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Sterling · Hotel shortlist

High end hotels near the airport in Sterling

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Updated 1 September 2026 · 26 Sterling hotels assessed

These are my five favourites in Sterling, out of the 26 that qualified. I read what other travellers scored them before I picked, so the order follows the guests, 4.7 down to 4.4.

Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre is the one I would book myself.

Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre

Highest rated of the five

Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre

★★★★★4.7 from 541 reviews

Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre comes out on top of this list, and not narrowly: 4.7 from 541 guest reviews is a score that holds up at that volume, which is the whole test here. A perfect ten from nine people does not beat it.

It is a 3 star property, found under city centre and around $323 a night on the dates we checked.

26 hotels in Sterling qualified for this list and five made it. Hampton Inn & Suites Herndon-Reston is the one I would book if the first is full.

Why it works for this trip

  • Poolsomewhere to cool off between walks
  • Spatreatment rooms on site, no booking a taxi for it
  • Air conditioningthe one that decides a summer trip
  • Restaurantdinner downstairs on the night you land
  • Family roomscots and larger rooms rather than a squeeze

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All five, ranked

  1. Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre1

    Residence Inn by Marriott Dulles Airport at Dulles 28 Centre

    ★★★★★4.7 from 541 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Parking
    • Kitchen

    Check rates Read more

  2. Hampton Inn & Suites Herndon-Reston2

    Hampton Inn & Suites Herndon-Reston

    ★★★★★4.6 from 841 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Parking
    • Pet friendly
    • Kid friendly

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  3. Lansdowne Resort3

    Lansdowne Resort

    ★★★★★4.4 from 2,206 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  4. Hilton Fairfax4

    Hilton Fairfax

    ★★★★★4.4 from 1,730 reviews

    • Pool
    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking

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  5. JW Marriott Reston Station5

    JW Marriott Reston Station

    ★★★★★4.6 from 144 reviews

    • Spa
    • Gym
    • Restaurant
    • Bar
    • Parking
    • Air conditioning

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How this list was put together

26 Sterling hotels qualify for this list. We ranked them on guest rating, then on class, and took the top five.

Two things decide these lists. The first is my own time in the city: every hotel on this page is one I have stayed in, walked into and looked at, or gone back to check. That is where the shortlist starts, and it is why some well reviewed places are not on it.

The second is the numbers, and those are what set the order. The rating and review count come from the big travel sites, pooled through Google, so a score here reflects Expedia, Booking, Hotels.com and the rest together rather than any one of them. I also read the review breakdown by topic, which is where the figures on service, breakfast and location come from. Hotels with fewer than forty reviews are left out altogether, because a rating that thin is not a rating. No more than two come from one neighbourhood.

What I do not do is move anyone up the order. The ranking is the guest score, highest first, and nobody pays to be on the list.

Distances are straight lines from published coordinates, so the real walk is a little longer. Amenities are as recorded by Google Hotels and can change without notice. Rates are an indicative nightly figure for a midweek autumn stay, not a quote. Check the booking page before you commit.

Talia Ben-Ari

Talia Ben-Ari Turkey, the Gulf and Egypt

Editing runs in intense blocks with real gaps between, and she fills the gaps by going somewhere with no plan. No itinerary, no bookings past the first night.

Trip Grapevine earns a commission on bookings made through the links on this page. It costs you nothing, and it does not change the order of the list, which is set by the measurements above.