Bad Rate :: A Lot of Green on Earth Day at the JW Marriott in D.C.

April 10, 2007 at 9:31 AM | by Tim L. | 0 Comments

[Ed. Note: Welcome to our Good Rate/Bad Rate feature where we look at hotel prices in the same city and decide which one most deserves your hard-earned benjamins. Rates quoted here were captured on April 9, 2007 and are subject to change. Enjoy.]

Something tells us this year's April 22 Earth Day event in Washington D.C. is going to get a lot of attention. There should be plenty of fireworks around Capitol Hill, including inside the halls of Congress.

If you plan to attend the Earth Day event but enjoy feeling as out of place as a Greenpeace activist at the Detroit Auto Show, we would suggest the JW Marriott Pennsylvania Avenue. You can mix it up with the corporate lobbyists for $429 or more in a "Quality City View Room." (Travelocity had it listed at $429, Expedia and Hotels.com at $489.)

Rooms that fall under the "Quality Room" designation are only $199 though, which begs two questions. First, what's "quality" about it? Isn't this like a hotel ironically calling its smallest standards "superior" rooms? Second, just how good does a view have to be to warrant a doubling in price?

It's not like you get all that much for your money either, especially compared to this week's Good Rate at Kimpton's Palomar. Here is the amenities description: "One king bed or two double beds. City view. Desk. Wireless Internet access (surcharge). TV with premium cable channels, pay movies, and video games. Coffee/tea maker and minibar. Hair dryer. Iron/ironing board. In-room safe. Complimentary newspaper." Yawn, yawn, and since this is the weekend, so you probably don't even get that 75 cent newspaper.

This impersonal behemoth has 772 rooms and judging by the reviews on TripAdvisor, looks and feels about the same as any other one in the chain. Recycle some of your cash by staying elsewhere.

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