After spending an amazing week on the road in Colorado, Nevada, Maryland, and Washington D.C., I had to return to reality. I had stayed in 4 hotels over 7 days, each with its own story. The last hotel I stayed in was the Wingate by Wyndham near the BWI airport. I had been expecting the typical nondescript,, mid-priced, airport hotel, but how I was surprised!
My sister, mother and I took the Metro from D.C. to BWI. While I was flying out that same day, my mother's flight was for the next day. We called the hotel to arrange for the shuttle to pick us up. The driver was there in 30 seconds! True, he was picking up other passengers at the time, but it was perfect timing!

When we arrived, the check in was quick and polite. I must say that the lobby was inviting: Coffee 24/7, nice decor, and close to the rooms. There was a pool, small gym, and a hot tub.
The business center was next to the front desk. There were two computers, a printer, a fax, pens, paper, etc. available for use. We quickly logged on FOR FREE and printed out our boarding passes. The front desk gave us many options for restaurants to try before my flight. We were expecting to have to walk or take a taxi to the Italian restaurant that we had chosen, but the front desk offered the hotel shuttle to us. The driver picked us up within minutes, drove us to the restaurant and picked us up when we had finished. The driver was quick, kind, and prompt!
Within a few minutes of our drop off from dinner, he gave me a ride to the airport.

During my short stay, the hotel staff did everything they could to make our stay comfortable and welcoming. The spacious king room had a micro/fridge combo. The coffee maker was located OUTSIDE of the bathroom (anywhere near the bathroom is revolting!). The shower head had a unique multi-flow system, and the bed was comfortable.
What a perfect stay!

Considering that it was my last night, I felt sad that this short stop was the end of my journey. If the other hotels had offered 50% of the what the Wingate had provided, my trip would have been outstanding. My previous hotels were: Hyatt Bethesda ($16.00 for internet kiosk use!), The Bellagio Las Vegas (that will be discussed soon!) The Gold Coast Las Vegas (no "real" business center, hot tub, or decent pillows), The Hampton Inn Las Vegas (great breakfast, nice business center, but $160/night!), and La Quinta Denver (double beds should fit two people...orange juice should not taste like water...) So, there is my cross-country adventure! Thank you, Wingate!

Our first impression of the hotel was great. The lady at the front desk was very friendly and helpful. (I can't remember her name - something like Cora? She was there on Sat 9/8/07 around 2:30pm when we checked in, and Sun 9/9/07when we checked out around 12noon.)The room itself was pretty nice, although we were missing the remote for the TV.They brought one up,but it didn't work right (every button changed the channel.) The room was clean and roomy, and the bed comfortable.

The problem was that we took the shuttle to the light rail to get to Camden Yards in Baltimore for the baseball game.(The hotel was PACKED with Red Sox fans watching them play the Orioles.) No problem on the way there.

On the way back, there were severe miscommunication problems regarding the shuttle. We were simply told to take the light rail to BWI and call from there to be picked up. We were NOT told to go to any special location to be picked up. When we called to be picked up, they said it would “be a while” as they were backed up. Each time we called, Sharon kept assuring us it was "on the way" and it wasn't until the 4th call that she finally understood that we were on the lower deck not the upper deck. They never mentioned there were 2 decks.. The person answering the phone at this time was Sharon, who was very curt and not helpful. It took 2 hours for us to get picked up. It was only a 4-min ride back to the hotel once we got picked up.If I'd known we were that close, I would have walked. We saw about 8 shuttles for the Marriott hotels pass us by during that time.

First, with the number of Red Sox fans at the hotel for the game, they should have known to have more shuttles running. There was only one. Everyone is going to leave the game around the same time. Second, they should have told people exactly where to go to get picked up.

We got back to the hotel so late (12:30am) and got very little sleep that night.We had to order pizza in our room since everything was closed.It almost ruined the entire trip.We were fuming at the time. However, the shuttle really was the only problem. The breakfast was very good and well stocked. I didn't use the pool, fitness center, or whirlpool, but they looked nice. The location is great. We drove into Baltimore for the game on Sunday and it was very quick to get to downtown Baltimore from this hotel.

I did not stay at this hotel. I needed I place to stay for one night before my flight in the morning. I went to several hotels near BWI but they were mostly booked up. The one I did find was more then $200.00. I just needed a place to rest my head for a few hours. Well the Lord sent me to see Rudy. He did not have any rooms but he pulled out the phone book, made some calls and found a very stressed and tired traveler a room. I just wanted to thank him for that and if I ever need to stay in that area again, the Wingate will be the place.

I've stayed in this hotel twice, on two recent business trips to Baltimore.

Both times it was fine -- it has all the basics: clean, comfortable rooms. Windows that open for fresh air (very important). Wireless internet access (although the connection was slow at times).

I wish breakfast were served later -- it's only offered until 9:00 a.m. I appreciate how close it is to the airport.

The front desk staff is friendly and efficient. Parking is easy. Finding it is easy.

The major thing this hotel has going against is that it's really darn expensive. $200+ per night at times, with tax! Yikes! It's just really not that special of hotel to be demanding that much.

I've seen a lot of airline employees going in and out, and they advertise a government rate, so I wonder if it's cheaper for them, and their remaining rooms they jack up high. Or there's just a real demand for hotels near BWI. Either way, I wish I was getting more for the price.