There are NO rooms in DC

[Laura PourMeADrink]

Been looking for a hotel for the innauguration. Nothing - except $575/night
at a Holiday Inn and $1200/night at the Mayflower.

Maybe we should put an ad on Craig's list for Republicans looking
to get out of their reservation. HAHA

[barbtries]

1. i wonder

how long ago they were booked. i'm looking at the possiblity of going on a tour bus for a turnaround trip from NC. but i'll probably have to work :(

[thunder rising]

2. Sweet!

[liberal N proud]

3. A couple of things are probably happing

1. The hotels themselves are holding a block of rooms that will only be released to the winning candidates or party.
2. Events like this are similar to big sporting events like national championship or something. Group associated with one side are so confident they will win they have booked all the rooms they can. Those rooms will only become available once the decision has been made who will ge going to the show. I experienced this last year following my college favorite team to the national championship (NCAA Div II Football). All the rooms in town had been reserved by a team that was beaten out three weeks prior to the game, but the fans wouldn't release the rooms until 48 hours prior to the game. We were not able to get a room until the day before the game.


BTW: I stayed at the Washington Mayflower on July 3 & 4 this year for $135/night plus free valet parking and a $50 gas card. That is an example of supply and demand. Nice place

[Laura PourMeADrink]

5. What's bad is that I'd say about a month ago, feeling optimistic,

I was going to book - there were plenty of rooms - but I didn't. Now, even the B&Bs
are full. But, you are right - Nov 5th might be a good time to look again, huh.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Look into staying at the extremities of mass transit

That would be out at the ends of each of the lines on the metro, at stops along the VRE routes in Virginia and along the MARC routes in Maryland.

The commutes will be a little longer (a lot longer) but the hotels should be both available and more reasonable.

[KharmaTrain]

6. Check Out Beyond The Beltway

No matter who wins, these hotels stand to make a lot of money...especially if they host related functions. I'd suggest looking away from the center city...out in the burbs...Washington has an excelent transit system.

[HughBeaumont]

7. Ah, the luxury of having a sister in Silver Spring, MD.

Of course, the 6 year-old hyperactive nephew doesn't make for good sleep, but I manage. :7

[seemunkee]

8. Check any where on a Metro line

Or any where near a Metro line. Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Crystal City, Vienna, Reston.
It sure will feel good going downtown to celebrate and not protest.

[qanda]

9. Look outside of DC or near Baltimore

Arundel Mills mall has hotels and they are close to BWI Airport, which has a bus to Greenbelt where you could pick up the subway into town. It's also close to the BWI Amtrak station where you could take the train right down into DC.

[arcadian]

10. I got one.

At my sister's house. :-)

[sofa king]

11. Rosslyn is a good bet.

If you can find some good folks to stay with there, you'll be set, because Rosslyn is actually closer to downtown DC (by Metro; it's about an hour's walk on foot) than most of the rest of the Metro system, and the trains run twice as often because the Blue and Orange lines run on the same track from Rosslyn through a good chunk of downtown. You can save a few bucks by illegally flagging a DC cab going back to DC--they're not supposed to pick you up, but they will. Agree upon the fare with the driver before you get in. If you're going to take a cab back, ask a local if the fare lines are still in effect and if they are, where the line is (one line used to run through the middle of Adams Morgan).

There are at least two Marriotts in Rosslyn; one of them is considerably less expensive than the other, and parts of that one actually have one of the best views in town. It also happens to be the less heavily booked, probably because it's older and less nice.

In January of 2001, you couldn't walk through Rosslyn with an umbrella without knocking off a cowboy hat along the way. Here's hoping you won't see a damned one of them this January.

Also, if you have corporate connections, look into Crystal City. Half of that town is company-owned suites.

[LiberalEsto]

12. Try Gaithersburg

There are several motels/hotels in the Gaithersburg, Maryland area that have far more reasonable prices. Some of them have shuttle service to the Shady Grove Metro station -- a 45-minute train ride to downtown DC.

Comfort Inn at Shady Grove has free shuttle service to the Metro, 16216 Frederick Road, Gaithersburg. So does the Holiday Inn Gaithersburg at 2 Montgomery Village Avenue.

[WolverineDG]

13. thanks for that info! nt

[RollWithIt]

14. Might consider booking a hotel in Virginia or Maryland....

And riding the Metro in. The Metro system in DC kicks ass.

[fed_up_mother]

15. A number of rooms will open up after the election!