I stayed at the new Sierra Hotel from Nov 6-8, 2007. I come to DC frequently and have been staying at the Country Inn and Suites. When I saw that the Sierra was open, I decided to give it a try. It's a wonderful, modern hotel for the price. Since it recently opened, they were still working out some quirks (my key stopped working, the phone didn't work), but I'm sure they will be resolved. The decor is very sleek and reminicent of a much more expensive hotel. The free breakfast was also excellent. While the layout of the rooms have some small problems, I was very please overall.

The pros:
-brand new, sleek decor
-excellent free breakfast
-studio suites for a reasonable price (kitchen amenieties)
-well equiped workout room with chilled towels
-Starbucks coffee in the room
-good location for Dulles and northern virginia
-friendly, accomodating staff
-great outdoor pool area (which I didn't get to use because it was closed for the season but peeked at)

The cons:
-slightly weird layout of the bathroom in the studio suite. The sink area has no place to hang towel or washcloth
-can't use sink wtih closet doors open
-TV can't be watched from both beds at same time
-No workdesk for laptop (only kitchen table where chair is too low to be comfortably used)

Overall, I would definitely recommend this hotel

I travel to the DC area for work and usually stay at a hotel near the airport the night before I return home. I had seen the Hotel Sierra under construction on previous trips and was glad to find that it was open on my trip last week. I was supposed to stay at the Country Inn and Suites but since this hotel was new, I thought I would give it a try.

Although the rate was higher, it was well worth the price after a long work week away from home. The decor is modern with clean lines and the appointments were very tasteful. The beds are very comfortable with nice linen and lots of pillows. There is a also a chaise in the room which makes for nice TV viewing. The room is stocked with Starbucks coffee and higher end toiletries. The bathroom is well appointed although the shower stall could have been better designed. The stall is separated from the rest of the bath by a glass partition that isn't quite wide enough to prevent water from splashing into the rest of the room. That said, the flaw is minor.

Since my flight the next day was early in the morning, I did not get to enjoy the breakfast buffet, but I did notice that meals were offered in the evening. Menu items included salads, grilled sandwiches and a variety of desserts. Starbucks coffee and Tazo teas were also listed. The fitness room was well equipped, enough treadmills, weight machines and ellipticals for several people to use at once.

I would definitely recommend this hotel for business travelers.

It’s kind of cool when you might have been the first person to stay in a hotel room. I fly thru Dulles a bit and got to stay at the Hotel Sierra earlier this week. I had seen it under construction and booked a room online a couple weeks ago for this trip to DC – I figured with a brand new hotel the rooms have to be pretty nice (or at least clean). The hotel is very cool, a bit more stylish then I would have imagined, though not everything is quite ready yet – probably will be in a week or two, but if you’re concerned I’d call and check.

The hotel has a nice breakfast buffet included with the room as the other reviewer here mentions – it has everything including an omelet station. They are supposed to also have an evening reception with wine and beer but their liquor license hasn’t come thru yet, so it wasn’t offered (not a big deal). Aside from the great rooms (I took photos), one of the things that impressed me the most was the fitness facility. I go to the gym regularly and it’s hard finding a good set up in a hotel. They had quite a few pieces of cardio equipment, free weights, 2 weight benches and a couple weight machines. They also offered chilled towels and the room had a flat screen TV. The pool area also looks really cool – the chairs look like they belong at a W hotel – but it was closed. I’m not sure if it wasn’t ready yet or if it is closed for the season – it is October but it was still 90 degrees out.

Best still, the hotel has two SUV shuttles available and I was able to get a ride to Dulles for my flight without having to call or pay for a cab – that was really convenient. I’m sure as the hotel gets busier you might need to schedule in advance, but since it is so new and I don’t think a lot of people know it is open yet, I didn’t have to worry about it. Definitely recommend it to anyone coming thru Dulles or needing to stay in the area (by the way, it’s a mile or so from the airport, so it’s a short drive but you don’t have to worry about noise from airplanes taking off).

While visiting family in the DC area I stayed at the Hotel Sierra; what a comfortable place! The hotel décor is lovely and everything was so fresh and crisp (apparently the hotel opened just a week ago). The room was immaculate and spacious. I particularly enjoyed the large flat screen TV, the free internet access, and the very comfortable bed with lots of pillows. They had a complimentary breakfast in the morning that included hot entrees, as well as well as the typical cereal and muffins. The staff at Hotel Sierra was pleasant and helpful - they helped me find local restaurants for dinner (there is a mall close by with everything, including a Cheesecake Factory and Macaroni Grill). I would definitely stay here again.

The only area improvement I can recommend to Hotel Sierra is that their signage needs to be bigger; I almost missed it as I drove down the highway.