-Stayed here 2 nights with husband while sightseeing in DC. We enjoyed the wonderful Hampton Inn comfy beds and bedding. The room was roomy, and the bathroom was fine. We enjoyed the breakfast and the convenience to the metro station. Cons: We did not find the front desk staff to be especially friendly or helpful, and valet parking is $12.00/ day. The base price per night was $189.00 + parking, taxes, etc. in April 2010. The price was in line with other hotels in the area that we checked on, and we would probably stay here again.

Nice newer hotel within 2-3 blocks of the Metro (access into Washington DC).
King Room included work desk and small stool. Very clean bath - all tile and new. Included breakfast which was a bit busy as expected. The hotel shares with attached long term suites hotel from Hilton.
Easy walk to transportation. Would stay again. I

The Hampton Inn in Silver Spring is very much the new “gem” for both business and personal travel to the DC area. I travel to the area nearly monthly on business, and have tried the nearby Silver Spring Hilton, Crowne Plaza, both Courtyards, and others, and this Hampton Inn offers the best combination of new product, cleanliness, service, convenience, and location.

Among the pluses: walking distance to numerous restaurants and shopping, just 2-3 blocks away; a 10 minute walk to Metro’s Red Line, a new hotel in spotless condition, continental breakfast “plus” that includes breads, fruit, and hot items (scrambled eggs and sausage patties this morning), and somewhat convenient parking in the municipal lot next door. I say “somewhat” because the parking is free at metered spaces in the garage from 7:00 PM until 7:00 AM. To keep the parking police at bay, on the way to breakfast I headed to the garage and fed the meter with $1.50 in quarters to buy two more hours until my planned departure at 9:00. This is far cheaper than the paid parking at the Silver Spring Courtyard’s municipal lot, and far cheaper and more convenient than the $12 +tip mandatory valet parking at the dumpy Hilton across the street.

The room itself was as close to perfect as I’ve found lately. Very comfortable beds, fast cabled internet service, a plug convenient for using the iron and two convenient outlets on the desk for the computer and cell phone charger, a 32” flat screen TV with the network channels actually in high-def, and an easy to use clock radio. The bathroom was also nicely sized, with standard Hampton Inn amenities, and spotless.

Service was very good, and the gentleman working the front desk in the evening was extremely helpful and personable.

The negatives: no free parking on-site (but again, the adjacent garage is easy to use); no newspapers available other than USA Today (where are the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post?), and while it wasn’t a big problem, for some reason it took 5+ minutes of running the shower to get hot water. Must be due to the building being a renovated older office building.

And for rate -- I paid the same at the Hampton Inn ($159) as I would have at the poor-condition Hilton across the street, and got much more in terms of cleanliness, breakfast, and not having to pay for valet parking. The hotel is about $80 less than the nearby Marriott Courtyard, and about the same price as the very dated Crowne Plaza. Yes, it's expensive to stay in the Silver Spring area.

Bottom line: I recommend this hotel completely.

Beware this place allows pets. Checked into what appeared to be a very quiet and private room. Then I hear a dog barking through the connecting door. The staff was helpful and gave me a couple of keys to check out other rooms. This HI is nice and new. I always thought the downtown area was kind of drab. Little did I know, one or two blocks over is a whole street of movie theaters, food joints etc.