Affordable Places For Activists to Stay in Washington DC

Image: Cynthia pulling a suitcase through Union Station in Washington D.C.

NOTE: This blog was posted March 2023, so prices may rise over time.

Washington D.C. is THE place to be when it comes to advocacy on a national level. This is where our decision makers work and where professional lobbyists and volunteer advocates flock to learn together and inspire each other. Unfortunately, since lobbying is big business, D.C. is an expensive place to stay. I once attended an anti-poverty conference where the main conference hotel was about $600 per night! Yikes! (I did not stay there.)

One of the hardest things about being an activist is figuring out a place to stay in D.C. while you lobby, protest, or attend conferences without breaking the bank. Sometimes groups I volunteer with will pay for lodging, but not every organization is that well funded. Here is a list of my favorite places I’ve found to be clean, convenient, and affordable when I stay in Washington D.C. and have to pay my own way. Don't forget, it's a great idea to invite a friend to stay with you and split the cost because advocacy is always more fun with friends!

NOTE: I know some of these prices are still going to seem pretty high to folks used to paying $130 for a Homewood Suites in middle America, but the Capitol Hill area is prime hotel real estate and I’d be wary of a $130 D.C. hotel. Besides, when I tried the Homewood Suites by the Convention Center in D.C., we had multiple problems with cleanliness, excessive street noise, a faulty safe that wouldn’t release our valuables, and a super loud room fridge! 

Yotel DC (about $200-250 per night)

Image: A hotel room with two queen beds and 
green lights around the mirror and TV set.

415 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20001 

Yotel is a popular place for advocacy organizations to hold small conferences of 100 people or so. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Russell Senate Building on Capitol Hill. It’s very clean with futuristic styling. Beds incline with a touch of a button to become couches if you’d like more room during the day. 

I enjoy changing the room’s mood lighting to the brand color of the organization for the conference I’m attending. In this picture, I’ve changed the Yotel branded purple to Shot@Life green since that was the conference I was attending. Amenities include free coffee on every floor and a rooftop pool in the summer. The hotel bar has great, but pricey cocktails. If you’re saving money on that, too, you can visit Kogod Liquors next door. A full FedEx business center and Starbucks are in the Hyatt across the street. If you join their rewards program, you can get a little cash back on your room.

Hotel Hive (about $180-$250 per night) 

Image: Cynthia with a towel on her head pointing to
the words "WORK HARD. TRAVEL HARDER."
on the wall.

2224 F St NW, Washington, DC 20037 

Hotel Hive is a micro-hotel. The rooms are tiny, but the vibes are fun, the rooms are very clean, and the price is right. Some rooms only have one twin bed. The old historic building is irregular, so every room is a little different in size and shape. Rooms have funny or positive statements painted on the walls in big block letters. Everything is bee themed. Their “buzz” room label is a cutesy way of saying that they are potentially noisy, located above or below the bar or pizza shop. The website says, “What they may not offer in views or silence they make up for in value.” I’ve seen a buzz twin room as low as $157/night ($181 with taxes and fees).

It has a rooftop bar and yummy flatbread style pizza in the pizza shop. It’s 2.7 miles from Capitol Hill, which is about a 12 minute drive. 

AirBnB (varies widely) 

If I have to do an extended stay in DC, I enjoy reserving an AirBnB apartment because they come with kitchens (so I can eat healthier for less money) and laundry (so I don’t have to pack as much). The cost can vary widely, but I’m usually able to find something safe, clean, and within a short walk to Capitol Hill for about $200-250 per night, inclusive of fees and taxes. I like to get units with fold-out sofas, so I can invite another volunteer to join me and share cost while having their own space, unlike a hotel room, which would have us in the same room. 

Here are two listings that I especially enjoyed. In both cases, the owners live upstairs from the basement, so they are on the property in case anything goes wrong. They both look exactly like their pictures in the listing.

Image: Convenience store

Capitol Hill King 1 Bedroom Apt + Free Parking

Comfortable, spacious, and very near the Senate buildings. This one is my favorite because of the location. I got complimented on the outside flowers every day because people passing by would think I was the owner! Next to a convenience store with affordable and delicious made to order sandwiches. Around the corner is a street with a pub, a Vietnamese pho restaurant, a barber, and a nail salon.

Capitol Hill Charm ~ Modern Refinement

Image: Queen sized bed with 
attractive bedding

Super cute decor. It’s in a neighborhood with lots of parents out and about with children and dogs after school going by the neighborhood parks. It’s a 10-minute walk away from a fantastic Jamaican restaurant called Jerk at Nite/District Jerk. Be advised the fold down couch only fits shorter folks, so keep that in mind if you're inviting a roomie!

Friends Place on Capitol Hill ($50 per night)

Image: Bunk beds at Friends Place 

515 East Capitol Street, SE, Washington, DC 20003 

If you have three or more in your party and don’t mind a summer camp sort of vibe, Friends Place is a fantastic resource. Run by the Friends Coalition on National Legislation (FCNL), an advocacy group started by the Quakers, Friends Place is a Quaker learning center and a guesthouse open to activists in town to take action on issues aligning with their missions to advance peace, justice, and environmental stewardship.

For just $50 per person, Friends Place has rooms with a handful of bunk beds in each of them. Each room has a digital lock on and a private bathroom. Guests have access to communal living spaces and kitchenettes on each floor. You can even rent out their meeting spaces. There are many stairs, but I know at least one room is ADA accessible. 

My favorite thing about Friends Place is that it’s only a 2-minute walk to the Senate buildings, so you’re pretty much on Capitol Hill. You can easily walk to Union Station. There are little convenience stores and restaurants nearby.

Because of the bunk beds and shared spaces, Friends Place is very popular with student group trips, so book early! Check out a video walk through of Friends Place on YouTube.

Image: Book cover

Buy an autographed copy of "From Changing Diapers to Changing the World: Why Moms Make Great Advocates and How to Get Started" at my website www.changyit.com or order it from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or any independent bookstore!