I stayed here for a conference last weekend and enjoyed my stay. Beds are comfortable, room service is prompt, and the staff is really helpful.

Suggestion for travelers: Ask to have a room in the capitol tower. The rooms are MUCH nicer. I stayed here in September as well, and unless they've renovated the Arlington tower, there is a huge difference between the two. Plus, the Capital tower is closer to the lobby, bar, restaurants, and many of the conference rooms. The Arlington tower seems like a world away.

While the hotel looks like it was built in the 80's, it appears to have been updated 5-7 years ago. The lobby is spacious and modern looking. The front desk staff were professional. The room furnishings are contemporary with a flat panel TV. The bathroom, though smallish, has a granite countertop. The bed had a comfortable pillow-top mattress. Housekeeping staff was friendly. Pool has indoor and outdoor portions is typical size for most hotels (Crystal City Marriott across the street has a larger, indoor-only pool, but that's the only advantage over this hotel). The convenient access to the Crystal City Underground's restaurants was appreciated, especially in January cold.

The Marriot Crystal Gateway Hotel is a very nice hotel. The hotel conveniently located off of the Blue/Yellow Metro rail with plenty of local restaurants and watering holes in the area. The lobby is huge, staffed with courtesy people, and is very clean. One thing I noticed was a security guard located at the main entrance in the evening hours. It was nice to know that the hotel management has security as a priority. The beds were very comfortable especially after a long day. So if you are in the area on business and need a place to stay overnight, I would highly recommend this location. This hotel does have a shuttle service to Reagan National Airport; however, the airport can also be reached via the metro rail.

I just spent five days at the Marriott for a conference. I was not involved in planning, but as a participant, everything ran remarkably smoothly. Food was surprisingly good (breakfast, lunch, and dinners), meeting rooms were properly serviced and configurations changed as planned.

I stayed on a concierge level floor and had most breakfasts in the lounge. The food was hot, and the woman from Bolivia who was taking care of us was wonderful. I could not get wi-fi reception, so not sure if that was offered in the lounge or not.

I also ate a few meals in the Mez. The shrimp and avocado salad was good, but they shamelessly cut the shrimp in half to make it appear as if there were three shrimp (already a bit stingy) only to find there were only 1 and 1/2. It was tasty, though, and the wait staff was attentive. They were very good about separate checks, since we were all on account.

My room overlooked the west. It was quiet, although it would have been nice for the cleaning staff to make a point of not letting the service door slam, which woke me up one morning. The bed was great. Bathroom was large enough for two. The room was cleaned well daily. There was a mini-fridge (that had not seen a defrosting in months and months!), iron and board, and appropriate storage space. TV was large with about 30 channels. This is the first hotel I've stayed at in years without a safe. Marriott needs to reconsider this. I was stuck carrying my electronics and jewelry all day. (Safe at desk is NOT convenient.) Everything else was fine. There is a small machine for a cup of coffee/tea, replenished daily. Toiletries and towels were abundant.

All personnel were cordial and there to help, in particular at the front desk. I needed to see a doctor while I was there and they directed me quickly to a clinic just a few blocks from the hotel. Charming woman from Romania helped my colleague when the reservation appeared lost. This staff wins an A+ for friendliness.

The hotel is connected to Crystal City shops and metro. Very convenient. It is close to sights if you are a tourist. I would stay here on my own as a tourist, and definitely recommend it for those of you looking for an event hotel.