Alexandria, VA and I give them 5***** in my book.

Great hotel, near Van Dorn Station, breakfast is good, not to mention the hotel shuttle will take to you to local restaurants for free and to Metro. Rooms and staff are awesome. The shuttle will take you to nearby mall, and grocery stores. Each room has a kitchen, so you can save money for meals, great for families. This is a great location, the metro blue line takes you to all main attractions.

I stayed @ the Hawthorn Suites for the week of the Presidential Inauguration. I couldn't believe the rate I got by bidding on Priceline ($50/night). It was insane as most rooms were going for double the standard rate. That was a good omen I guess.

Check in was efficient and friendly. There is ample parking/free @ this location which is a plus. The driveway is a bit odd and narrow. I would recommend pulling into the second driveway and driving behind the hotel to pull up to the main entrance. Please note: If you need wheelchair access, this place can be frustrating as there is only one ramp through the front, but it is not directly @ the front entrance.

I requested a non-smoking (the hotel is non-smoking I believe)/non-pet room. There are eight floors in this hotel. I was on the 7th floor. My room overall wasn't dreadful. It was a bit dated. Popcorn ceiling, awful color pallet, textured walls, and old kitchen cabinets - you get my drift, but my fridge was pretty new and it was a full size fridge. The room itself was kind of small, but I was traveling solo as usual, so it worked for me. I was just excited to have a full kitchen at my disposal for a week. My room faced North Van Dorn, which is quieter than facing 395, a major highway near the hotel.

THINGS TO KNOW
This hotel used to be an apartment building. That is why there is only one ice machine for the whole hotel on the first floor. It would also explain the accessibility of the hotel for people with disabilities, small elevators, and narrow hallways as well. The hotel does have individual temperature control, but like older buildings, they either have heat or A/C and they have to switch over the whole building seasonally. This will make for uncomfortable conditions if you get an Indian summer or early winter. It’s also a drafty building, so you’ll have to do some fiddling with the controls to get the right temp for your room. They are in the process of updating the whole property, so expect a different look in a year or so.

BEDROOM/SITTING AREA
Very small for a king room. Bed was on the hard side. Pillows were also hard. I asked for an extra soft pillow and was provided one right away. I had a real comforter with duvet. Sheets were actually pretty thick. Bedding seemed clean. If you wanted you bed changed everyday, you just plop the card on your bed. Chair in my room for watching TV was kind of cheap and uncomfortable. No ottoman with the chair. The desk chair was standard, but didn’t have armrests. Desk was kind of small considering you didn't have another table for eating. Two nightstands and ample plugs for charging all my gadgets. TV and cable were excellent. They had wide variety of channels for kids, adults, sports, and news. I was in TV heaven! There were two mirrored closets, but oddly no luggage rack. Not to worry, closets were large enough to store all my items.

BATHROOM
Very small with virtually no counter space. Tub needed refacing, but showerhead was adequate. Not super low pressure, but it wasn't powerful either. Hot water was at a premium. Toilet flush was quick and efficient. The sink did have a full enclosed under cabinet if that matters to anyone. Towels were cheap and rough, but it was like having a loofa washcloth! Try to be positive people!

KITCHEN
Was old with cheap cabinets, but it was stocked with everything you need to make a multi-course dinner. I didn't have a full oven, but the gas cooktop was sweet. I had an older microwave that took 12 minutes to pop popcorn, but they replaced it with a new one upon request. Again, I had a newer fridge, but older dishwasher. You are provided with everything you need to make all your meals inside your room. Housekeeping will load you dirty dishes in the dishwasher in case you don't get to it. (Weirdest thing: the kitchen is right @ the entrance to your room. My door was too short for the frame and you could slide a two inch book under it.)

BREAKFAST/DINNER
Breakfast was standard fare. A variety of eggs, meat, waffles, cold cereal, oatmeal, French toast, bagels, fruit, coffee, and juice. Be sure to get there early because they do run out of food when the hotel is crowded. Breakfast ran until 9 am most days.

Dinner menu is posted in your room. I guess I had a good week because they had taco night, pulled pork, pasta, and other food during my stay. It wasn't the best food, but it was nice option if you didn't want to cook and it was FREE! You also got as much beer, wine, and soft drinks, as you wanted. I had wine every night with my meals. Again, it's not the best, but since it's free, why not? I saved probably at least $100 during my stay by not having to eat out for every meal. Note that dinner does NOT provide a lot of options for vegetarians, but since you have a kitchen, you'll be fine. At least stop down for a free beer or glass of wine.

GYM/LAUNDRY
Gym was small and the ceiling was low, but the machines were well maintained and there was a variety of equipment for cardio and strength training. I went everyday and it was never crowded. Towels are provided and they always keep sanitizer available to wipe down the machines. Laundry was $1.75/load for wash and dry. Standard commercial top load washers got the job done. They have folding area and sitting area with TV in the laundry, which is nice. Laundry can get crowded and people do leave their stuff in there for hours, but all in all, it's nice to have it on site.

HOUSEKEEPING
I had a good crew. I timed it so that they cleaned my room either later in the day or while I was having breakfast and working out. They'll work with you if you have an odd schedule.

OTHER STUFF
They do have a business center with two computers and a laser printer. There is also a 24/market area with grossly overpriced items that you can get a lot cheaper @ any of the many grocery stores nearby. There is a Harris Teeter on Duke Street and a Safeway and Giant both on South Van Dorn not far from the hotel. There is also a mall within walking distance, but it's not very good. They do have a Macy's and some food options. I went to the Chick-Fil-A for lunch.

If you don't have a car, shuttle service is an excellent option. There is also a bus stop right in front of the hotel that will take you to Van Dorn Metro Station. There isn't much to do in the neighborhood, so you may want to head down to Old Town for an outing or DC if you have time. There is a library nearby on Holmes Run Parkway. If you will be staying for the weekend, you may want to try Enterprise on Duke Street or Edsall Road. They have a weekend special online for $9.99/day for a compact car. And since you have free parking, it's a deal.

OVERALL
I think this place was an excellent value for the money. If you are stickler about appearance, do yourself a favor and ask for a renovated room. I was lucky to have awesome neighbors who were utility contractors staying the hotel for several months. They cooked everyday! Fried everything and chili! So good. Thank goodness I worked out. I was eating all day long! I think the positives completely outweighed any issues I had. The staff addressed requests promptly and with a smile I think they do take pride in the property, but you need to be patient while they get it up to snuff. I hope to get this place again when bidding for hotels in Alexandria.

We just stayed at this hotel last week and we were pleasantly surprised. Because of the Inaugurational weekend and our last minute plans, we were forced to book a hotel a little farther away from the main city/town. We were worried about the location, but the hotel offers excellent shuttle service. I believe they have 3 shuttles and we never had to wait more than 10 minutes to go somewhere or be picked up.

On top of that breakfast and diner were included! And they didn't even raise their price during the inauguration weekend. A lot of other hotels did.

The hotel has good employees who care about their customers.

I would definitely recommend this hotel, if you don't mind a bit of extra traveling. In return you get good service, a decent and clean room, breakfast and dinner and a good price.