Holiday Inn Express & Suites Alexandria – Fort Belvoir

We stayed here for MagFest which is an annual music and gaming convention in January or February held in National Harbor. We like the hotel for the relative proximity to DC attractions, the fairly low price compared to staying in DC, the size of the rooms and the American Breakfast.
The American Breakfast is typically eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, english muffins, bagels, pastries, yogurt, oatmeal, pancake (they have a one-​button pancake machine), coffee, juice, tea. The food is pretty good. They also have coffee 24 hours a day. They provide in-​room coffee and tea via Keurig Machines.
The room that we had was a suite with two queen beds. The beds were decent — not as firm as those at the Hampton Inn (which are my favorite) but they’re good enough. We were very impressed with how clean the rooms were.
The room has a desk with phone and light and two usable outlets, a small piece of low furniture for putting luggage on, a three drawer bureau, a loveseat with a low table in front of it, a table with two chairs for dining, a bigger than usual mini-​fridge, microwave, and sink and food preparation area outside the bathroom.
The bathroom was nice though a few of the fixtures were a little loose in our room. Lot’s of hot water for showers and baths and they were fine with towels, shampoo, and conditioner.
There’s a cubby for hanging up jackets or other clothes and an ironing board.
They provide complementary WiFi but it may ask you to re-​verify from time to time and performance can be horrible from time to time. We have access to Xfinity WiFi and used that sometimes when the hotel WiFi was unresponsive.
The fitness room is pretty good as hotel fitness rooms go. I tried out the treadmills and they were typically awful. One of them had a frozen screen so the whole device wasn’t functional. The other was functional but the display screen wasn’t working so you could get it to work but you couldn’t see how you were doing. Note that the treadmill stops abruptly when you hit the stop button which can be jarring. Club-​quality treadmills usually slow down gradually. It is very unusual to find club-​level treadmills at hotels and I’d guess that very few people actually workout in hotels.
The weight sets that they had were very good with pairs of weights in five-​pound increments. The problem with their storage system is that it’s a tower system where you are supposed to store the bigger and heavier weights on the bottom and the lighter ones on the top and some patrons put the wrong weights in the wrong place which can damage the storage tower and make it difficult to put in or take out other weights.
My daughter tried one of the two elliptical steppers and she said that it was fine. They have a water filtration system in the fitness room which provides nice water.
They have a lat pulldown/​chest-​press machine which I didn’t try. There’s also an adjustable bench which I didn’t try. No mats for floor stuff — I did those in the hotel room.
Getting into and out of the hotel is a bit of a challenge. The light to get on the highway is a very long wait and there’s no turn on red. You wouldn’t really want to anyways as the entry to the highway is near the bottom of a hill and the drivers coming down the hill can’t see you as they come over the hill. I found it a lot safer to turn into the driveway of the hotel to the west when coming to the hotel from the highway.

We stayed in one of the Jacuzzi suites for my Birthday. Best Birthday Ever!
Syed checked us in and out. She was very friendly and helpful. She made a great first impression!
The room was clean. The kitchenette was useful. The Jacuzzi was amazing! Large room with plenty of space.
Pet free hotel was a big plus!

This is one of the finest hotels I’ve stayed at and I’ve stayed at top tier hotels in New York, Rome, Los Angeles, Seattle, and many other great cities. First, the staff will jump for anything you need. I was there for a work trip and they printed out documents for me, scanned them, and received FEDEX packets. They will schedule any trip you want to take, and treat you with the respect of a senior VIP. This is one of the few Army hospitality venues I’ve experienced where the staff was polished, refined, and new how to act, had manners. I’ve been in the Military 20 years and for the most part, the Army doesn’t exactly hire people with class. Primarily because of the toxic threatening culture that they train their workers in. However, this staff at the holiday inn at Fort Belvoir was absolutely awesome!!! Special thanks to Jurry, who was amazingly helpful. If I bring my family back to the DC area I’ll stay here without a doubt.

We booked this hotel because of the awesome reviews, though I wish someone talked about how it’s located next to shady motels and the rooms smell like air freshener, which is just so gross to me. Beds are nice, hotel is ok, but I would have looked elsewhere if I realized the location and the way the rooms would smell.

Ok place for the price. Breakfast is free, but it’s not great (some bagel and fruits.) Staff are really nice and very helpful. I’ll be back for sure.

I find it hard to review Holiday Inn Express locations because they are all the same for the most part. Staff was friendly, room was clean and comfortable, breakfast was simple and free, etc.
So here’s some additional info that might help someone else make their booking decision. The hotel is located on a very busy main road. There are a bazillion restaurants, stores, and hotels nearby. Your typical fast food and chain restaurants, a grocery store, and any other type of store you might need.
The hotel is about 5 minutes away from the major highway, about 15 minutes outside of downtown DC, and about 15 minutes from the airport (DCA). It’s a good place to stay if you are intimidated by staying in DC proper. Easy enough access to the Metro to get you downtown without worrying about having to park.
Lastly, as an FYI. The hotel room doors slam shut. When someone leaves or enters their room, you hear it. It repeatedly woke me up from a sound sleep several times throughout the night. And when I tell you it’s loud, I mean loud. This hotel definitely needs to invest in a better door hinge system.

The staff was friendly. The breakfast was good and was warm. The rooms were clean and the bess were comfortable. The tv wasn’t outdated which was nice.

I didn’t expect this from a Holiday Inn Express… great stay! I visited DC couple of weeks ago and booked this hotel last minute. It was 56 bucks per night on Hotwire and close to Airport and Alexandria. I didn’t want to spend too much money for a 3 day visit. I do have friends in DC but prefer to get my own hotel so I can go about doing whatever I want. This hotel is literally about 10 minutes away from Alexandria strip and about 1 mile from the freeway… convenient.
Upon arrival, my room was ready. It was clean, roomy and had updated furnishings. I had the back view so all I can see were trees and lot, but thats ok cause I was not planning to stay indoors anyway. Plenty of free parking spaces, gym, free wifi and free breakfast which I didn’t get to take advantage cause of late night gatherings :) They also offer free shuttle to Reagan National Airport but I had a rental.
For the money I paid, this was very comfortable stay. Property well taken care of. The location was perfect. No restaurants within walking distance but King St /​Alexandria is close by.

We were extremely impressed overall with the hotel and service.
First off, we booked through Hotwire which can be a hit or miss expectation wise. especially with the deal we weren’t sure what we would end up with. We booked for a room for 4 adults (2 adults and 2 teenagers), upon check-​in the front desk attendant advised we reserved a room with 2 double beds.
Room– I asked if there was a couch and she said no, but then looked to see if any suites were available. She upgraded us to the suite at no extra charge. The room was quite large with 2 double beds, a fold out couch/​bed, kitchenette, sitting area for meals, closet and bathroom. The bedding was EXTREMELY comfortable! We all wanted to take the pillows and beds home! The restroom was clean and stocked, it was no trouble whatsoever to obtain extra towels, soap, shampoo, lotion and later– toothpaste simply because we forgot to pack it. All television channels are included, there are no pay per view or extra movie channels– which was favorable for us, since we have kids and did not want them to run up the bill. There is a mini-​convenience store located near the front desk, if you are not able or unwilling to run out for snacks during your stay.
Location– It’s off the main road and has a turn right into the driveway. If you’re coming from D.C., it will be on your left. Decent sized parking lot, free parking! There is an area for dropping off at the entrance for cabbies, families with lots of luggage, or handicapped folks. The hotel is off of the main road, within reasonable distance to restaurants and shops. The only eye sore is the neighboring Virginia Lodge, which I have not been in– but from the looks of it– slightly run down and very outdated.
Amenities– There is a swimming pool at the Spring Hill Suites next door that the Holiday Inn Express shares with. On the bottom level (floor 1, floor 2 is ground/​main lobby floor) has a fitness center, which looked really nice and next door to the gym is «spa» which houses a large jacuzzi. It is approximately the size of a kid’s pool, at its’ deepest depth is 3’9″. and although we weren’t planning to swim and hence did not bring our suits. we all went in anyways. rolled up our pants, etc. The water was piping hot and the jet bubbles were a nice change from the frigid cold weather outside.
Breakfast– was pretty well stocked. the refrigerator had personal sized cow milk, organic soy milk, orange juice, hard boiled eggs, 2 brands of yogurt. Fresh fruit– apples and oranges. 4 different kinds of oatmeal! 4 kinds of cereal– fruit loops, wheaties, etc. Breads– english muffins, 3 kinds of muffins, breads, warm cinnamon rolls. Hot items– sausage patties, egg patties, french toast, coffee. We sat in front of the fireplace and watched the morning news. I had trouble hearing the news, and the staff were very attentive– they brought the remote and we figured out together how to put on the closed captioning. That was very nice. The breakfast had many different options, enough to please picky eaters. While the breakfast wasn’t five stars– no omelet station or make your own waffles, it had a decent selection for complimentary breakfast.
If we knew what a deal we were getting, we may have stayed an extra night. we went and saw the historic monuments. MLK Jr., Lincoln, Jefferson, etc. the day we arrived and then attended church the next day before heading home. The service was impeccable. the front desk answered all of our questions, gave us extra supplies, upgraded us at no extra cost and the breakfast staff and housekeeping staff were equally as friendly and helpful. They went the extra mile and that’s why they earned 5 stars. I will certainly go back again in the future and recommend this property to others.

I would have given it four stars but the rooms next door were playing music all night. Very annoying listening to country music in one room and then another room playing club music! Hard to get sleep.
Late check in. Tired, sick and wanting to get some sleep from long day of traveling.
They have pancake making machine for breakfast. Free wifi for IHG members. Close to downtown.

I know it’s only a Holiday Inn Express, but I did not think that it deserved a 5 star rating, even though I had lower standards. First off, we requested a floor other than the first floor three days before we got here. At check in, «I see you requested a higher floor, but the computer pre assigns them.» At first were put on the first floor. (This area doesn’t look the best either.) she told us the upper floors were all sold out. Then magically, she told us she had one on the 3^rd floor. (Hotel is built on a hill, and main entrance and lobby are on floor 2) I guess one just appeared out of nowhere. I suppose she upgraded us to a suite, because the room was larger than the others appeared. (Still not really a suite.) Okay, i thought, that was nice of her. Maybe. When we walked in, not to sound to dramatic, we coved our mouths. It smelled as if the room was a designated smoking area. Supposedly, this is a non-​smoking hotel. Okay, what the beeb! It was gross, but whatever. The breakfast was standard for this kind of hotel. The hot tub was broken the whole time. (4 nights) The staff was friendly and helpful though. We used the shuttle service one time. It was nice, but has limited hours at night. In all, no more, but no less than 3 out of 5. 60%!

Incredibly clean and well kept. Tastefully decorated. Was pleasantly surprised!

This superb property has all you’re looking for: Great attentive staff, cleanliness, firm beds, good breakfasts, quiet, nice exercize room, great location. I heartily recommend it.

Stayed here about 3 weeks ago. We had the room designated for handicapped customers. It was large, but kind of awkward! We enjoyed the whirlpool, but just felt the room was a little open (probably for wheelchairs). It was clean, the staff was accommodating and the beds were comfy.
Skip the free breakfast. The pancakes and eggs are terrible and so are the danishes.

My family and I stayed here in March 2012 and my entire family loved our stay. Every employee we talked to was more than than willing to help us with what we needed. They even gave us some great tips for getting around DC. I expected the images of the amenities on their website to be a little exaggerated to get customers, but everything matched the website exactly. The hot tub and fitness room was bigger than expected and clean. The breakfast area was kept well stocked as well even during peak breakfast traffic. The shuttle service to the Metro alone is enough to make me come back here again. There is plenty of places to eat five minutes up the road, which was nice also. It met all my expectations and gave me a couple pleasant surprises too, so it gets five stars.

We just stayed a few nights at this hotel while up in the DC area and we’d probably stay again. The staff was very friendly and accomodating and the hotel was quite clean. Our «suite» wasn’t quite what I would call a suite but the room was nice enough with a mini-​fridge and microwave. The breakfast in the morning had the standard fare and the complimentary shuttle to the Huntington Metro station was convenient. The actual location isn’t bad but it would be nice if more stufff (i.e., restaurants) was within walking distance.
Overall, it’s a good location and we enjoyed our stay.