Navy Lodge

The front desk young girl was very unfriendly and short with us. We ended up not staying there and going to the Gateway Inn instead.

Nice decent place to stay with kitchenette. No elevator and a bit older but it’s close to where you need to get to on base. Friendly staff!

First off this place is right next to a sewage treatment plant! You just gotta love the Navy’s way of purchasing cheap land that nobody else wants and I wish we had known this!
After that the staff was pretty friendly and the room service ladies were always really nice and carried on a slight conversation in passing.
Once we got to the room tho… as soon as we walked in it was humid as all get out (trying to maintain G rated). There was an odd smell, so we were hoping the AC would fix it. The AC kind of corrected the humidity but the smell was not. We took off the filter for the AC and it was COVERED in dust (also known as dead human skin and probably some dirt) so we cleaned off both of the filters with the vacuum we had because of our partial dity move. And when we inserted them we saw mold growing on the AC vents. So I cleaned them off and we bought a small thing of bleach and a spray bottle so I could spray the bleach into the intake in my attempt to cause peace of mind that the mold was dead; we also bought 2 things of Lysol to spray EVERYTHING down and periodically in the unit just to make sure (more peace of mind really). We also bought a few of the damp-​rid things you use in your closet, and they were pretty much gone during our 10 day stay. We also turned off the unit at night just because in my mind all I seen was mold spores being dispersed into the air, which is probably dramatic but it would of been a huge inconvenience for us to pack up and move again which is why we stayed.
I went to make some hot water for tea the next morning and there was still coffee grounds from the last person in the pot. Then my husband went to cook breakfast and we found a package of kool-​aid that expired February of 2014 in the very back of the top shelf… I didn’t even know kool-​aid expired or we just never bought it in bulk that it would expire, but it was hard as a rock so it makes me think it’s been sitting in that humid room for over a year! (No peace of mind here). And when we moved the night stand to unplug the alarm that was making odd interference we saw some of those vino-​to-​go glasses behind and sort of under the bed. My confidence in cleanliness was destroyed at this point!
The next issue was I am from the country where we don’t like to wear shoes so I walk around barefoot a lot and couldn’t get over the way my feet felt against the carpet, it kind of felt like they were sticking to it. So, we happened to have our shampooer with us also! I filled up the machine with scalding hot water (one good/​bad thing about this place so be prepared to barely have the hot water on to make warm) and did this NINE TIMES and the water was as dirty as the first time! I went over it with no water for what seemed like a million times to suck up as much water as I could to not add to the humidity of the room. So we turned the AC way down to help dehumidify the room as the floor dried and walked the dogs and as we walked around I noticed that almost none of the AC units that were running were emitting water, including mine that I know had been running for three days which could be the reason the room was so humid for us and confirmed my suspicion of mold growing inside the unit.
And lastly the window into the room would not fully latch shut, so it’s a good thing we were on base, but even then not everyone is trustworthy (I had plenty of stuff stolen when I was in).
Overall I would definitely go to another navy lodge in the area, I’m not sure where that is, but with all the bases there should be something! When you stay at a motel you shouldn’t have to worry about whether or not it’s sanitary and you definitely shouldn’t feel as disgusted when you enter. I will say that if you are moving to DC and don’t have a place to live you should stay here because it will TOTALLY MOTIVATE YOU TO FIND A PLACE STAT!!!

I’ll give the place 3 stars. And I’ll start with the bad first. Our room was about 2 miles away from the front lobby (no joke) on the other side of the base. And it was you typical TLF stay, nice but not high quality.
The good: $ 65 dollars a nite, about 3 miles from the metro rail stop for anacostia and had rooms last minute for Memorial Day weekend.
I’d stay again

Not a 4 star hotel…“pushing a 3.” The deal with this place is PRICE & LOCATION. From this Navy Lodge, you are close to the DC action, but… BUT…not close to a Metro stop.
Stayed here a few days and it certainly paid-​off to reserve the room two weeks in advance. Lobby and hallways smelled of fresh paint and pine oil. Kind of reminded me of my youth when I lived in the BEQ. Room had a little kitchen/​fridge/​sink. Wifi worked fine. I think we paid around $ 75/​night. Room/​sheets appeared to be clean. «Wouldn’t be my first choice for a honeymoon» if you get my drift.
Compared to anything close of similar standard, that’s not bad at all. I even got a window view of the housekeeping staff’s hourly gossip session/​smoke break! (better than what was on cable).
Takeaways:
1) Reserve on line (Google Gateway Inns) or use this link:
2) DO NOT try to get on base at the Navy Research Laboratory Gate (off Exit 1). I would recommend using the Arnold Gate off of Exit 2 and just follow the signs to Navy Lodge on Chappie James Blvd. There’s another gate down there, but it closes at 9pm, and the Lodge is hard enough to find during the day.
3) Exchange and Commissary closes at 7pm. Burger King and gas station on base stay open a little longer. Be thinking about supper before 6pm or you’ll be dining at the vending machine.
4) To use the Metro to get around town, drive out the Arnold gate, turn left on S. Capitol. Go about a mile and turn right (underpass) onto Firth Sterling. A couple of lights later turn left on Howard Rd (go under the bridge) and look right — there’s a Metro Parking lot. Don’t let the sketchy neighborhood fool you — you’ll be fine. Drive on in and park, walk on in, get some fee cards, and you are off to the races on the Green Line!

I like it here, beautiful base. Cheapest rates you’ll ever find, everything you need it literally around the corner and it’s really close to the capital. Downside is its I need the hood and can get a little scary depending on where you go. I seem to be able to get a room here even on big holidays and it’s peaceful and quiet.

Biggest reason i give it a 3 is because although pet friendly, the hallways smell like pet urine. Lodged here for four days and strong smell remained the whole stay. Room was okay. Spacious, queen bed, queen size pull-​out, Kitchenette with stove, oven, microwave, toaster, dishes and cookware. Also free coffee and bagels in the morning.
Food for thought… I was able to secure a reservation because i was on PCS orders, but they never asked to see my orders. Hmmm…

During our stay in Washington, DC we were lucky enough to get a room at the Navy Lodge.
The prices are great because they are so affordable and it’s just miles from downtown DC. The staff is extremely helpful especially with telling you about the metro and how to get around.
I also loved the kitchenette in the room. I’ve never stayed in a hotel room with a kitchenette so I didn’t know what to expect. It was tiny but it had everything you needed (minus an oven). It was fully stocked with everything from pots and pans to a chopping board and can opener.
The only negative thing I have to say is that it’s a little difficult to find. Apparently, Garmin doesn’t recognize this address and so I had to call them and get another address that the gps would recognize. Also, knowing which entrance to use to get to the lodge was a little confusing as well. Other than that, this place was great.