Family of 6 traveling to D.C. Recommend a hotel?

There are a gazillion hotels in the DC area, all good...we stayed at the Embassy Suites Hotel at the Chevy Chase Pavilion last summer, over the 4th of July weekend. The rooms are clean, there is a pool and shopping on premises, and a free, cooked to order breakfast served every morning that really set us up nicely for each day's sightseeing. Also, a bonus of staying at this particular Embassy Suites, is that the hotel is directly on the Red Line of the Metro. It was quite convenient to be able to hop on the Metro straight from the airport to the hotel, and also in the morning to hop on the train and go sightseeing directly from the hotel. The Chevy Chase pavilion is something of a mini shopping mall, with lots of stores and restaurants on site to choose from should you need anything. Room service was great, and not too terribly priced (though most everything in DC is pretty steep.) Anyway, good luck, happy travelling...hope this helps!

The Extended Stay America are decent .They supply a kitchen complete with pans and plates so you can prepare meals. Most important they are very reasonable in a more and more expensive city.

Check into some of the hotels in Arlington, VA as they tend to be more affordable than staying in the city, plus there is easy public transportation by bus or rail. If you stay in the city, avoid the hotels/motels on New York Avenue NE, Bladensburg Road or in the "Gateway" neighborhood--- it's not that great a neighborhood to begin with (I think it is a shame that one of the major areas for low-cost hotels is such a run-down scary dump; gives a horrible first impression of our city) and public transportation is difficult. I'd recommend Days Inn in the 4400 block of Connecticut Ave NW (or thereabouts) for a mid-range hotel; rates are affordable ($129/night or that range), parking is free and the Metro rail station is just a couple of blocks away, plus the neighborhood is very safe. There are not a huge number of things to do right in that neighborhood but there are many restaurants within walking distance (everything from Burger King to a fancy Italian trattoria and all things in between). You will have to go downtown for the attractions but the hotel will average about $40-100 less a night.

For a more upscale hotel, I like the Governor's House Hotel on 17th and Rhode Island NW--- steps from DC's super-vibrant DuPont Circle neighborhood but enough off the beaten path that it is quiet; parking onsite (not sure if it is free though); awesome Sunday brunch and nice rooms.

I also like the Georgetown Suites Hotel but it can be hard to get a room so book early. Prices are in the $140-180/night range, and it's a suite with kitchenette. Convenient location at 29th and M but the rest of Georgetown is really played-out and tired. All the cool stores and pubs are long closed and the whole Georgetown neighborhood looks like a strip mall with nothing but Old Navy, etc...

Embassy Suites
is really good