Channel Inn Hotel

The positives (view, convenient and safe location, reasonable rates, free parking) outweigh the negatives (dated décor, lack of some common amenities)in my estimation. Knowing in advance that there was no coffee maker and fridge in the room, I brought small portable versions along with me. As a result,I enjoyed having coffee on the balcony in the morning. Some rooms have parking lot views, so if view matters, then you need to ask for a good one. The hotel has a nice restaurant as well as a coffee shop that serves breakfast. There are a limited number of restaurants along the marina, but there are plenty near the National Mall where I conducted my business during this trip. The Metro station is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel and the Mall is about a 5-minute ride on the Metro. There is a new supermarket adjacent to the Metro station that has a deli and nice salad bar. It also has seating for eating in. This is the only very casual food service that I saw in this entire neighborhood. I felt safe walking back to the hotel in the late evening from the Metro station. ...read more

This hotel is in a great location - close to the National Mall and with great river views. Upon arriving in the room, we had a knock at our door and a young man brought us a mini-frig for our room. I was pleasantly surprised with how nice the room was as there were conflicting reviews online. The staff was very nice and willing to serve in any way needed. Parking is no charge for hotel guests - something that costs at lot at other hotels. My only complaints were there wasn't a room manual describing the hotel (map) and resturants onsite; there was also no yellow pages to contact local businesses in the area. Finally, water temps in the shower flucaute when toilets are flushed or water is running elsewhere. This hotel ended up being a great value for us. ...read more

Clean enough. Compared to other hotels, probably an OK value. However, I've stayed at the Hampton Inn in DC for less and it is much better...just have to book way ahead of time. I ended up at the Channel Inn as there were no vacancies at nearby hotels.

Be sure to request a room overlooking the water so you won't end up with a view of the parking garage. The parking is free, and you can come and go as you please during your stay by car without any trouble. The restaurant downstairs (Pier 7) has delicious meals but the desserts aren't great. It is a bit pricey, but the waitstaff are friendly and give good service. The Dry Dock cafe for breakfast is not somewhere I would eat again--very overpriced. You can get free delivery from NY Pizza which has good prices. The hotel is within 15-20 minutes walk from many of the Smithsonian museums. We didn't spend any money on cabs or Metro. It was only on our last day of vacation that we located a section of the city we had entirely missed filled with cute shops--Connecticut Avenue. The Arlington Cemetery is a must see--beautiful and moving, and just a few miles away over the bridge into Virginia. The hotel is a bit old and shabby in places, but clean and has a certain charm to it. It is a great value for the price compared to others in the same area. ...read more

I didn't like it at all

The location is great. We were able to walk to the National Mall and various museums. There was not a lot of affordable places to eat, nearby, however. The room was clean and comfortable. There is a great view of the Potomac River from the balcony. One great advantage is that there was a safe place to park my car while I was there. Taking a shower was challenging, as the water temperature would vary from scalding hot to freezing and back again, without touching the knobs. Some of the staff was not polite. ...read more

This hotel is a short walk from the National Mall and close to the Metro. For the price you can't beat it, it's a great budget hotel. Room service breakfast was yummy, delivered hot and promptly, and not too expensive. Plus the staff was really great, friendly and helpful. We will stay here again.Hints-Near the Waterfront metro is a grocery store called Safeway where you can get breakfast sandwiches and coffee cheaply.-If you follow the waterfront towards the Washington Memorial you'll encounter an awesome fish market, where you can but fresh catches prepared there (or raw to take home). On Saturday we just happened upon it and the place was full of locals, buying fish and eating oysters, shrimp and crabs on the hoods of their cars or wherever they could find a spot. Yum! ...read more

Close to the subway, cabs usually available, parking attendant is rude so steer clear of him.