Tag: DC Hotels View All Tags
Tags: Hotels Under 150 / DC Hotels / Five Best / Lists / → All Tags
The Five Best Hotels in D.C. For Under $150
With the opening of the W and Jefferson Hotels in DC this summer, we’ve had downtown luxury DC hotels on the brain.
But for the expense account-free folks in our midst, we thought we better take a moment to remind everyone it actually can be affordable to stay in the District — that’s right, suburban family-filled chains need not apply.
Here, we rounded up five of our favorite DC hotels where weekend rates start under $150.
1. Donovan House
Thompson Hotel’s mod Donovan House sits on Thomas Circle straddles downtown offices and trendy 14th Street restaurants, bars, and boutiques. Though if you stay here you should probably eat at the hotel’s own restaurant, Zentan, if nothing else for the teensy chance that you could run into Hanson. Oh! And good news: Zentan finally got a real website up. Rooms from $129.
[Photo: Scott Michael Nash]
Tags: Hotel Parties / W Hotels / DC Hotels / Frits van Paasschen / → All Tags
The Congress of Cool is Now Officially In Session (And Probably a Little Hungover)
The W Washington DC opened to guests back in July, and has racked up some pretty partisan reviews ever since. But last night a scene-y DC crowd — the Congress of Cool, if you will — reached across the aisle to join in and play dress-up for the W’s official opening bash.
As we all know, the W loves splashy parties awash in velvet ropes and a purple carpet. And for this installation they hired John Legend for a rooftop performance (and to up the crowd’s star ante). This being DC, and with the W across the street from the White House, it’s also worth noting that Obama’s aide Reggie Love stopped by for the festivities. On the celeb circuit, actress-singer-songwriter Emmy Rossum was also in attendance. You can watch a short video here for a better sense of the scene.
Tags: DC Hotels / What's On The Block / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
What's On the Block at the Jefferson Hotel?
In this regular feature on HotelChatter, we choose a hotel and take a look at what other businesses or buildings are on its block. Because what's close by is nearly just as important as what's inside the hotel.
Today we look at the newly opened Jefferson Hotel. Here’s what they have to say about their location:
The Jefferson's enviable location – straddling the city's political and social scenes at the corner of 16th and M Streets NW – puts guests in the center of it all.
… D.C.'s liveliest neighborhood, Dupont Circle, beckons to the immediate northwest with a cosmopolitan mix of restaurants, coffeehouses, blue-chip galleries and trend-setting retail shops.
… The Jefferson is also near two of Washington's trendiest "new" neighborhoods: Penn Quarter and the U Street Corridor.
And they’re right on target: The hotel is located in a pretty prime spot for walking both downtown and to lively Dupont and Logan Circles, and a long but definitely doable trek to Penn Quarter and the U Street Corridor. And from its corner, you have a straight shot view of the White House, a nice reminder of where you are.
Tags: Hotel Bars / DC Hotels / First Look / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Your First Look at The Jefferson Hotel's Quill Bar
We popped into DC's shiny-new Jefferson Hotel this week for a nightcap at the hotel's bar, Quill. And true to hype, Quill delivered with a high-class vibe and top-shelf cocktails. We snapped a few (admittedly not amazing) photos of the bar and entryway.
A few highlights from our experience:
Even though we're younger and far less moneyed than the Jefferson's chi-chi target clientele, everyone we encountered — from the doorman to the bartender — struck us as genuinely appreciative of our patronage.
We ordered off the signature cocktail list ($15 each; pictures below), including one called the Master Mind that involved chatting with the bartender about our preferences and mood. He came up with a refreshing berry-infused vodka and ginger liqueur cocktail with mint, basil, cucumber, and a foamy pineapple puree topping. Our date ordered the Agave, a tequila, white peach puree, pineapple, cointreau, and vanilla sugar elixir.
Tags: Snapshot / Hotel Openings / Hotel Photos / DC Hotels / → All Tags
Photo Op at the Just-Reopened Jefferson Hotel
Alright, so we confess we haven't yet had a chance to check out DC's Jefferson Hotel, which reopened Monday after a two-year, floorboard-to-ceiling renovation. When we toured the construction site back in May, the place was a long way from being guest-ready, but the parts that were ready were more than suitably swank. Of course, we're still skeptical about $300 and up introductory room rates, but that's probably more a reflection of our ever-thinning wallets. Anyways! We hope to have some real photos of the lobby and public areas next week, but to tide you over here's a press photo op that's sort of fun.
The photo shows managing director Franck Arnold (pictured right) and doorman Ahmed Omer doing the honors of the ceremonial ribbon cutting. Omer is The Jefferson’s longest standing employee, with his 25th anniversary coinciding with the hotel’s re-opening. When we met him briefly back in May, his dedication to the hotel struck us as endearing, so we like that he was honored at the festivities.
Tags: Hotel Restaurants / DC Hotels / Mandarin Oriental Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
DC's Mandarin Oriental to Launch New Resto Concept
JFK famously described Washington DC as a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm, an unfortunate trait that many would say still holds true. But our nation’s capital’s Southern edge is fortunately also explored at many restaurants, with upscale soul food restos particularly trendy of late.
DC’s Mandarin Oriental is the latest to go ga-ga for fancy grits. Next month the hotel will launch a new restaurant, called Sou’Wester, which will feature traditional and interpretive takes on classics like Chicken and Dumplings, Braised Rabbit Leg with Creamed Grits, and Sauteed Perch with Old Bay Chowder, plus lunch specials like Shoat Rillette with Pickled Green Tomatoes, Maryland Blue Crab with Mango and Avocado, and Sauteed Pork Belly and Pickled Watermelon Rind. Sandwiches will be served with housemade piccalilli.
Tags: Sneak Peek / DC Hotels / Hotel Renovations / → All Tags
Sneak Peek At the Newly-Revamped Jefferson in DC
We mentioned previously that DC’s venerable Jefferson Hotel would be reopening this summer after a two-year renovation (read: total gutting of its interior). Yesterday we got a tour of the place, and we’ll admit: We left more than a little impressed.
Though the Jefferson is still very much a construction site, the guest rooms are mostly finished and look, well, lovely. Gone is the formerly stodgy Federalist look, replaced with a fresh “Parisian apartment” aesthetic intended to evoke Jefferson’s love for France. Each of the 99 rooms (20 of which are suites) has its own theme — we saw the equine-happy Agrarian suite, with the orange and slate gray motif pictured, as well as the Butterfly suite, which glowed with gold and coppery brown.
Tags: Hotels Doing Good / DC Hotels / Hotel Packages / → All Tags
Cherry Blossoms, with a Side of Do-Goodery
January’s inauguration may be just a history book lesson now, but in DC, hope springs eternal. Well, at least when it comes to cherry blossom cheer — from hotel packages to cherry-themed cocktails and menu specials.
We especially like the cherry blossom package at Loews Madison Hotel for its do-good twist. Guests who book the “Cherry Blossom Blooms” package help support the replacement and maintenance of the city’s cherry tree grove along the Tidal Basin, as well as the blossoms in East and West Potomac Parks, considering a portion of each package’s profits is donated to the National Capital Region Cherry Tree Replacement Fund. And if all that goodwill isn’t sweet enough, well, guests can gorge themselves with a pound of very cherry Jelly Belly beans.
Package rates start at $205 a night and are available March 28 through April 12.
Tags: Hotel Video Tours / Hotel Openings / DC Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / → All Tags
Inside the Lorien Hotel and Spa's Standard Rooms
On Friday we unveiled a few photos of Kimpton’s newest hotel, the Lorien Hotel and Spa in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. All in all, we’re impressed by its, yes, dreamy details, from sweet clawfoot tubs to photography shot by the hotel’s iconic designer, Vincente Wolf. Today, enjoy this video of the hotel's standard guest rooms.
A few things we learned about the place on our tour: Instead of the usual Kimpton happy hour, the Lorien is working out the kinks for an alternative, since the Commonwealth of Virginia apparently prohibits giving booze away for free. Rest assured, the Lorien will be having some sort of convivial social hour, whether it involves drink coupons for use at the tasting room next door or s’mores around the courtyard’s fire pit.
Tags: Sneak Peek / DC Hotels / Kimpton Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Kimpton's Newest Hotel, The Lorien Hotel and Spa
Yesterday we hopped down to Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, to tour the just-opened Lorien Hotel and Spa. We’ll have full coverage Monday, but for now, here are a few photos and our initial reactions of the Kimpton space.
The Lorien radiates a sleek, contemporary, moneyed feel that’s right on target in Alexandria. Like, you wouldn’t feel weird about coming back here after an afternoon strolling through Old Town’s antiques shops and bakeries, but you’re not going to drown in schmaltz either. The palette is all about soft grays, robin’s egg blues, and whites; old brick meets new slate.
Tags: Sneak Peek / 1 Hotels / Hotel Hype / DC Hotels / Hotel Construction / Hotel News / → All Tags
New Renderings Show Off Interiors for the 1 Hotel Washington DC
After seeing demolition at the site of the 1 Hotel Washington DC and with Starwood Capital combining the 1 Hotel and Baccarat Hotel brands into their newly formed SH Group, we know that plans to build and open 1 Hotels are still alive, if not moving slowly.
And today, more news affirming the existence of 1 Hotels arrived--we found more renderings of the 1 Hotel Washington DC on the architect's website. (Yes, we know. We are nerds for caring so much.)
Tags: Anti-View / DC Hotels / Marriott Hotels / → All Tags
Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian's Ladder to Nowhere
You know the scene. You open the door to your brand new hotel room, run over to the window, open the blinds and bam, you are hit with the anti-view. Maybe you are looking down a dirty alley, witnessing a drug deal, staring at an air shaft in the face, or seeing a brick wall. Whatever you are viewing it is not extremely pleasurable. Help out your fellow hotel mavens by uploading your anti-views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number with the not-so-easy-on-the-eyes view.
Good lord. When we came across this shot of a view from a room at the Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian outside Washington DC, we seriously got bummed out.
Now, a room looking out onto a roof-ish area (such as what this one appears to be) is one thing, but a room looking out onto the roof-ish area with a ladder to nowhere and what appears to be a service entrance and absolutely nothing else — especially when the rest of the hotel "overlooks a picturesque lake" — kind of a bummer, no?
This shot comes to us via jonlarge's Flickr, and the rest of the view is just as rough: looking the other direction gets you a view of the rest of the roof, some hot wall action and a big bright light.
On the inside, the hotel ain't so bad: all 284 guest rooms were recently upgraded, and all rooms feature the new Marriott Revive beds. So on the bright side, in case you get stuck with a window that looks out onto this, you can at least enjoy sleeping since you're not going to enjoy gazing out at a picturesque lake.
[Photo: jonlarge]
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
