We ended up coming to TownePlace due to delayed settlement on our new house and stayed there 17 days. We were in two bedroom suite with kitchenette.
If you are a large family who does not care partying on town (DC) late at night, and does not mind driving to DC for sightseeing and such, this is the place for you. In terms of the location, it is right at the beltway on the south, and the hotel has an easy access to 395/95/495 - excellent location if you need to drive around. It is close by metro, but you would need to drive there, or take bus to get to metro - it's about 5 minute drive.
Location itself is a bit weird - you overlook the car dealership, and if you take Commerce, you may see some low-income rentals, but you need not worry about that - we have lived in Springfield for a long time, and have never had issues. There is a pretty large shopping center near by with Giant, CVS, Buy Buy Baby, K-Mart, Trader Joe's and some other stores and restaurants. Like another reviewer, we highly recommend Mike's American - just call ahead to be added to the list because this place gets busy all the time and wait can be long. Not far from this area, there is also place called Kingstown (it's in Alexandria)- another popular dining/shopping area with stores like TJMAXX, Ross, Home Goods, some clothing shops, Safeway, Giant, and movie theatres, not to mention tons of dining - our favories were Bonefish, Indian place across the street, Panera and Moby Dick.
Hotel itself is very comfortable - if you would rather stay in the place where they changes sheets on daily places, and leave you chocolates, skip this one. Not to say that they won't if you ask for it, they just normally make the bed for you and take out trash. When you get to your room, it is homie - meaning that it not sterile, the decor has warm hues, and the room/suite feels comfortable. There are flat screen TVs in bedrooms as well as the living area and there are cooking utencils if you want to cook - actually, there is literally everything if you need to cook there - various size pots, a couple pans, and 4 of each - plates, glasses, cups, forks, spoons, etc. They also provide you with coffee maker and a toaster. The staff replaces the towels as needed on daily basis, and also provides dish soap and whatever else you need - like toilet paper, coffee, etc.
Then you have a free continental breakfast - and it is ok - a lot better than some other places. But it is limited - you get the same frozen waffles and french toast and cereal and yogurt options, but what you get is plentiful, and they refill everything quickly. They also have fresh fruit and oatmeal and gritts, mini muffins and bread, butter and cream cheese. Overall, I'd say, there is plenty of options for a good breakfast.
Now, the workout area - while existent, it is very small - maybe 3-4 machines. It is always empty, so you would be in luck if you want to work out.
Pool - very small, but they always have a life guard, and for a quick dip, it is ok. They provide fresh towels at the poolside.
Staff - very friendly and accommodating. We had to extend our stay several times, and they were understanding and accommodating.
A tip you should take note of - they can give you an option to check out and check in immediately - take this option because your points take time to accrue on your account with Marriott, and if you are staying long time here, your day or two maybe charged to points if you use this method at the end of the stay. Otherwise, your points will show up on your account for the stay three - five days later and you won't be able to take advantage of your points right away.
Overall - I am so happy we stayed here - I have no clue why this hotel is rated 2.5 stars.