Bistro In The Park - Falls Church

Public areas are very nice. Welcoming and modern entrance. Very large (gigantic rellay by hotel standards) gym with updated equipment. Front desk is extremely helpful and prompt. The rooms OTOH are just OK. Size is decent. Beds are comfy. But the quality and feel seems 'cheaper ' than the public areas. Bathtubs even have good ol ' fashioned plastic curtains.... and the toilet looks at least 20 years old. Lastly, front doors slam with a loud thud which you can hear at 1am as guests are coming back from the parties and events downstairs. Hotel in general is geared towards large events on weekends. We saw two graduation on first evening and two the next. Overall, this hotel is decent, but it could be great if they renovate the rooms.

The good: cheerful staff clean hotel stylish and pleasant decor yummy dinner food at the restaurant in the lobby The not so good: We had a two double bed room. Both mattresses were so well used that there was a dip in the most slept on side of the beds. We needed to call down for extra blankets because the duvet was about an inch thick. The ventilation fan in the room was very loud. I turned up the temperature hoping it would shut off, but it didn 't. The outdoor parking outside the lobby door was full when we arrived, so we parked behind the hotel in the underground parking lot. We took two to three elevators (depending on what level we parked) to exit the lot and then walked through a long corridor to arrive at the front desk and elevators to the rooms. When the reservation clerk gave me a parking tag and told me to put it on my car, I looked at her and asked, Now? My car is a ten minute walk away! She kindly took my make and model instead. If any member of your party struggles to walk distances, drop off them off at the front door to the lobby and have them wait for you. We logged on to the hotel 's guest WiFi and found the signal weak it took time to load images and videos.

We had stayed at this hotel many times several years ago so when we had a family celebration we booked without hesitation. The hotel definitely has changed since our last visit and generally we had a pleasant stay. Every staff member we dealt with including check in, restaurant, bar and housekeeping were attentive and friendly. However there is no longer the indoor/outdoor swimming pool that our family enjoyed in the past. There is now a daily parking fee of $10 but it was waived when we questioned it. The bar area and separate spacious restaurant are gone although the bar area remains empty and intact. The bar/restaurant area is the first thing visible upon entering the hotel and although we had no problem seating could get crowded. Breakfast buffet was very good but no more omelette station or waffle maker. Service at the bar and restaurant was good and the food we ordered arrived quickly and was delicious. The check in area was off to the side of the lobby and it took a few seconds to realize that it was not a storage area for checked luggage. Our rooms were clean and comfortable however the hallways were very cold. We would return for future visits.

It is a great location that is convenient, quiet and near many businesses in the Falls Church area. On the outside it looks very modern and luxurious, but the rooms are started to look a little dated and worn. It is OK, it is comfortable, but the prices might be a little high and the rooms might be due for some modernization and upgrades. The bathrooms are very dated and they are stingy on amenities.

Great food and great service.... Good thing, as this is the ONLY food available within Fairview Park (Marriot hotel has -essentially- nothing.TV monitor is on with the food channel all-the-time (a nice touch).