National Harbor Hotel stay

I have a free Marriott hotel certificate that I am looking to use this summer. I was originally thinking about booking a one night stay at the Gaylord National Harbor because it looks so nice but now I am thinking about going with the Residence Inn National Harbor. We live fairly close to DC and would be looking to stay in the National Harbor area (which we have never been to) and not venture into DC for the trip. The Residence Inn looks like it is about a block and a half away from the Gaylord. The parking is $13 vs $35 and the rate includes breakfast at the Residence Inn. I have a feeling we would get the worst views, etc at both. The pool looks like it would be slightly nicer at the Gaylord. In terms of enjoying the restaurants, etc at National Harbor, the Gaylord doesn't seem that it would be that much more convenient.

For anyone who is familiar with both hotels, am I missing anything that should sway me to the Gaylord or should I just book the RI. It would be 2 adults and 2 children (who don't mind the pull out bed for one night). The stay would probably be on a summer Friday night or 4th of July.

Thanks.

I don't know about these two hotels, but I use a lot of Marriott points! How many points is the Gaylord and how many is the Residence Inn? If the Residence Inn is lower, I would definitely take that. I'm sure you've looked at TripAdvisor to see how the two hotels are reviewed--I'm assuming they're both fine in terms of safety, cleanliness, and the basics.

On the rare occasions when I've splurged on a "really nice" hotel, I've always been mildly annoyed with myself later, because it's never been THAT nice. We love Residence Inns and you might get an upgrade to a 1br.

I would be using a 1-5 cert. The Gaylord is category 5 and the RI is category 4. During the week the Residence Inn usually costs more to use cash and the RI was more in the summer weekends but in the last month dropped to about $50 less than Gaylord ($229 vs $279). The Residence Inn is also a suite with a full size fridge but for a one night stay where a buffet breakfast is included I don't think we will be needing a kitchen. I should double check to make sure they do breakfast on weekends.

How about the room size? Is one room significantly larger? And does the Gaylord do breakfast?

The difference in parking fees is pretty significant.

The Residence Inn is right accross the street from the Gaylord. When I stayed there about 18 months ago, prior to Marriott picking up Gaylord, the RI gave passes for breakfast because people from conferences at the Gaylord would sneak in for breakfast! I used a freebie night to stay at the RI and had a river view. I would go with RI (breakfast and cheaper parking) and go over to the Gaylord if you want a restaurant there, or drinks, or whatever.

One more thing! My wife and I went to some of the local Happy Hours (Ketchup was one...) and had a blast with the "young" folks. (We are not young...except "at heart," I guess.) We were there on a Friday night and things were busy.

Gaylord !!!

We just returned Sunday from a week at Manor Club/Williamsburg, and midweek decided to drive 2 hrs to Old Town Alexandria for a day of shopping, browsing, dining, see some cherry blossoms, etc., and since we had a free night certificate on the books (cat 1-5), we stayed overnight at the Gaylord National Harbor (cat 5).

Hotel is outstanding and a very short walk to all the shops & restaurants. Hotel did not include breakfast with the cat-5 certificate. I asked. Still, the view we had from our balcony on the 17th floor (middle) was spectacular across the water, and for that reason alone I'd recommend the Gaylord. You won't get that anywhere else. We did walk past the RI, but didn't go in. I guess the breakfast might swing the vote for many, but not for us-----we enjoyed the luxurious experience at the Gaylord, even if only for a night.

Room was great, drank our wine, watched a movie on beautiful HD TV (probably available at RI, too), later enjoyed sitting on balcony and looking at "city" below (as all Gaylords have inside the atria), and used room service for a late-night dessert.

There are several really nice restaurants at National Harbor----we were in the mood for it so we chose Rosa Mexicano, an upscale Mexican restaurant, and it was fabulous----one of the best meals of the week---really a surprise. Enjoyed walking around the area.....beautiful...... and it made the trip special. When we skimp (we don't), the trips just never seem as memorable later.

Our stay is next weekend
I am travelling with picky kids and 94 DGM who needs soft food, so although I would enjoy some fine dining I don't want to have to pay for it when I will be the only one enjoying it. Is there any kind of Galleria (mall) type eatery where we could get food from different places? If not a decent but not crazy expensive seafood place might work.

DH is looking forward to inviting a friend or two over to grill and enjoy some beverages without 3.5 generations of craziness. Fingers crossed for some nice weather.

tschwa2 said:

Our stay is next weekend
Is there any kind of Galleria (mall) type eatery where we could get food from different places? If not a decent but not crazy expensive seafood place might work.

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Nothing like that at National Harbor. I would suggest heading to Old Town Alexandria, VA (water taxi or a short drive across the Wilson bridge) or perhaps Crystal City in Arlington, VA. There's also a shopping center between those two locations... Potomac Yards.

Enjoy!

Closest nice mall would be Pentagon City. Large food court and many restaurants behind. Either need to drive and take metro to reach it.

Nancy