Hotel Review: Dulles, VA Fairfield Inn and Suites

After my stay at the Winchester Fairfield Inn and Suites, I was one stay shy to earn a free night through Marriott's Unexpected Bonus. I decided to do a mattress run to earn that free night. After a quick search,  I found a $50 night stay at the Dulles Fairfield Inn and Suite.

After taking the bus from Tysons, I wondered over to the area where hotel shuttles pick up passengers. It is located on the ground level around the 2A sign. I decided not to call the hotel and request a pick-up. Instead, I waited to see if the shuttle would arrive. Luckily, it arrived 20 minutes later. There was a sign at check-in that stated that you need to call the hotel to request a shuttle. It doesn't normally run to the airport.

The hotel is located on Indian Creek Drive, about a mile away from the airport.

This Fairfield Inn and Suites is one of the unrenovated hotels. The lobby was tiny, but had a very homey feel to it.

I was given a room on the first floor that faced the main road.

         
                      

You could tell this room was unrenovated. It had a look of an old country country club. Green carpet, dark wood furniture and tacky art work. The room was very clean and the only real sign of age was the tub.

The hotel has a small gym has two treadmills, an elliptical, a set of weights and a bench. The gym faces the pool.

The pool is a great size for swimming laps. There are a few places to sit around the pool. No need to bring towels from your room as big beach towels are provided. The pool is open until 11 pm on weekdays and
8 pm on the weekend.

Directly outside of the pool is an area outside to sit, sun bath and have a smoke or two.

One of the benefits of staying at Fairfield Inn and Suites is free breakfast. On the weekends, breakfast is served until 10am in the cafeteria.

They had a variety of cold options

      

 

And hot food; eggs, bacon and a waffle maker:

In the cafeteria room is a computer for your use:

A couple quick notes, there is only a subway located in a gas station in terms of walking distance for food. The airport is about a 10 minute van ride. Overall, this hotel was OK for a quick mattress run. The hotel was clean except for cigarette buds in the hall way.

Finally, what is this list? It was taped on the door outside the door across the hall from me

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I Love PreCheck!!!

I love PreCheck, which I received through my Global Entry application. Why you might ask?

Well, today Chris and I are on the road again this time to Colorado Springs. The trip is off to a GREAT start. Thanks to PreCheck security took 4 minutes. Our ride from economy parking took longer. The wait for our people mover to leave its gate took longer. For those who don't know Dulles, it takes 4 minutes normally to walk to the start of normal security. At Dulles, there is one massive security area; therefore, its always crowded regardless of the time of day. To say that Chris and I were impressed by our security experience today is an understatement.

Due to PreCheck, we even had time to stop by a very empty United Club:

Happy Travels Everyone!

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Hotel Review: Dulles Aloft

My final stay for Starwood's 4,000 point bonus led me to the Dulles Aloft. I decided to make my final mattress run at the Dulles Aloft due to price $75 and my desire to try the Aloft brand.

The hotel is located in Ashburn and is about 5 miles or 10 minutes away from the airport. Be warned, there is nothing but a gas station near this hotel. To get from the airport, you will want to take the Courtyard Marriott shuttle, which is next door to the Aloft hotel. They share airport transportation.

The check-in desk is right in front of the front door:

Check-in took less than 3 minutes. I was thanked for being a Starwood member and given a certificate for a free soda, water or Poweraid. It was a nice touch and I see Starwood doing this more and more.

I was given a room on the fifth floor. The entire hotel has an upbeat energy to it. It can be seen in the hallways with the colors:

The hotel is in an L Shape. I was given a room on the small end.

The room was tiny. If I was staying here for a long time, it would be way to small for me. When you first enter the room, you are in the bathroom/closet area:

The back of the closet is actually the massive head board of the bed and separates the bedroom from the bathroom:

The room is made for a young person. Ipod dock, next to the bed:

Retro alarm clock for quirkiness:

And on a desk, a box to connect your laptop to stream things on the TV. A card on the box indicated the front desk had all the cables needed to make it work.

The bench was nice in the morning to get ready in the morning. The bathroom had modern fixtures:

The toilet and shower were separated by a mirrored sliding door:

                                     

The hotel advertises oversize showers and it keeps its promise:

Shampoo and shower gel are available in push bottles in the shower:

The hotel has a gym with a few treadmills, elliptical and a bikes:

Free weights (they were missing the 15 pounders), balance balls and a weigh resistance machine, that needed repair.

 Across from the gym was the pool, which was small, but sufficient.

Plenty of places to sit including an interesting canopy:

The rules were very interesting as well:

Outside of the pool was a very nice outdoor lounge area. No one was outside because it was very windy, but they had heat lamps. I could only imagine a 40 degree night, the place would be packed:

 The highlight of any Aloft hotel is the lounge/bar area:

Grab a drink and sit by the fire:

Meet your new friends by the pool table:

 When I arrived, the downstairs was full of energy with a DJ. People were relaxing by the bar, playing pool and surfing the internet (free for everyone).

Sorry for the bad picture

Next to the check-in area is a self-serve food area. It had candy, sandwiches various drinks and breakfast food. Pick what you want and pay the front desk. Prices were the same as gas station:

The Aloft website describes their brand as, "Aloft Hotels is a modern, fresh and fun destinations. Aloft is a hotel that celebrates the individual and gives you freedom to control and customize your travel adventures to fit your personal style. It is a place where walls have been knocked down to create a space that is open in design and open to possibilities. A place where energy flows, personalities mingle and opportunities abound."

I would describe the hotel has an upscale European hostel. Its great for young business travelers. You can come back from work to the hotel and hang by the bar and meet people your age. You can have your alone time, but have a social life. 

I would defiantly stay at Aloft again. It was fun, clean and upbeat. There was this positive energy screaming from the hotel. From the lights outside of the hotel to the music inside, you walk around with a bounce in your step.

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