My ratings are as follows: 5 stars - excellent, 3 stars - average, 1 star - worst.

I had a to take a business trip to Bethesda during the first week of April 2008. This time around the hotel choice was left to our company's travel agent. My only requirements were that the place be not too far from downtown Bethesda, but at the same time had reasonable rates with some basic amenities and close to restaurants and public transportation.

OVERALL (4 stars)
This hotel is situated in a nice area. Since this was a business trip, I needed a place with Internet connectivity and a relaxing environment after a day's work. An Internet connection is important to catch up on emails, and for me, it's always nice to have a quite time at the end of the day before the cycle starts again a few hours later.

All in all, I enjoyed my stay at this hotel. The only minor drawback was the slight stench of sewer in the bathroom. The smell was only limited to the bathroom area, and it was not enough to trigger my gag reflexes. But others may fare worse.

Also note that Holiday Inn Priority members may want to show their membership card during check-in. I got a nice 10th floor room with a decent view of the outside and a little bit added insulation from the traffic noise. Members also get a free drink pass and discount coupon at the hotel restaurant.

LOCATION (5 stars)
I really liked the location of this hotel. Attached to the same structure, there is a nice restaurant and bar. There is an entrance from the lobby area, so you are completely shielded from the environment.

Across the hotel are a couple of upscale stores such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany's, etc. There is also a Starbucks nearby, and for all your other grocery needs, there is a Giant supermarket behind the upscale stores. In the same supermarket plaza, there is also an ice cream shop and pizza parlor. If you want to venture out a little further, you will find a Panera Bread, Moe's Southwest Grill, and a Mei Wah restaurant.

Just a few minutes walk south of the hotel, you will also find Friendship Heights metro station. This is really convenient because you don't have to worry about driving around and paying for parking.

Traffic noise was also not much of a factor after hours. Cars were abundant during business hours, but come night time, the streets only had a few of them left.

If you also do a little exploring, there is a small park with a basketball court just north of the hotel. Also, if the season is right, they have some beautiful cherry blossom trees nearby. The bottom line is: the area around the hotel has a nice surrounding and seemed safe; I didn't have any problems walking around during night time.

STAFF (5 stars)
No complaints regarding the staff. They were very helpful and kept my room clean everyday. They supplied fresh towels and a replenishment of bath items such as soap and shampoo.

ROOM (4 stars)
My room in the 10th floor had a nice view. There were two queen beds along with a comfortable, fabric chair. The noise level coming into the room was tolerable. If you listen hard enough, you may hear your neighbors' TV, but personally, it's not a big issue since the noise levels are still faint.

The beds were pretty comfortable and the pillows were soft. They smelled fresh and didn't feel too starchy (i.e. stiff).

There is no refrigerator to cool your edible and potable items, so you might want to keep this in mind.

Included in the room: iron & board, hair dryer, TV, alarm clock, work desk, etc.

INTERNET (5 stars)
There is free Internet access in the room. I was only able to test out the wired connection, so I am not sure if there are any wireless access points accessible in the room.

The Internet connection was good. Data speeds were sufficient, and there were no noticeable data transfer issues during peak times (e.g. when the business travelers come back to rest, night time).

TV (2 stars)
My room had a 27-inch TV and only had a few channel selections. The remote control was also broken, so you can only switch channels in one direction. In other words, if you wan to go back to a previous adjacent channel, then you have to scroll through the channel list again to get to it.

The channel selection included HBO, TNT, USA, and some local stations. This is ample enough if you're not a TV addict.

DRINKING WATER (2 stars)
I suggest that you buy your own water from the store. The hotel provided one complimentary bottle of drinking water, but that wasn't enough, and it was only during the first night. I did not bother tasting the tap water, since the bathroom stench persuaded me to avoid it.

PARKING (2 stars)
There is a guest parking at the hotel. However, you will be charged an extra $10 per day. The parking area is in an underground basement directly below the hotel. This area is also shared with other customers from other stores. The space also seems tight, but one can manage to park a mid-size SUV without any problems.