Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor / Alexandria Area

“Mr. Bennett, you are my special guest tonight.”

I smiled when I heard those words upon check in, because I knew what was coming next.

“As my special guest, we’ve upgraded your room.”

And upgrade they did. My room was a suite and with a beautiful view of the palatial Gaylord hotel just across the street.

My suite was spacious with a nice size flat screen TV, coffee maker and microwave. The lobby store provided great snacks for the late night munchies. The bathroom is large enough to move and groom, while the bed, chairs, coffee table and desk were comfortably spaced.

I had booked two of my three business trip nights at the Hampton Inn & Suites National Harbor / Alexandria Area. This wonderful hotel is built just a few blocks from the Potomac River just across the harbor from Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. It also has easy access to Fort Belvoir just 25 minutes from our hotel. Washington, D.C. is only 20 minutes away.

National Harbor is just a few short miles from Reagan National Airport (DCA) and well worth the drive. If you can travel before and after peak traffic hours, the drive to anywhere is pretty easy. However, for vacation purposes, you might not need to leave the area. If you do, you can drive, take a water taxi to Old Town or Georgetown and take further public transportation from there.

The National harbor boasts a lively mix of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues. I ate a great Salmon meal with a Mexican twist at Rosa Mexicana restaurant. Afterward, I walked along the marina.

For this trip, I booked the National Harbor for two days and stayed at another location for the third night (will write about that later). Let's just say that this was the best hotel of the week for the value and experience. I sighed up for double and triple points and received 15,300 points for the week.