<p>What's within walking distance of the Amtrak station? </p>
<p>If my son and daughter traveled by train for her summer interview, would they be able to get from the station to a clean hotel to the Admission office easily?</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>Hi DB, the closest hotel to the Amtrak station is the Governor’s Inn. Another choice is the Hospitality House. I do not have personal experience with either but they are clean, safe, and close to the station. Check tripadvisor.com for reviews. From there, it is a short walk (~1/2 mile?) up North Boundary street to Merchant Square in Colonial Williamsburg. The W&M admissions office is just up the street from there. PM me if you have questions.</p>
<p>I have stayed in the Hospitality House 3x. Clean, safe and convenient to the college and CW (directly across the street from W&M Stadium and the Alumni House). I would have my son and/or daughter take a cab from the station to the HH. (HH is within walking distance: i guess it depends on whether it is daylight or not) I don’t have any advice on the Gov. Inn. It is closer to the station if I remember correctly.</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at the Governor’s Inn. It’s literally right next to the train station, which is about a 10 minute walk from campus.</p>
<p>I had a great experience and felt perfectly safe being alone.</p>
<p>Do check with any hotel you are looking at before booking. Many do not allow those under 18 to rent a room without someone over 18 also being in the room. Just something to keep in mind. We wouldn’t want anyone to arrive only to find they had nowhere to stay.</p>
<p>The Amtrak station is a 10-minute walk from our building and the Hospitality House and it’s a very easy walk</p>
<p>Thank you all for your answers. </p>
<p>My son will be 18 at the time of the visit and daughter will be 16. I’ve been hoping that 18 is the hotel age minimum and plan to check it before booking anything. :)</p>
<p>The Hospitality House manager was wonderful to my then-freshman d when she traveled back alone after a break, before her dorm was open - she was allowed to stay (was 18 at the time), was upgraded and placed in a room close to where staff was a frequent presence, and even got a free coupon for breakfast. If your kids are staying alone and you have any hesitation, I’d phone either hotel and ask to speak to the manager before you reserve a room.</p>
<p>The Hospitality House is quite spread out and the rooms are in a confusing, warren-like set-up. I’d feel comfortable about a brother-sister duo there, even if the room was a far hike from the lobby. Young, single women always have to be on guard, of course, and the hotel is safe - but whenever we stayed there, I was glad my d had been next to the main elevator.</p>
<p>The Governor’s Inn is an official CW hotel - their budget option - and it’s open seasonally. My oldest d has stayed there several times when visiting Williamsburg - she says it’s fine, which I assume means adequate +1.</p>
<p>I would hesitate to book any of the other hotels in walking distance of W&M unless you want to spring for the Williamsburg Lodge, which is a lot pricier. There are a number of less-than-adequate properties in the area.</p>
<p>Additionally, the Hospitality House usually provides a discounted rate for those visiting the Admission Office so if your student is a prospective, you can mention that when making the reservation and see if they have an admission discount during the time of your student’s visit.</p>
<p>The Williamsburg area is generally very safe and welcoming. Frazzled is right, any traveler needs to be thoughtful, but the area surrounding campus is a safe area. The Hospitality House is literally across the street from campus and a 5-7 minute walk to the Admission Office. The Governor’s Inn about a 10 minute walk. The Williamburg Inn and Lodge are about .5 - .75 miles from campus but are the pricest hotels in the area. All are very easily navigable walks.</p>
<p>There are other good hotels within a few miles but you’d likely want a car if you’re utilizing any of them.</p>
<p>DB, we stayed at the Hospitatlity House for the accepted student’s day. It was very convenient. My son also walks from the amtrak station and has done it day and night, while carrying 2 duffle bags and a back pack.</p>
<p>It’s likely that the campus bus routes (W&M is actually part of the Williamsburg area bus system) go to the train station if walking isn’t feasible (lots of baggage, inclement weather, etc)</p>
<p>When my daughter (now a sophomore) and I visited we took a taxi to the HoHouse. I just wasn’t sure if we would end up walking uphill the whole way. The charge was a grand total of $4. I felt a little silly. Since then, she has walked back to her dorm from the station. The train is well-utilized by students so there are always groups making the walk to campus.</p>
<p>Yeah, its a completely safe part of town (not that there are many bad ones). All there is between the Ho House and Amtrak is a few shops and government buildings.</p>
<p>While Morsie Dotes is correct in that the walk is more uphill than not, the grade of that hill is fairly minimal</p>