The room, staff, and food was great. I was attending a conference when Hurricane Sandy hit and my flight was delayed for two days. The staff helped ensure I had a room. I was initially on the 14th floor but with the Hurricane approaching I asked to be moved, and the staff ensured that I was moved to the 3rd floor. I felt at home and very safe. This is a great place for the business traveler, especially for a woman traveling alone.

Came to DC for 4-days of site-see'ing and taking in the sights & sounds of Christmas. Could not have selected a better hotel! Hotel is super-clean; staff are outstanding; very convenient to metro (free shuttle service every 30 minutes, both drop-off and pick-up); complimentary dinners Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday; only 1.5 years old so everything in hotel is nice, new & works!! The work-out facility rivals any gym and a wonderful outdoor pool area (although a little chilly in December to go swimming outside, but we WILL return in the summer). What more could you ask for in a hotel?

Stunning panoramic sunrise -- if facing airport/ river side of building. Also, if on higher floors, can easily spot Capitol, while gazing upon capital. (Capitol building illuminated at night -- easier to spot; look in direction of airport tower.)


High-Floor Studio Facing Airport/ River
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Depending on your need for spaciousness, studio is comfortable for 1, cozy for 2, snug for 3. (If you're spoiled by RI's roomier 1-bedroom suites, smaller studio suites disappoint, but after weeping a bit, you adapt.)

• 40+ channels HD & analog TV stations; good reception & image quality on LCD TV, which swivels. Aim TV wherever you're located in room: sofa, bed, kitchenette.

• Kitchen table serves double duty as dining spot & desk to work from. (Convenient outlets for electronic gadgets.)

• Free Internet/ WiFi; login code/ password required daily.

• Can faintly hear cargo trains & planes -- not distracting.

• Quiet dishwasher, quiet room-door close (not typical loud, heavy slam as at many hotels).

• Fresh, crisp bed linens -- an under rated pleasure.

From your window, once you experience an evening of glistening city lights & a spectacular dawn sunrise, all petty whinings cease & you appreciate where you are, & how well you're being taken care of.


Additional RI Niceties
-----------------------------
• Cozy 3rd-floor patio/ lounging area -- outside exercise room -- a quiet, tucked away spot to work, meet-up, or dine. (RI door you enter patio from may lock behind you (that is, you may be unable to re-enter -- even with keycard -- through the same door; but, you can re-enter building through Renaissance-side door using your RI key card & weave your way back to gym.)

• Black & white photos of DC sites along hallways; challenging to identify which building the photo is taken of.

• Track Capital View's 2 Metro Shuttle Vans (live/ real time) routes & schedules through their website:
DCAMARRIOTTSHUTTLE.COM

(Check it out any time; pretty amazing.) If you've a mobile device & WiFi connection, you can monitor the van's progress -- as you wait (outside the hotel or at Crystal City Metro Station) for the van to arrive.

• 3 swift elevators; minimal waiting.

• $22 underground/ building self-parking. Convenient in/ out throughout the day, but can be *tight* parking if you've a larger vehicle. (Smaller vehicle also easier for maneuvering about town & parking in city, as well.)

• Miss the eco-friendly face cloths in gatehouse/ lobby bathrooms; paper towels solely remain.


Crystal City Niceties
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• 10-minute stroll over to South 23rd Street for variety of indoor/ outdoor/ takeout dining options: Sushi, Thai, Legal Seafood,... for evenings when RI isn't serving meals.

• Pick up the "Crystal City Shops Directory" to familiarize yourself with the abundance of shopping/ dining options. The directory also serves as an excellent *Overview Map* (details streets/ buildings) of the area; good for keeping in your pocket if you venture out on foot. (When checking in at lobby desk, turn around & brochure rack is directly behind you on wall; the directory is a tall black brochure with large white letters "directory.") If none are in rack, ask helpful desk staff. (Overview map is worth having.)

• Entry point to Mt. Vernon Trail (walking, jogging, biking) by the Crystal City Water Park (north on Crystal Dr., by 18th St.).

• The new Long Bridge Park (past Crystal City Water Park) is expansive (with well-designed sports fields in view of path) has a bit of a wide open desolate feel -- but an interesting area to stroll nonetheless. Planes fly over -- every 20(?) minutes -- taking off & landing at Washington National Airport. (At times, you feel you can jump up with outstretched arm & touch a plane's underbelly with your fingertips.) Occasionally, a freight train will chug by with a lengthy chain of cars. On one side of the path you can overlook a body of water: Roaches Run Waterfowl Sanctuary.

• Harris Teeter Grocery (at 3600 S. Glebe Rd.) is temporarily closed, but walk further down (toward Alexandria) for a Food World grocery (by Best Buy, Target). (Bit of a long walk down & back -- especially carrying groceries; you may be better off driving if your not a up for a trek.)


Food, Glorious Food
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Bring Guest Services Card to complimentary breakfast & evening social hour (dinner).

• Breakfast (6am-9am on Mon.-Fri.; 7am-9:30am on Sat. & Sun.)

-- Best *real* whole grain bread. (Wish every RI would serve this real bread as their standard fare.) (Excellent toasted & eaten with walnuts; tasty flavour combination.)

-- Prefer plain, *unsweetened* yoghurt in parfait; the already sweet granola & blueberries, have the right amount of sweetness already. (Plain Greek yoghurt would be ideal.)

-- Excellent rotation & variety of standard RI fare -- much appreciated by long-stay and/ or repeat guests; relieves the tedium of sameness if you've a steady diet of hotel food.

-- Thankful for plain, boiled eggs.


• Dinner (6pm-7:30pm on Mon, Tue, Wed.)

-- Fresh salad & hearty soups (chicken noodle, minestrone,...) with each meal.

-- Excellent tuna salad/ chicken salad (alongside fresh tossed salad vegetables).

-- Tasty "sloppy joe" seasoned meat as alternative (or in addition to) hot-dog main course. Chicken meal another night.

-- Fresh (not canned) green string beans & other veg.

What can you say. If you like *real* food; this is as real as it gets at any RI. Enjoy it while you can.


(For additional RI Capital View specifics -- breakfasts, dinners, 1-bedrooms, drive/ walk times to sites, guest laundry, exercise room -- see review posted Aug. 2012 about earlier stays -- Sept 2011.)

This review is a bit early because I am staying here, but so far I have been extremely impressed with this hotel. It is clean. The staff are friendly. Marriot is on top of it when it comes to knowing what business customers want and need. From hot breakfast to dinner served daily (complimentary) to running to the grocery store to fill my fridge (also included), this hotel has gone above and beyond. It's Residence Inn for m from now on!