Hotel Arlington

I booked this months ahead for the Marine Corp Marathon, while my parents reserved a separate room. Mine smelled really funky, and when I complained they tried to move me across the hall into a room that smelled of cigarettes. There was trash under my bed, stains on the mattress protector beneath the sheets, and torn-up bathroom walls. I swapped rooms with my parents for the night, got some sleep, and ran the race. Their room was better, though the shower looked moldy and the bathroom fan rattled loudly. The lobby door was broken too. This was one of my worst hotel experiences, and I’d strongly advise against booking until the place is remodeled.

The bed was comfortable, the bathroom was decent, and the location worked well for the event I was attending. I chose a smoking room online, and the clerk called on arrival day to confirm that was really what I wanted. I appreciated the check, since many motels no longer offer smoking rooms. The room itself was very basic, with a really dirty carpet and a large mini fridge. I kept my shoes on. Despite the brick walls, noise from other guests came through. On weekends it seems like a hookup spot, with plenty of sexual noises, so you may want to turn up the little TV. The good parts were the bed, bathroom, and location. Most everything else fell short.

The room was dated but usable, and the worn furniture still worked. The sheets looked clean and the bed was fairly comfortable. I arrived from DCA on Monday night and checked into the Inns around 11 pm. The lobby had such a strong odor like marijuana smoke that I felt as if I were getting a contact buzz while checking in. Looking for somewhere to charge my iPhone before bed, I found no outlet on the nightstand or on the lights above it. The outlet by the floor, between the bed and nightstand, was unbelievably filthy. I was exhausted and it was past midnight, so I plugged in anyway. The first towel I used the next morning had brown stains, though it seemed washed; the second was white and clean. After work the next day I showed the desk clerk a photo of the outlet. He barely looked, smirked, and said it was the cheapest hotel around and they stayed booked full. I had only one night left, so I put up with it. Housekeeping had left fresh towels, but again the first one I picked up had brown stains, a different set this time, while the second looked clean. They may not care how dirty the place is because they’re always full, but they won’t get any more money from me. Blech!

We left right away and didn’t spend the night. As soon as we entered, there was a bug on the edge of the bed that we thought was a bed bug or similar pest. The cleaning woman crushed it with her fingers and said bugs come in through the AC unit and that the bed is sprayed. The front desk gave us much the same explanation, saying exterminators spray regularly and, as far as she knew, there weren’t bed bugs in the rooms. The room also smelled of smoke, had no window to open, a burned carpet, stains on the box spring and sheet, and generally musty sheets. We weren’t refunded and were told to contact the company we booked through. Service felt mediocre because our concern was brushed off. The location was okay, but the room was disgusting. I wouldn’t recommend it.