Loved the Wardman Park Marriott
by A TripAdvisor Member
My brother and I stayed at this hotel to attend the Peace march and do the tourist thing for the weekend.
I was able to secure a 139.00 rate through Priceline and after staying there considered that the bargain of the year.
After reading reviews on this site, I had to get free upgrade to the Wardman Tower which the front desk did 1 week in advance!
Early check-in as well, was accommodated.
The "long hill" often complained about was not even a problem and I am a 46 year old smoker.
Using the Metro from Dulles and then to the tourist sites could not have been easier.
There are many restaurants across the street and we would strongly advise to avoid the Sushi Club restaurant.
The two waitstaff we could observe looked upon all of their customers with unmasked disdain and the food was expensive with middle of the road quality.
The sushi place two doors down looked much more inviting and the prices were about half.
The pub in the hotel was cozy and they made a fantastic martini.
Service at the Wardman (a union shop) was exceptional and a request for more coffee in the room was granted in 7 minutes.We did not give them a chance to re-stock our room as our do not disturb sign was on the whole time we were there.
We would stay again at the Wardman in a heartbeat.
Not Far From Perfect
by A TripAdvisor Member
I have wanted to return to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel since 1984, when I was there for a conference.
That desire was satisfied in September 2005 when we stayed there for a long weekend that was without flaw.
The hotel, while large, was impeccable, well maintained, and spotless.
The service is that of a four star hotel or better and our (minimal) needs were all met.
The facility is on a hilltop in a residential area overlooking the city and one would think there actually were in a "park" because the area is so quiet, wooded, and peaceful.
A mere block away is Connecticut Avenue, which is renowned for its ethnic restaurants. (Stay away from the French Restaurant there though - the lady there was really nasty to us!)
There are a couple pharmacies, a McDonald's, and for we Irish - the obligatory pub named "Murphy's."
Within walking distance is the Adams-Morgan neighborhood, the National Cathedral, the zoo, and "Embassy Row."
To reach downtown, Georgetown, and the steakhouses of 19th St, one may wish to consider the nearby tube or a readily available cab.
The room was large and unbelievably quiet, and had a great view of the city to the east and southeast (photos attached.)
There was also a Starbucks with a nice outside patio in the garden!
If I had to think of a negative, I could only mention there were no coffee mugs in the room (OH NO!) but a call to housekeeping had the situation remedied in minutes.
While most ratings show the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel as a three star, I think it has many four star qualities and far outranks European and Asian three star hotels.
I highly recommend the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel for all types of travelers.
Mixed Review
by TripAdvisor Member Kent101520
I stayed at the Wardman Park Marriott for three nights with my family. We decided to stay here because there was a convention going on that appealed to my wife and I. Although the staff made my trip extreamly pleasant, the building itself has many problems.
The Hotel: First of all, the hotel is HUGE. This is because the hotel "complex" is a combination of three different towers; the Wardman Tower, the main tower, and the Park Tower. I was unluckly assigned a room in the Park Tower, which was at one time, I believe but am not positive, a Sheraton. The Park Tower is definitely a place to avoid. One major reason for this is because of the tremendous walk from the lobby to the tower. My son calculated that it took almost sixteen minutes to walk from our room to the lobby. The other major disadvantage about staying in the Park Tower is due to the fact that there is only one elevator, a small one at most, that services all nine floors. Keep in mind, the Marriott Wardman Park IS a convention hotel. While we were there, there were two conventions, and for each of them, there had to be 500+ attendees.
The Room: The room was quintessentially Marriott. I stayed in a double bed non-smoking room, and found it to be great. The air conditioner worked EXTREAMLY well. The TV worked pretty well, except something regarding the commercials was highly concerning. The hotel has a system that controls which advertisements play on certain channels during commercial breaks. A few times, when the reel of commercials ended, there was a message that said, "...controls which commericals they watch. Controlling their TV, controling their minds..." After getting sick of the frequent "Party Poker" website commercials, I decided that I would not watch TV. Also, the telephone had a few problems. Everytime I hit "Front Desk," I would get Parking. However, calling the operator to connect me with the Front Desk helped.
The Restuarants: Extreamly unimpressive, to say the least. One of the nights we were there we ate at Perlie?'s Cafe, which transforms from a family friendly breakfast place to an extreamly stuffy steakhouse. The one night my family ate dinner there was also our last. For my family of four, my wife, my sixteen and twenty-year-old boys, and myself, the bill was clost to $150. The waiter, although very "classy," had a condesencing attitude towards his guests. He wasn't polite, and when my wife made a few jokes, albeit corny, he wouldn't even try to laugh. And for some reason, he was socializing with all the other tables, but when it came to my family, he became reserved and stuck up. He obviously got a good tip from us. However, Perle's is excellent for breakfast, albeit expensive, and I would highly reccommend the buffet (Around $14 per person). Also, I would not reccommend the "English Pub" (I think thats what its called), at the hotel. It is very dimly lit, and after nine at night, it turns into a "Bar Scene." We ended up eating at Woodly Cafe on Connecticut Ave, which was FAR more resonable than anything in the hotel.
Location: In the middle of nowhere. Except to buy a one-day pass for your family, and you will be fine. The Metro station, Woodly Park, has an EXTREAMLY, (I am placing a great deal of emphasis on EXTREAMLY) steep incline, and I would reccommend the elevator for those traveling with small children.
I hope I'm not being too critical on the Woodman Park hotel. Other than the inconvinences above, I found the staff to be plesant and helpful, and was similar in quality to that of the Ritz Carlton. The service more than made up for the restuarants and room. In conclusion, I would probably look for another hotel for my next stay in Washington, but if the Wardman Marriott could offer me a good deal, or an upgrade, I would quickly go back.
Interesting hotel...
by TripAdvisor Member Wildbill152001
I recently stayed at the Wardman Park hotel for a family vacation. Coming from California, I arrived at Ronald Regan Airport. I took the Blue Metroline to the hotel, which only costs 1.10 per person (one way.) If your coming to Washington during the off-peak hours, the metro is definitly the best way to get to the Wardman, because the Woodley Park metro station is on location. While the hotel raves this "on-site" metro station, the station is down a LONG hill, and those with physical disabilities may have difficulty accessing it. Also, the metro station is only serviced by the "red" train, which has stops at more residential areas, and not really the line for tourists. Most tourists who stay at the Wardman have to transfer to the Blue Line, which goes to stops such as Arlington Cemetary, Smithsonian, Federal Triangle (White House,) George Washington/ Georgetown U, and Regan Airport, and the Pentagon and Petagon City mall.
This hotel is probably the largest hotels that I have ever stayed in and is more designed for the business traveler in mind. There were three conventions going on during my stay. While I saw a few kids there, most of them swarm the pools like bees. Notice how I said "pools" (pluraly) On the last night, I had been rummaging through the green guest services mannuel that all Marriotts have, and I found out they have TWO pools (which came as a surprise, as I thought they only had one.) Businessmen were running though the lobby, which took me a while to find.
As for the concierege, I thought that they had some idea of where they were, but they mostly relied on paper maps and handouts, and didn't really give that "personal" advice and insight...
The resturaunts were very stuffy and snobby. If your traveling with children, I would definitly recommend the sports bar, which had your basic hamberger and chicken fingers. It seems like every resturuant in the Wardman has its price. There was a stakehouse "Perri's" or something, which was probably the snobbiest and stuffiest place I have ever been. A dinner with four costs $140+, and the waiter we had wasn't good at all. The waiter had the attitude of "well, I'm too good to be working here." I ordered a stake, which was basically just that, a stake; there were no seasonings or side dishes. I'm not a conussoueur of food or anything, I just like to get my money's worth, and 39 dollars for an unseasoned steak is too much. Don't make the same mistake I did, if your hungry, go to the sports bar and get a simple burger; but nothing on site is cheap.
blissful rest in the wardman tower
by TripAdvisor Member ohiogo
Came back after dinner exhausted from a day of traveling. Next door room was having lots of fun and I knew we'd never be able to go to sleep. Called to front desk and was immediately met with a sympathetic response and offer to switch rooms. We left the main 'central tower' and entered the wonderful wardman tower area.
So beautiful, old world grace and quiet. Huge room ,bay window, bathroom with working window! Can't wait to go back!
Great Resort Atmosphere in DC
by TripAdvisor Member alliebdive
We stayed here for a weekend at the end of July. Had a family room in the Wardman Tower that suited us just fine. Very spacious, well furnished, quiet - everything you could want
The grounds are beautiful, it all looks immaculate and the hotel has plenty of great facilities to come back too after a long day pounding the tourist trails. We enjoyed the swimming pools, the gym, and the choice of restaurants and bars.
It is out of the main downtown area but very well served by metro and by all the trolley companies. We took an Old Town Trolley tour from just down the street. There are plenty of restaurants just around the corner too if you want to venture out just a little way.
Breakfast buffet was very good. Would definitely stay here again and would recommend.
Forum Posts
From IAD to Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
by annmar
I will be arriving at the IAD Airport around 5:00 p.m. on a Tuesday. What is the best and easiest way to get to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel? There will be 2 of us traveling.
Thank you in advance.
Re: From IAD to Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
by mccalpin
Clearly, the easiest way would be to take a taxi. The hotel website says, "Estimated taxi fare: 55.00 USD (one way) " (see http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/travel/wasdt-washington-marriott-wardman-park/ )
If you took public transportation, you would have to
1. Take the 5a bus from the airport to Rosslyn Metro station.
2. Take the Blue Line (Metro) to Largo Town Center Metro Station.
3. Change to the Red Line and go up to the Woodley Park/Zoo Metro Station
While the fare is just under $5 each, this is more complicated, especially since you have luggage...and you would have to walk the last 500-1,000 feet or so to the hotel with your luggage.
If you want to check public transit, got to www.wmata.com for solutions.
Or, of course, you could check into SuperShuttle and similar services, but I have found that these can take even longer than public transit, depending on the number of passengers.
Bill
Re: From IAD to Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
by annmar
Thank you for your help.
Re: From IAD to Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
by zanzooni
If your flying into Dulles, I'd take a taxi to the East Falls Church Metro, which is the Red Line, and off of the Dulles Toll Road. Take it to Woodley Station-Zoo. Get off and shlep up to your hotel, which is less than a block away. ~
Re: From IAD to Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
by ellielou
I agree with Zana on this one. 5pm on a weekday is not a fun time to be traveling in the DC-area. And, she's not kidding when she says that you'll have to schlep to your hotel. That Marriott is up on a hill!
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