Alexandria: Hilton Old Town (May 2015)

My spouse and I stayed at the Hilton Old Town Alexandria for two nights over the Memorial Day weekend in late May 2015. We booked our room on-line using the Hilton reservation system. The Hilton is located on King Street in Old Town Alexandria, within walking distance of the King Street Metro and Amtrak train stations, historic sites, shops, and restaurants. This property was renovated in April 2014. It features a restaurant and lounge (now called Share, but previously called Seagar’s), Starbucks, room service, event and meeting space, and a fitness center. The hotel features 252 rooms (including 18 suites). Rooms are decorated in brushed metal, glass, and maple, and include flat-screen TVs and bathrobes. Check-in time is 4:00 pm, and check-out time is 12:00 noon. Self-parking (no valet parking is available) is available for $34 per day in an enclosed garage that is shared with the adjacent Wyndham vacation property as well as area businesses. We booked a 1-bedroom suite, which was spacious, and contained a separate living room with sofa, chair, coffee table, desk and chair, and TV. The bedroom contained a king-size bed abutted by two nightstands, and a dresser that held the TV, empty mini-refrigerator, and coffee-making supplies. The vanity sink area of the bathroom was open to the bedroom, but the toilet and bathtub/shower were enclosed in their own room. The large closet located in the vanity area had mirrored doors, and held an iron and ironing board, luggage rack, and large safe. Both parts of the room featured high ceilings, which made them feel spacious. The finishes and fabrics seemed luxurious. Our room was located on the second floor, which is the only floor that does not require key card access from the elevators, because it also houses the meeting/conference rooms and the fitness center. Located off the fitness center is a small outdoor courtyard, although it seems designed for event use and not guest relaxation purposes. As Hilton Hhonors Diamond members, our room rate included daily breakfast in either Share Restaurant or at Starbucks. Share offers a buffet, whereas Starbucks permits each guest to choose three items: a basic coffee or tea, a piece of fruit, and a standard pastry item (which does not include breakfast sandwiches); if instead you choose a fancy coffee/tea/cold drink, that’s all you get (you do not get any complimentary food in addition to the beverage). The hours for the breakfast seemed generous (ending at 11:00 am). The fitness center was adequate, although perhaps a tad small for the number of rooms at the hotel; it included two or three of each type of standard workout machine, along with cold water and towels, and restroom with showers. The gift shop sold high-quality items, primarily Alexandria and DC souvenirs. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating, and smoking was permitted on the outdoor patio. We loved our suite at the Alexandria Hilton Old Town. The location suited us fine, although it is at the end of King Street, about 1 mile from the waterfront. It is a pleasant walk past many shops and restaurants, and a free trolley also operates (with hours from early morning until late evening) on the street. A Whole Foods grocery store is located a few blocks from the hotel, and it sells alcoholic beverages in addition to food items. As some previous reviewers have stated, you will hear some noise and feel some vibration from the nearby metro, but it did not bother us. We would stay here again if we visited Old Town Alexandria.