Hotels in March, 2007...Please help!

My husband, brother and I are planning a trip to DC next March and I am starting to look at hotels...When I look on Expedia for November, 2006, places like the L%26#39;Enfant Plaza Hotel are $129 a night, but when I change the dates to the third week of March the price jumps to $296.50. It seems that ALL the hotels in March are more expensive (at over twice the nightly rate in November).

Will the prices go down as we approach March, or do hotels just cost that much more in March than in the fall?

We are looking for a decent-priced hotel (preferrably no more than $130 a night, if that) in the third week in March, near sights like the Smithsonian, National Archives, etc. Any suggestions?

Hotels in March, 2007...Please help!

You%26#39;re right - sure is pricey! I just used March 19-22 as an example and the rates are sky high on hotels.com

Hard to tell what might be causing it. It IS a few months out and maybe these are still the rack rates, subject to changing later.

There is a large convention wth 20,000 people attending around those dates, but it caters to goverrnment IT people and I always presumed that it drew more locals than travelers, but maybe not?

Can you change your dates? Or wait a few weeks and check again...

Hotels in March, 2007...Please help!

March is a very busy time around DC. Also the Cherry Blossom Festival which starts on the 31st is here and people are starting to come into DC maybe that could be the reason why.

With a price range of $130.00 p/night you probably won%26#39;t find a hotel in that range in DC. Could your brother split the costs of the hotel? That be the case you could go up in price maybe to like $180-$200. This would give you more options.

-DC isn%26#39;t a cheap place to stay most of the year. Some people look into staying outside of DC maybe in Alexandria, or Arlington near Pentagon City/Crystal City/National Airport area. This could possibly drop the rate down to maybe $150.00 or so per night. The cheaper the hotel (decent accommodations, clean and in a nice area) the further out you would probably have to stay. In the DC suburbs. Not bad as long as it%26#39;s on the metro line.

I will do some checking on some nice hotels and see what I can find. It might help if the hotel had a suite (separate bedroom with pull out sofa in LR) that would give you and your husband some privacy.

I took a quick look also and had trouble finding anything in downtown DC. I%26#39;d recommend booking something with a decent cancellation policy, then keep checking for some place in the city every few weeks.

Some of the places I found that might work (not knowing your exact dates...)

Comfort Inn Ballston for $127 - this is an okay hotel. It%26#39;s about a 6 block walk to the Ballston metro (Arlington, VA). Not sure if they offer a shuttle.

Best Western Old Colony Inn for $126. Gets fairly decent reviews and offers a shuttle to the metro.

Holiday Inn Bethesda for $139. For some reason, this hotel does not show up on TA reviews. You can book it directly on HI%26#39;s website. It is a close walk to the Friendship Heights metro stop.

Hope this helps get you started with something. March does get busy with spring break and the cherry blossoms, but hopefully you%26#39;ll find yourself a deal. Good luck!

Apparently the Comfort Inn in Ballston does not provide a shuttle. As others pointed out, it is a busy time of year. I%26#39;ve also heard that when looking to book a hotel that far in advance, it is quite common to see inflated room rates. Often rates come down as the date gets closer. So I agree--book a cancellable room now and keep an eye on hotel rates. If they come down, you can always make another reservation.

Thank you everyone for so much help!

Our travel dates are somewhat restricted as we have to travel over my brother%26#39;s spring break, which is March 17 to 25. Also, he is looking for tickets from Anchorage, Alaska to DC and has to travel whenever tickets are the cheapest during that timeframe, so he%26#39;ll probably travel on weekdays.

Staying farther out wouldn%26#39;t be a problem, but would we need to rent a car? Is that even a decent option or does parking cost too much? Would it cost more to stay farther out and pay for a rental car AND parking than just to pay for a hotel close to the attractions? My husband and I stayed at the Pheonix Park Hotel for a few nights a couple years ago (thought the room was too small, like a European room, and seemed like a boarding house, but the location was okay), and then we stayed at the Washington Court Hotel (which was much nicer and larger).

If we stayed farther out and took the metro would we most likely feel safe if we didn%26#39;t get back to the hotel until well after dark (assuming, for example, a 6 block walk from the metro to whatever hotel we stay at)? Sorry if that question is too convoluted.

Thanks again for all the help!

Spring break is one of the reasons it%26#39;s so expensive in March. Check with the hotel to see if they offer a shuttle to the metro. We stayed at the Hilton Alexandria Mark it offered a shuttle every half hour, we took the metro everywhere. There were 5 of us my sister, her 3 sons( 9-20) and myself. We never felt unsafe. Try hotwire.com that is who we used.