Hotel Harrington, Washington, DC

...I have to say the hotel harrington is the hotel where i spent a few days which have probably been some of the best in my life.
I went there with my school and stayed there for three nights. On arrival I thought it was a bit boring and plain and it is- it's not a hotel you would want to stay in to experience luxury, it's a simple hotel for travellers. But it's not too simple.

The hotel itself

features..
...
...group.

The hotel itself has 242 guest rooms including 26 deluxe family rooms which feature two rooms, two televisions, two baths and a door between for privacy. Alos they offer a discount of around 50% off the cost of buying two seperate rooms.
There are also 50 economical rooms with either one queen sized bed or two singles. larger rooms come with either two double size beds or two queen size beds.
the hotel has several ... more

NOTE. That other review is on my old account. please read this one.

I have to say the hotel harrington is the hotel where i spent a few days which have probably been some of the best in my life.
I went there with my school and stayed there for three nights. On arrival I thought it was a bit boring and plain and it is- it's not a hotel you would want to stay in to experience luxury, it's a simple hotel for travellers. But it's not too simple.

The hotel itself

features..
-a restaurant for lunch and evening meals
-a restaurant for all three meals.
-free internet access
-burger bar
-gift shop
-television with free HBO!
-ice machine
-vending machines on all levels
-laundramat
-large room for parties, meetings etc. if travelling in a large group.

The hotel itself has 242 guest rooms including 26 deluxe family rooms which feature two rooms, two televisions, two baths and a door between for privacy. Alos they offer a discount of around 50% off the cost of buying two seperate rooms.
There are also 50 economical rooms with either one queen sized bed or two singles. larger rooms come with either two double size beds or two queen size beds.
the hotel has several rooms with a king size bed in either a stand alone room, or a two room accomodation that includes a sitting area with an extra television. There are even rooms which can accomodate 6 people and so whatever you travelling group size you will be more than comfortable.
it has three lifts but one is a service lfit and when i went with the school they got stuck in it because it's very tempremental according to the staff so don't use it.
The room I stayed in was near some kind of vent which smelt of food which sounds abit of putting but it wasn't bad at all. The television is really good with cool american shows to watch. The room I was in had a fridge so we could put some of our own food in. All the rooms have a free intercom service where you can talk to your friends in other rooms or talk to the reception. There is plenty of storage space in the rooms for all your clothes etc. The bathroom was of a good size, however, it took a while to get the shower to stay warm. The general layout of the room was perfect (I was in a room with two singles, one double)
The foyer of the hotel is very attractive, with an interesting fishtank and places to sit and wait for people.
Parking is available in an underground garage and is attended all the time located at 1325 G Street, N.W. It is a nice, short five minute walk.
The staff are friendly and cooperative.
I suggest you try every american food on offer in the vending machine! It's fun!
If you go to the Harrington Hotel you are truly going to have a fun time!
I think that the hotel is perfect if you want a good place to stay in Washington and a good central place to be for the sights, but not if you're looking for 5* luxury.

Rates

Small Queen Sleeps 1-2 $ 99.00 + tax

Small Twin/Twin Sleeps 1-2 $ 109.00 + tax

Queen Standard Sleeps 1-2 $ 109.00 + tax

Double/Double Sleeps 1-4 $ 125.00 + tax

Queen/Queen Sleeps 1-4 $ 135.00 + tax

Queen/Queen/Twin Sleeps 1-5 $ 145.00 + tax

Standard King Sleeps 1-2 $ 125.00 + tax

Extra Large Room Sleeps 6 $ 155.00 + tax

Deluxe Family Room Sleeps 4 $ 169.00 + tax
Obtained from the Hotel Website.

The food

You can choose to have breakfast with your stay and I have to say I had breakfast every day I stayed there it was lovely. There was a large selection of food- fruit salad, cooked breakfast, cereals, panckaes, muffins and yoghurt.

I have to say "OLLIES TROLLEY" is home to the best burger, chips, home made old fashioned lemonade that you will ever taste in your life. Don't be put off by the scummy appearance. Washington business people come here for lunch and love it. I love this place. My friends and I loved it so much. If you stay at this hotel DO NOT IGNORE THIS PLACE!!! The fries are covered in glorious spices- Covered in a mix of paprika, carraway seeds, salt, light garlic, lemon pepper. Amazing taste! For $6.50 (about £3.80) You can get an amazing meal of a drink, fries and a burger and believe me it is out of this world. Ollies also plays cool old american music and jazz and stuff like sinatra. If you want to experience traditional american dining, go to Ollies. Try the lemonade! It's amazing. You can even get a chilli burger (yum)
Ollies is on the same block as the hotel and is like just next door to it.

There is a restaurant called "Harrys" which is a freindly pub/restaurant which i did not go to, however I know of some people who did and they said that the food was amazing. It's a little expensive, but apparently worth it and they do meals like steak, platters, fish and salad.

Area

you could seriously not be in a better place in Washington. Firstly, it is situated just three miles from a national airport, according to the website, but I didn't see or hear any planes. The hotel is in a very central place. It is in the very centre of Washington DC's most popular area for tourists. You can walk to the whitehouse in about half an hour, and the subway metro is just two blocks away. Close by, go southwards across the green grass of the Ellipse to the Washington Monument which is situated very near to the famous lincoln memorial and vietnam wall.
It'll take about 20 minutes to walk to all the famous and very interesting museums and art galleries-
The American History Museum, the Natural History Museum, the Air & Space Museum, the National Gallery of Art. I visited all except the art gallery but my friend went there and said it was worth it. You do not have to pay for any of the museums apart from if you go in and go to the IMAX cinema, like I did, which was an interesting experience and cheap for $8 but I fell asleep because the film about safari I was watching went on for too long and I was very tired. A shopping mall is also near these museums.
I also visited the museum of the american indian which was good but it only takes about half an hour to walk round there but I suggest you get a bus or metro to that because it's a little further.
There is an H&M about a 5 minute walk from Hotel Harrington if you're interested in that which is cheaper in the U.S than the U.K.
A very interesting ice cream shop is directly opposite the hotel where you can get loads of different ice cream mixtures with sweets, sauces and different flavours. I think it was about $6 for a very large tub and although I didn't have any because I prefer sorbet it did look very tasty!
Across from Ollies, there is a sports bar, which is popular with the teenagers of the area but lots of people go there to eat and drink. The menu was quite expensive but they have lots of American sports on big screens so it's definately worth experienceing.
There is a Barnes and Noble bookshop near H&M which is cool because there are cheap books and CD's and you can listen to the music all the way through before you buy it. There is also a starbucks in this store.
There TWO! Mcdonalds very close by! so if you like Mcdonalds! there's two for you. (Mcdonalds is cheaper in the U.S and does pumpkin pies!)
China town is a fifteen minute walk away and when we went there a vargrant told us the best chinese restaurant and we trusted him and went there. It was good but not amazing but the people were very nice and China town is worth a trip.

A word of caution,

SPEAK TO THE HOTEL STAFF ABOUT WHAT ROADS NOT TO GO DOWN. We ignored the warnings on the way back from China Town and decided to go down any street and found ourself in an unfriendly area. Be careful, Washington has the greatest gun crime in the whole of America. If you're sensible and safe, you will be fine :-)

A word from someone who stayed at Hotel Harrington form the UK
"I was looking for a good stay and ended up with a great one. Thanks for being so close to everything. I thought I'd have to catch a cab to the MCI Center but decided walking was more convenient and helped me get a better view of the area. The Capitol, Old Post Office, FBI Building and many more were well within walking distance. The breakfast in the Blue Plate was by far the best I have ever had, the ribs in Harry's were wonderful and Ollies Trolley was great for a quick snack. Thank you for making my stay in DC a memorable one (for the right reasons!!)
Visitor from UK"

And finally, Hotel Harrington is an ideal place to stay if you want to see Washington. If you cannot walk well or do not like walking I do not recommend you visit Harrington Hotel because, although there is not alot of walking to be done, you can walk everywhere you'd want to go as it is extremely central. The food is delicous and the atmosphere is friendly, suitable for families, groups and tours and people travelling alone.

Enjoy! xxx 

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