My wife is a teacher here in Washington and I can say she's never stayed in a 5* hotel. Surprisingly she was able to stay in a 3-4* hotel in downtown Seattle this summer. It wasn't paid for by the District though but rather a non-profit organization focused on teaching Government to middle school social studies teachers. They met with Judges, Federal Prosecutors, Politicians etc. all sponsored through a local college (Seattle University) and the non-profit.