Consider Morrison House if amenities are your thing

Chicago Tribune (MCT) - A friend who lives in Washington always takes her out-of-town guests to Alexandria, the Virginia suburb just across the Potomac River.

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"It's cute," she said. "Cute little stores, nice views. It's nice to get out of D.C. Plus, they have a really good sushi restaurant there."

And then there's the Morrison House, a boutique hotel in downtown Alexandria. It's a curious place: not a stunning facility but loaded _ I repeat, loaded _ with amenities.

And, therefore, expensive. When you reserve your room online, for instance, you can request foam or feather pillows, being close to or far from the elevator and a higher or lower floor (the hotel nailed all my requests). Plus free wireless Internet access, a bowl of apples in the hall and pet friendly. And, of course, spotless.

Old-town Alexandria is indeed a quaint diversion from D.C.'s bustle and, depending on what you're after in a hotel, Morrison House could be a perfect fit.

CHECKING IN: The hotel entrance faces a private driveway, where a valet will take your car for $20 (which is necessary because long-term street parking isn't much of an option in downtown Alexandria). What you see is all brick _ brick driveway, brick courtyard, brick building. It all feels very exclusive and private.

Several newspapers are available just inside the front door, beside the guest book.

A few feet beyond sits the reception desk.

Check in was speedy and friendly, and all employees named their favorite book or author on their name tags ("Like Water for Chocolate" and "J.K. Rowling" were among those spotted). When I asked for dinner suggestions, the two impeccably dressed employees offered an exhaustive list (never mind that the tapas place I picked from their list wasn't so memorable).

As I turned for the elevator, one said, "Anything you need, dial zero, that's us."

That's what I like to hear.

ROOMS: The hotel seems to know the rooms aren't anything special, certainly no great architectural shakes, so they wow you in other ways. An animal-print robe (available for purchase) is spread across the bed. Next to that is the next day's weather report and, atop that, delicious dark-chocolate mints.

Soft classical music plays on the radio (and it's as fancy a bedside radio as you'll see in a hotel _ handsome wood and impeccable sound). Light switches have dimmers, even in the bathroom.

My queen room wasn't particularly large, but aside from the bed, it comfortably fit a desk, chair, armoire and a dresser holding the requisite flat-screen television. The bed was delightfully comfortable, the sheets soft and the room quiet. If you need a fan, humidifier or heating pad, all are available for free. The hangers were even covered in satin. I mean, come on.

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BATHROOM: Exceedingly ordinary. But again, they wow you with the offerings, like a fine, wide shower head, a glass jar of cotton swabs and cotton balls and a tub outfitted with designer soaps and lotions. Except for the handsome tile and wallpaper, it's otherwise a standard hotel bathroom and a hair too small.

KID FRIENDLY: Well it's not kid unfriendly.

But the queen room doesn't exactly leave room for a kid to blow off steam, and the Colonial vibe wouldn't seem likely to excite children the way say, Sesame Street wallpaper would. But then would you want to wake up to Cookie Monster staring at you?

ROOM SERVICE: Available at various points in the day, encompassing breakfast, lunch and dinner. And for the ultimate room service, in-room spa treatments are available for between $160 and $235.

PERKS & PEEVES: As explained, perks abound. It's why the hotel charges as much as it does. If you give the front desk your flight information, they'll even print out your boarding pass 24 hours in advance. One peeve would be the continental breakfast, available for an extra $1 when booking in advance. In addition to coffee, tea and juice, the breakfast consists of three croissants.

Tasty as they might be, three croissants do not a breakfast make, especially not a healthy breakfast. Also, TV reception was spotty.

BOTTOM LINE: Rooms range from about $200 to $400. If you like to spend your money on being pampered, this is the place for you.

If you'd rather spend it to stay in a funkier, more striking environment, look elsewhere.

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Josh Noel: jbnoel@tribune.com

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