Stayed here for a couple of nights in early September, in a queen bedded room with a party of three. The hotel lived up to expectations based on prior reviews. Very clean room, good beds, good maid service, fairly competent front desk staff (see below), above average breakfast (for a Garden Inn), free parking (in DC!), nice surrounding area with varied and some quite good restaurants (make sure you read reviews from others prior to selecting them), competitive pricing.

Of particular note:

- The hotel is a far walk from the closest metro station (Pentagon City, 4 miles). The hotel offers a free shuttle service that will take you there; however, you must reserve space in advance (the day before) and you may have to wait a while to get picked up to come back. Taxi to the same metro station runs about $10 one way.

- We arrived with a ton of luggage. Our room was not ready yet (1:30pm arrival but check-in is at 3pm). Front desk courteously provided a cart (which we filled to the top) and stored it securely in a locked room, even had tags airport style to mark the bags for later retrieval. No issue getting the cart back later that evening. Very helpful as we went to Annapolis that afternoon and did not want to travel the rest of the day with a vehicle full of luggage.

- We had a free breakfast promotion for all parties in the room, and we had paid for three people in the room (pricing was less with less people registered). The front desk gave us a coupon for just two breakfasts. We did not notice until the next morning when we went to pay the breakfast bill with the coupon. So we had to go back to the front desk to have the coupon updated. The front desk seemed ambivalent as to whether to update the coupon or not until I mentioned we'd paid for three and that should be in the record. On a separate note, the front desk was also unaware what it meant to get a 'zero balance' receipt upon departure, asking instead 'you didn't get one under the door?', then had trouble working the printer to get a new receipt showing payment was processed through.

- Breakfast is typical Garden Inn but they do have some extras (like salmon carpaccio and cheeses). Also, the waitress will take your order at the pancake/omelette station, provide it to the cook, and then take your order to your table when its ready. Same thing for juices, they'll ask you table side and bring them to you even though you can get them yourself when filling up your plate with other breakfast items. Nice touch. Service is cordial; one of the servers one of the days was a bit rude to everyone, but the large majority of serving staff were very courteous and quick. Food items were as tasty as you can get at a Garden Inn, the pastries and the omelettes were a step above.

- Parking is in a public building across the street from the hotel and which serves the shopping area in which this hotel is located. You will need to park in the fourth floor in spaces marked for the hotel, be sure to get a parking pass from the front desk which you hang from your rearview mirror (we got it when leaving our luggage for storage and before we were actually checked in). There are no entry/exit controls in the parking lot. You can park for 10 minutes in front of the hotel for loading/unloading, but a maximum of four cars can fit in this space, and it is not covered against the elements.

Would we return? Most definitively. This is a Garden Inn that likes to believe it's a full Hilton. And it does come close.

This hotel definitely lived up to it's good rating on this website. We had a great stay with no complaints. The front desk was friendly and very helpful. I had a problem printing my e-tickets and Ali was incredibly nice and patient helping me get them printed. The breakfast staff was so friendly and nice. Loved them all. Needed extra washcloths one time and they were there within 10 minutes. We loved the free shuttle. It took us to and from the airport and to the metro at Pentagon City. The location in the Village at Shirlington was terrific. So many restaurants to choose from with a grocery store across the street from the hotel. I definitely recommend the Carlyle for dinner.

In a great location - the uber-cute Shirlington Village - with plenty of great restaurants within walking distance. Super clean, quiet rooms with really comfortable beds (love those duvets!) Helpful, friendly staff! Not at close to a Metro Station, but there is a free shuttle to one close by - which was very nice. Free parking in a garage across the street was extremely nice - and we always found a spot. The home-made cookies were delicious, and a very nice touch. Check-in and out was simple - no hassle at all. Complimentary shuttle to the airport was quick and efficient (just remember to make arrangements with the front desk in advance.) All in all, this is a really nice hotel, and I would definitely stay here again!

The AC is very quiet and lots of good restaurants around the hotel. For the shuttle service from or to the airport (DCA), please call them when you arrive the airport. They don't stop by the airport as often as other hotels. They also provide shuttle service within 5 miles. You just need to ask the front desk to make an appointment.
The room is clean and new (2 years old). But one area of improvement, front desk needs to more friendly and helpful. They do not show a smiling face to hotel guests. So they don't get 5 stars rating. But it is a good place to stay.
If you like Asian food, please try Pho 75 and Bangkok 54. Enjoy.