The Gaylord National resort is simply massive, with a large convention center, plenty of rooms, and hordes of guests. It’s a decent option if you want to be in National Harbor (but not Washington D.C.).

Disclaimer: This hotel stay was necessary as part of volunteering work I do related to the health care industry. While I did not pay for the room charges, the opinions contained in this post remain my own.

Booking

The room rate for this stay was $299/night. While the negotiated rate did not require us to pay it, there is typically a resort fee of $27/day before taxes. Though we didn’t pay for the resort fee, we still received the benefits of the fee.

If you’re looking to stay here with points, expect points prices between 30,000 and 50,000 Marriott points per night. That makes this hotel a decent use of your 35k and 40k free night certificates. Just remember that with Marriott, you’ll still have to pay the resort fee even on award nights.

One last thing that is important to note before you book this hotel (or any Gaylord hotels for that matter). Please don’t expect much if you come here with elite status. Gaylord is one of the Marriott brands that does not offer free breakfast for Platinum members and above. Instead, the only noticeable benefit I had here with my Titanium status was (1) the use of a shorter elite line at check-in, (2) a potential room upgrade, and (3) either 1,000 Marriott points or a $10 food and beverage credit per stay.

Resort Fee

The resort fee benefits are as follows:

• Internet access
• Two glasses of beer, wine, or cocktails at any resort bar (once per stay)
• Transportation on the National Harbor Circulator Bus, which will take you to the nearby MGM casino
• Two free cookies or piece of fruit daily at Potomac District Cafe & Market
• Daily morning yoga class for two

Is that worth $27? I’d imagine most people would say no, especially with the free alcohol only being available once per stay but the fee must be paid daily. If you’re here on a one-night stay, you might think this fee is a wash. But otherwise I wouldn’t be thrilled to pay it.

Earning Marriott Bonvoy points

If you’re looking to earn Marriott points quickly, you could look into picking up a Marriott credit card. Both Chase and American Express offer Marriott credit cards.

Full disclosure: in this section are refer-a-friend links where I may earn some points for referring. There is no requirement to use the below referral links to apply but note your offer may differ when going directly to the card issuer.

Chase offers the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless credit card that gives a sign up bonus of three 50k free night certificates for spending $3,000 in the first three months for a $95 annual fee.

Or you can turn your eyes to American Express:

• The Marriott Bonvoy Bevy (not an affiliate link) offers 85,000 Marriott points for $5,000 spend in the first six months for a $250 annual fee.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (not an affiliate link) offers 100,000 Marriott points for $6,000 spend in the first six months. It also comes with instant Platinum status but with a higher annual fee ($650).

Since Amex credit cards are generally one-in-a-lifetime, it might be worth waiting for a better deal to come by.

Arrival and First Impressions

I ended up taking an Uber over to the hotel, as the hotel isn’t easily accessible via public transportation. You might wonder that the hotel, which is located south of Washington DC, provides easy access to the tourist attractions in DC, but that wouldn’t be accurate. You’d have to take a bus to the closest metro station, resulting in about an hour of transit depending on where in DC you want to go. The National Harbor area seems to be supported by either the MGM casino or convention goers.

Once at the hotel, you’ll quickly see that this hotel feels a bit like its own mini city. There is a large indoor atrium that provides plenty of natural lighting but also protects you from the elements (important in the winter). The resort boasts several restaurants and at times it’s easy to forget you’re indoors.

Getting back over to check-in, there was a short wait to chat with the front desk. However, it was pretty easy once I got someone to assist. The agent quickly explained the features of the hotel, asked if I wanted the points or the food and beverage credit for my Titanium status, and then provided a much-needed map of the property.

The Room

My room for this stay was up on the 17th floor (17-140). As this was a business-related trip, I didn’t bring the family with me.

Once inside the room, you’ll see the bathroom immediately on the left and a closet on the right.

Also on the right is the coffee maker, some water bottles (which were not restocked during my stay), and the ice container.

Despite being here alone, I ended up with a room with two queen beds. I guess you can think of it as one bed for partying and one for sleeping. The beds themselves were perfectly fine for what I needed them to do.

Directly across from the beds was the TV, dresser, and desk. This is one of those TVs where you need to input your credentials into the TV to get access to your streaming apps. I’d much rather prefer Chromecast where you can just project your show from your device without needing to clear remembered accounts.

Just next to the dresser is a mini-fridge should you need it.

The bathroom wasn’t as nice in part because I didn’t think the black vanity matched the decor elsewhere in the guest room. The counter also featured double sinks but the sinks seemed to be too close together for two people to use them at the same time.

The shower felt a bit out of place with the simple curtain and bathtub approach. I should note that while the water temperature was fine, the weak water pressure left me desiring more. Also, watch out for the towels, which might accidentally fall into the toilet if you’re not careful getting those off the rack.

Toiletries are from Relache Spa, which I found just OK and not that memorable.

The view from the room overlooked the conference area. If the conference area weren’t there, I’d say the view would be pretty decent.

The Resort

During your stay, the map is the most important thing for you to keep on you. Why? Because the map also had the benefits of your resort fee (two free drinks and your free cookie or piece of fruit). The two free drinks are legitimately free, and there isn’t a need to sign anything (bring cash for tips). I tried to find cookies for sale at Potomac, but couldn’t find any–I found plenty of fruit though–so I didn’t use that coupon.

If you’re attending a conference, the convention center map is on the back, which makes it easy to figure out where you need to go. I wish all conferences provided better guidance for conferences.

While the hotel also has a pool and fitness center, I didn’t have an opportunity to check them out on this trip.

Dinner at Harbor Social

Just one level down from the front desk, Harbor Social is a place that has food, drinks, games, and plenty of TVs. This is also the spot where I used my two free drinks from the resort fee. Overall, I’d say it’s not a bad place to check out if you’re bringing the family and want something casual. But be warned that things aren’t so cheap here.

Once inside, you’ll find plenty of entertainment here, including bocce, shuffleboard, air hockey, pool, and duckpin bowling. Just on the left is duckpin bowling (the pins are shorter and the ball is smaller than regular 10-pin bowling). You can reserve your spot by scanning the QR code on the menu or just go directly to their website in advance (which is better if you don’t want to risk it not being available).

The main downside to the restaurant is the food tends to be fairly expensive for what you get. I ordered two small salmon sliders for $16 and a small plate of fries for $13. Sadly, the sliders were on the dry side and didn’t have much flavor on their own. That said, the drinks were good. If you do come here, I’d stick to beef sliders and probably split the fries with someone else.

Being in National Harbor

Since you’re so close to Washington, D.C., you’re going to see plenty of support for our armed forces. Head out near the pier, for example, and find some statues in honor of each of the armed forces (except the space force).

If you’re in town with children, there is a carousel and playground, but those cost money. If you want a ticket to enter, it will cost you $7 for all-day rides. Seems a bit expensive if you ask me.

If you’re looking for something else, there’s also The Capital Wheel. At $17 per adult rider and $13.50 per child (age 3-11), it’s not a cheap ride, but it might not be a bad option if you can time it for the sunset.

If you want a beach, just before the pier is the best you’re going to get. There is some sand but you’re obviously not going to be able to get into the water.

I did find one small area available for children that wasn’t behind a paywall. Just a bit inland from the armed forces statues is a narrow park that has about half a dozen play sculptures. If your kids are young, they might be interested in this, but it’s very simple and not fully-enclosed (so don’t decide to nap thinking your kids are safe).

Dinner in National Harbor (The Walrus Oyster & Ale House)

I didn’t want to spend all my time inside the Gaylord National resort and decided to spend a couple of evenings checking out some other places. One night I ended up at The Walrus, which is a pretty tasty spot to be. I ordered the lobster roll, which was every bit as rich and buttery as I hoped it to be. It also had large chunks of lobster in it (yes, it’s a typical thing I get when on the East Coast). It’s not the best lobster roll I’ve had recently (that honor goes to Thames Street in Baltimore) but it’s still pretty good.

Dinner in Alexandria (1799 Prime Steak & Seafood)

One other evening, I went across the water over to Alexandria, Virginia. Living in Los Angeles, it’s easy for me to forget that sometimes cities sit right on the state border and it’s real easy to hop over to another state to eat a meal. The only thing separating National Harbor, Maryland from Alexandria, Virginia is the Potomac River across the I-495.

I’d say it’s well-worth the 15 minute drive to get here to 1799 Prime Steak & Seafood. The service is quite good and the meat itself is incredibly delicious. There wasn’t a wait for us to get in (thankfully) on a Thursday night. This ended up being my favorite restaurant in the area.

Recommendation: Only if you need to be in National Harbor

Please, please, please do not use this hotel as a resort to use as your base for exploring Washington, D.C. I’d much rather recommend you stay at someplace in the city limits (like the Grand Hyatt Washington) if you’re here for that purpose. This hotel is ultimately too inconvenient to use as a base for exploring the city.

With that out of the way, I’m assuming you have a need to be in National Harbor, or perhaps Alexandria across the river. I’d say everything in the area revolves around the Gaylord. Like I mentioned, it feels like a city within itself and does a fairly decent job with being good despite the sheer hordes of people staying here. Don’t come here expecting personalized service and similarly don’t expect any real benefits for your elite status. If you set the right expectations, you’ll be OK. However, I would recommend that aside from the free drinks for your resort fee that you end up eating your meals elsewhere.

Have you been to National Harbor before?