Motel/Hotel Accomodations In Washington DC Area

I'm in need of some information about overnight accommodations available near Washington DC. My dear friend passed away this morning and even tho she lived in Columbus, Ohio, she was from DC and her family lives in that area. Sheryl wanted to be buried with her family and in all likelihood the funeral and burial will be there. Bob and I want to attend but we know nothing about places to stay for a couple o nights in that area. We don't expect to be able to stay in DC but we are open to anything within an hour or so from there.

Do any of you know of any places we can contact to fit our need? We appreciate any suggestions you can give us.

Thanks so much,
Cathy

I know there is a Radisson Hotel in DC as well as a Sheraton Inn. Other than that, I don't know.

Thanks Kwanjin.

It may be hard to find a hotel if it has to be soon. We went to DC many years ago but stayed in Alexandria, VA (just across the Potomac). It's about ten miles or less to the The National Mall.

It might be impossible right now to get accommodations there. What with the new presidency.

This message was edited Jan 22, 2009 9:37 AM

I would suggest finding the exact location as to where the funeral is and then go into Expedia and plug in the street address. I travel to the DC area for business. Vienna, VA has nice hotels but they are pricey.

People are probably leaving now that Inauguration is over. But like Nebraskaejewel says find out where the funeral is and look for something there. You don't want a hotel on the total opposite side of town if you can stay nearby. Big city.
Lots of hotels at BWI Airport of you're on the north or NW side of town. (my side)

I am Lotusblossom's daughter. What she and dad need are inexpensive, but clean accommodations. They want to be able to attend their friend's funeral if it ends up being in DC, but they are on a fixed income and can't stay at a pricey hotel, especially when you consider they are driving from Ohio. Your first-hand recommendations for reasonable accommodations would really be appreciated.

This message was edited Jan 23, 2009 12:14 AM

I don't think there's such a thing as inexpensive in DC. Do you know where the funeral will be? DC is a big city and can be extremely confusing to navigate. It will help a lot if they can find a hotel in the same neighborhood.

Is it actually in the city? I ask because a lot of people say DC when they actually mean just over the line in Maryland or Virginia.

Hi, Hart. I know mom said they don't mind staying outside the city and driving an hour in for the funeral. She'll have to update as to the location. I don't think arrangements are final yet.

Hiya - check here - http://www.hotels.com - I typed in area and aprox dates and you can find rooms for as little as $50.00 (there are 50 under $100.00) - it ALL depends on where you need to be ^_^ staying outside of DC if the funeral is IN DC, is maybe not such a good idea - I live 20 miles from DC - it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours to drive there - it all depends on day and time. The link I posted has pretty much every hotel listing in the US, and they are very helpful if you call them as well....

Where exactly is the funeral going to be? And if there will there be a gathering afterwards, where will that be? This is a big area, so it doesn't make sense to make plans without an idea as to where you will be going.

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions and input. The funeral would be at the Bible Way Church in DC. Sheryl's daughter has not released any information about plans and at this point nobody knows if services will be there or here in Columbus. We are all waiting to hear so we can make plans to be there. I'll just have to wait till I know the details and go with whatever plans are. As far as I know there is no definite date set yet, so everything is in limbo.

Thank you all so much.
Cathy

Ok. There are 3 Bible Way Churches that pop up on Google:

Gospel Ark Temple Bibleway Church
(no website listed)
4551 Benning Rd SE, Washington - (202) 582-9618

New Life Bible Way Church
- www.biblewaychurch.org
2319 Shadyside Ave, Suitland, MD - (301) 568-3444

Overcoming Power Bible Way Church
www.overcomingpowerchurch.org
3711 42nd Ave, Brentwood, MD - (301) 699-0184

A lot of times people refer to churches in the DC suburbs as being in "DC", so I would not assume it is the first location, which is the only one of the three in DC proper. I think one good place to start would be to call the Church and ask what places they think are convenient and reasonable -- I bet they would be the best source, and that they are used to getting that question. And if they don't have suggestions, I'd use www.expedia.com or www.travelocity.com, plugging in the particular address. I am not all that familiar with those locations, so I can't give you any personal recommendations.

Calling the church is a great idea. They can confirm if they are the right Bible Way.
I believe all those are on the NW side, so a motel around "College Park" would probably be safe and reasonable, I think.

Cathy, are you willing and able to do some walking? I ask because you could stay a little bit further outside of DC and take the metro (subway) system to/from the funeral if that is acceptable to you.

For example, there are a couple of inexpensive chain hotels in College Park, MD that are a 10 min. walk (or have shuttle service) to the College Park Metro station which is on the Green line. Feel free to D-mail me if you'd like.

Keep one thing in mind. If they would have to travel any time at all close to rush hour, which around here can start as early as 4 am and last until 9 or 10 am in the morning, if they were, say, in Manassas which is only 25 miles from DC, it would take them a couple of hours at least to get to DC, and that's if it's a normal day with no bad weather, accidents, etc.

It's hard for someone who hasn't dealt with the DC area rush hours to imagine what it does to travel time or what it's like to drive 25 miles of bumper to bumper crawling.

Calling the church is a great idea. I'm sure they would know of the best places to stay nearby that would have the most reasonable prices. You also want to make sure they don't end up in a horrible neighborhood.

Here is a link to the Metro Train Map. College Park and Greenbelt stations are on the top side of the map, on the green line.

***It would help to know which Metro Station the funeral home is closest to and then we can give you better information.***

http://www.wmata.com/rail/maps/map.cfm

This message was edited Jan 23, 2009 2:41 PM

Thanks again. I know the information about the church. It is on Jersey Avenue in Washington DC. Till I know what the definite plans are for the funeral I'm not even going to try to find accommodations. There will be something in Columbus so we may not even travel to DC.

Cathy

New Jersey Avenue? That's a long avenue -- it cuts right through the United States Capitol. Any idea what the cross street is?

Happy-the address is 1100 New Jersey Avenue NW, Washington DC

The church is right downtown, and prices for nearby hotels will be relatively high. If I were going to do this, I'd stay out of town and drive in for the services. The Metro stops downtown look to be a good 10 blocks from the church, and the church looks as if it is in the middle of a bunch of highways so it wouldn't be a great walk.

You might look for a hotel in Rockville, Maryland or Gaithersburg, Maryland because you'll drive through that area if you are coming from Ohio. Going to Travelocity -- www.travelocity.com -- and looking at Rockville, I saw a Red Roof Inn for $63 and a Best Western for $60 (which includes breakfast making it a pretty good deal -- the reviews are mixed but not awful -- and it it right on 270, which is what I am guessing you will drive down) (but grill them about add-on charges). Here's the direct link to the Best Western: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwestern/selectHotel.do?iata=00158210 -- put in Rockville Maryland as the location. I'd reserve directly through the hotel, because it is easier to cancel if you need to -- you have to pre-pay on Travelocity or Expedia, as I recall. Or follow-up with Wrightie on the College Park options, which would be only a tiny bit out of the way and a shade less expensive.

Definitely reserve in advance!

This message was edited Jan 24, 2009 4:03 PM

Thanks! I'm still waiting to hear if the services are in Ohio or DC. It has already been about a week since she passed away and no plans are finalized yet. Unbelievable!

happy- you are a good gal- that advice is right on!

Anything for a fellow DG-er. (Actually, I feel kinda guilty because I'd like to put Lotus us here, but we are doing some work on the house and things are topsy-turvey).

Lotus, if you do end up coming to DC, Happy's advice looks like the smartest way to go. You will have to allow for a lot of extra travel time if coming in by car for the services on a weekday, but either we or the hotel would be able to help you judge how much time you'd need. The roads in DC can be very confusing, so add to that the traffic and it can be frustrating. We will help you if it comes to that though.

I'm sorry for your loss and I do hope that you are able to attend services closer to home - it's hard enough to grieve a close friend than to compound it with a lot of traveling.

hugs
w