The Layover Guide Book
06-27-2007, 06:06 AM
#1
Gets ALL Days Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Sit down comedian.
Posts: 958
The Layover Guide Book
hey all... i have made an overnight hotel guide for about 200+ airports that crews are using nationwide. It will be small enough to fit in your kitbag (just slightly bigger than those little red crew logbooks). It should be published by the end of this year hopefully.... Here is a little taste for those of you that are interested....
Washington DC- Reagan
Holiday Inn Airport
Phone: 703-684-7200
Address: 2650 Jefferson Davis Highway ZIP-22202
Number of Floors: 11
Number of Rooms: 280
Van Times: Every Fifteen Minutes on the hour
Average Time travel from Hotel to Airport: 5 minutes
Non-Smoking Rooms-YES
Smoking Rooms-YES
Hotel Gym-yes 1st Floor (3 levels up from Lobby)
(Treadmills, Stairclimbers, Stationary Bikes, Dumbells 5-50lbs
Pool- Yes (outdoor only)
Hot Tub- NO
Best Place to Lay in the Sun: Outdoor pool deck
Room Internet- Eithernet Cable
Public Computers- Yes, 2 in lobby at entrance
Private Crew Business Center-NO
Hotel Resturant- YES. (2) An Old Fashioned Diner and A Sportsbar With Food
Hotel Bar- YES
Hotel Food Crew Voucher- NO
Free Continental Breakfast- NO
Food within walking distance:
McDonalds- Next Door
2 Blocks north, then one block West, small strip of local restaurants and a Subway.
Bars within walking Distance: not any worth going to.
Night Time Walking Near Hotel: Be Cautious (Safe, Usually Safe, Be Cautious, Not Safe)
Distance to Downtown DC: 4 miles, 10 minute cab ride, approx. 20-25 min jog to city
Short Stay TO DO: Crystal City Shopping mall is less than a 10 minute walk. Hotel Desk can give you walking directions.
Long Stay TO DO: Go Into Downtown DC. Take hotel van back to the airport. Get on METRO train at Airport and take Yellow Line towards Mt. Vernon or Fort Totten. Transfer to Orange Line at L’Enfant Plaza (take Orange Line Towards New Carrolton) and get off at Smithsonian to be right on the National Mall (don’t be confused by the name, it is really just a big chunk of grass in between the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building). Other exit is stay on Yellow Line from airport and exit at Gallery Place/China Town. Gallery Place/China Town has GREAT FOOD, a giant AMC movie theater, The Verizon Center (for Washington Wizards Basketball, Washington Capitals Hockey and other events). The Smithsonian stop will put you at the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, all of the Smithsonian Museums including Air and Space Museum (NOT the same as Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport), and the Holocaust Museum. Also at Smithsonian stop within a 5-10 minute walk: The White House, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Library of Congress, and The Supreme Court, Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial. A $5 METRO Card should cover you round trip into the city and back to the airport. There are signs at the entrance of METRO at airport that shows you the fees to each stop (some times are peak and off peak times are a few cents cheaper so look closely at the times to see how much to get on your METRO card).
Hotel Rating: 2/5
Overnight Rating: 3/5
Washington DC- Reagan
Holiday Inn Airport
Phone: 703-684-7200
Address: 2650 Jefferson Davis Highway ZIP-22202
Number of Floors: 11
Number of Rooms: 280
Van Times: Every Fifteen Minutes on the hour
Average Time travel from Hotel to Airport: 5 minutes
Non-Smoking Rooms-YES
Smoking Rooms-YES
Hotel Gym-yes 1st Floor (3 levels up from Lobby)
(Treadmills, Stairclimbers, Stationary Bikes, Dumbells 5-50lbs
Pool- Yes (outdoor only)
Hot Tub- NO
Best Place to Lay in the Sun: Outdoor pool deck
Room Internet- Eithernet Cable
Public Computers- Yes, 2 in lobby at entrance
Private Crew Business Center-NO
Hotel Resturant- YES. (2) An Old Fashioned Diner and A Sportsbar With Food
Hotel Bar- YES
Hotel Food Crew Voucher- NO
Free Continental Breakfast- NO
Food within walking distance:
McDonalds- Next Door
2 Blocks north, then one block West, small strip of local restaurants and a Subway.
Bars within walking Distance: not any worth going to.
Night Time Walking Near Hotel: Be Cautious (Safe, Usually Safe, Be Cautious, Not Safe)
Distance to Downtown DC: 4 miles, 10 minute cab ride, approx. 20-25 min jog to city
Short Stay TO DO: Crystal City Shopping mall is less than a 10 minute walk. Hotel Desk can give you walking directions.
Long Stay TO DO: Go Into Downtown DC. Take hotel van back to the airport. Get on METRO train at Airport and take Yellow Line towards Mt. Vernon or Fort Totten. Transfer to Orange Line at L’Enfant Plaza (take Orange Line Towards New Carrolton) and get off at Smithsonian to be right on the National Mall (don’t be confused by the name, it is really just a big chunk of grass in between the Washington Monument and the Capitol Building). Other exit is stay on Yellow Line from airport and exit at Gallery Place/China Town. Gallery Place/China Town has GREAT FOOD, a giant AMC movie theater, The Verizon Center (for Washington Wizards Basketball, Washington Capitals Hockey and other events). The Smithsonian stop will put you at the Capitol Building, the Washington Monument, all of the Smithsonian Museums including Air and Space Museum (NOT the same as Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum at Dulles Airport), and the Holocaust Museum. Also at Smithsonian stop within a 5-10 minute walk: The White House, World War II Memorial, Vietnam Wall, Library of Congress, and The Supreme Court, Lincoln Memorial, and Jefferson Memorial. A $5 METRO Card should cover you round trip into the city and back to the airport. There are signs at the entrance of METRO at airport that shows you the fees to each stop (some times are peak and off peak times are a few cents cheaper so look closely at the times to see how much to get on your METRO card).
Hotel Rating: 2/5
Overnight Rating: 3/5
06-27-2007, 06:18 AM
#3
Gets ALL Days Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Sit down comedian.
Posts: 958
Originally Posted by TristarJS30
I'd buy it. Only problem is different companies stay in different hotel chains in some cases.
06-27-2007, 07:48 AM
#6
Gets ALL Days Off
Thread Starter
Joined APC: Mar 2007
Position: Sit down comedian.
Posts: 958
Originally Posted by POPA
If the DC overnight gets a 3/5 rating, what does DSM get?
06-27-2007, 07:54 AM
#7
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,857
Originally Posted by UnlimitedAkro
I dont understand why people complain about DCA being a bad overnight. The hotel isnt good, we know that. But I've seen plenty of other people just sit around in a hotel all day because there is nothing directly next door to the hotel to do. That is part of the reason I made this book so people who know what there is to do and where to go to get there.
...and don't you dare say Amsterdam; I'm a regional pilot.
06-27-2007, 08:11 AM
#8
Chief Jeppesen Updater
Joined APC: Oct 2005
Position: Executive Transport Driver
Posts: 3,080
My suggestions?
Rather than print a book, put the info online and offer it that way. You'll get more access and it will likely be easier to format and update. Plus if you create a site that has forums like these, you can add the ability to have "user inputs".
Second, drop the hotel info from the guide. I know that at ACA/IDE we changed an average of two hotels monthly due to cost/crew issues/transportation/complaints/etc. Likewise with all of the airlines out there that use different hotels, trying to keep up with it would be a pain!
Instead, I'd suggest picking out a few things to do that have easy access from the airport or public transportation, as well as a handful of good restaurants.
Rather than print a book, put the info online and offer it that way. You'll get more access and it will likely be easier to format and update. Plus if you create a site that has forums like these, you can add the ability to have "user inputs".
Second, drop the hotel info from the guide. I know that at ACA/IDE we changed an average of two hotels monthly due to cost/crew issues/transportation/complaints/etc. Likewise with all of the airlines out there that use different hotels, trying to keep up with it would be a pain!
Instead, I'd suggest picking out a few things to do that have easy access from the airport or public transportation, as well as a handful of good restaurants.
06-27-2007, 08:19 AM
#9
Che Guevara
Joined APC: Aug 2005
Posts: 6,408
FlyJosh one thing you overlook is that TONS of people besides pilots have to pull overnights. WX cancels, pax bumps, business travelers ect. They should print it and put it in a store for terminal people to purchase as well. People like knowing what there is to do locally if something happens.
06-27-2007, 08:21 AM
#10
Gets Weekends Off
Joined APC: Jan 2006
Position: Spartan
Posts: 3,652
Staying at the Holiday Inn Airport and no mention of the Crystal City Restaurant?
http://www.crystalcityrestaurant.com/
http://www.crystalcityrestaurant.com/
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