Don't know about LE, but that aside, here's how I see the 'top 4' (my guess) areas prividors favor in DC area, based on my knowledge of the areas & personal experience:
1 (tie): Dupont Circle
Pros: lots of good hotels, easy Metro access, vibrant neighborhood with lots of restaurants & shopping.
Cons: Hard to drive to/traffic issues & limited & pricey parking, pricey hotels.
1 (tie) Tyson's Corner
Pros: Lots of good hotels, maybe slightly less pricey that Dupont, rich with shopping centers & restaurants, mostly unlimited free parking.
Cons: Hard to get to by public trans., traffic really bad at certain times, very vehicle-dependent environment (i. e. hard to walk to anything.
3 BWI
Pros: Lots of hotels, lower room rates than the previous 2, mostly unlimited free parking
Cons: A bit farther from town (DC proper) than Tyson's, vehicle-dependent environment, not much around except hotels, hard to get to by public trans.
4 Bethesda
Pros: good Metro access for most hotels, some good hotels, vibrant neighborhood w/lots of restaurants & shops
Cons: Not many hotels, rooms nearly as pricey as Dupont, hard to drive to, limited & pricey parking (but not quite as bad as Dupont).
There are a few other places that show up from time to time, like Arlington (Rosslyn or Crystal City), and lately there's been some slight movement in the direction of National Harbor, but the 4 discussed are IMHO where the majority of at least the visitors will be found.
So your answer is that Bethesda rankis 4th, for a lot of reasons, but it's close enough that there may or may not be an LE element that makes a difference, I have no knowledge of that.
Be interested in who agrees/disagrees.