While no one ever called me Mr. Fancy Pants, the truth is that I like fancy hotels. If not fancy, I certainly tend to favor unique and perhaps trendy over basic and practical. Think W, or Kimpton. But longer term stays change the equation for me. Longer term in my book is anything over a week. I didn’t make it crystal clear on the blog, but starting in mid-October I basically relocated to another city for an intense work project. Believe me, it was not a given that I would even get to leave for the short anniversary cruise I’d booked. Ultimately, I did get to go, but that didn’t stop me from working at sea. đŸ™‚ I digress.

Longer-term stays mean that I look for different things in a hotel. I’m far more inclined to look for the closest Residence Inn or Homewood Suites type of lodging than anything fancy. I look for things like comfortable furnishings, kitchenettes and a normal refrigerator than a vibrant bar/restaurant scene. For anything over a week, I am going to be far more likely to stay in for a few nights, perhaps do some work, and just relax and decompress. I can’t eat out every night for 2 weeks in the same town….at least I don’t like to. That’s why I looked to the Residence Inn Pentagon City just outside DC for my most recent longer term stay. I booked a studio room, which turned out to be just about perfect for me.

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My room was clean and comfortable with creature comforts like a large sofa and living area that make a longer term stay more comfortable. Wi-fi was fast and free. The hotel offered a free basic wi-fi service and a faster pay service for $6.95, which was still free for me by virtue of my Marriott Gold status. The room was also equipped with lots of power outlets. Score! Better yet, when I did want to escape the hotel at night I was just 2 blocks from a Metro station and Pentagon City Mall.

When I am looking at a longer term stay, I definitely favor practical, and maybe even homey over fancy and vibrant. This Residence Inn fit the bill for me very well.

-MJ, November 3, 2013