20004 Travel Guide
Tags: Hotel News / Washington DC Hotels / W Hotels / → All Tags
Can Washington D.C. Handle More W Hotels?
So the W Washington D.C. is officially open after last week’s splashy opening party, and apparently now that the journalists who attended have emerged from their hangovers, we hear there was more than just John Legend, Marie Antoinette look-alikes, and powder-wigged folks working the crowd.
Starwood CEO Frits van Paasschen not only made an appearance but revealed a juicy bit of news — DC is among the cities he’s eyeing for a “more expansive rollout of the W brand,” such as New York City’s 5 Ws, reports the Washington Business Journal. Of course, what that means in reality is yet to be seen, but it’s interesting to hear such optimism for D.C. only a few months after the nation’s capital finally got its first W.
“Washington is certainly a place where we’d love to do that, and we’re always looking at opportunities,” van Paasschen said. “I think the W brand brings something new to the DC market, fills a void.”
The WBJ also reports that Starwood plans to open 30 to 60 new W Hotels over the next three years.
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: Refereeing Hotel Reviews / W Hotels / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
The W's 'Congress of Cool' Gets Some Partisan Reviews
It’s been two months since the doors swung wide at what's arguably DC’s most hyped hotel opening of the year — the W, duh — so we thought we’d check back in on the swirling review chatter, especially now that people are talking about the hotel itself and not just the rooftop POV bar.
Over at TripAdvisor, it’s registering with a 68% approval rating. Not too shabby. But true to DC form, people seem to be awfully partisan when it comes to the Congress of Cool, making reviews range from scathing to glowing.
Tags: Hotel Awards / Green Hotels / Intercontinental Hotels / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
Willard InterContinental Is Good For The Earth But Still Too Expensive For Us
While we continue to ponder the hefty price tag on DC’s very-soon-to-open Jefferson Hotel, another chi-chi Washington hotel has caught our attention. The classic Willard InterContinental received a Conde Nast Traveler “World Savers” award for its commitment to the environment and communities in need.
This is CNT’s third year to give out the awards, which honor global travel companies for their leadership in social responsibility causes. The Willard was the overall winner in the City Hotel category (we guess living across the street from the White House must be inspiring). You can find the rest of the winners here.
Tags: Refereeing Hotel Reviews / W Hotels / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
First Reviews of the W Washington DC: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
It’s been a little more than two weeks since the W checked into DC, and we’ve been anxiously prowling the web for the first reviews. Sadly, the only TA review so far just covers the rooftop bar. Over on Yelp, we found a slightly more comprehensive overview — again, more of which focused on the POV bar than the hotel guest experience.
The Good: The one guest review we can find was decently positive, which is encouraging. “The renovation that they have done to transform the old Hotel Washington into a W is very impressive, and it's cool to see all the W glitz superimposed onto a stodgy old Washington building. I found the staff helpful and friendly.” Of course, there are a few caveats: “One major drawback — having one elevator devoted to the POV crowd is annoying, since they only have 3 elevators, and each is small.” Ah yes, we can attest that those elevators can get pretty majorly backed up — but really, we're not sure what can they do to solve that issue.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Opening Rates / W Hotels / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
The 'Congress of Cool' Will Convene at W Washington DC Tomorrow
Unless you’re one of those Washington-insider-politico types, you probably don’t notice (or care!) when Congress is in session. Until tomorrow, that is, when the Congress of Cool will officially convene! Translation: The long-anticipated W Washington DC opens tomorrow and is now even taking reservations.
Also opening tomorrow: The W’s J&G Steakhouse by Jean-Georges and the rooftop POV bar. J&G Steakhouse will be taking walk-ins until July 13th, when the resto will start accepting reservations.
We popped in for a tour with hotel designer Dianna Wong a couple weeks ago, and though the hotel was zoo-ey with training sessions and last-minute frenzy, overall the place was coming together nicely.
When we checked this morning, the rezzie system was up and running. Tomorrow night rates start at $289. Rest assured, we’ll be prowling TA for the first dispatches from all you “style senators.”
Tags: Hotel Art / W Hotels / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
W Washington DC to Highlight Emerging Artists
Dianna Wong, interior designer of the W Washington DC
From the moment you enter the soon-to-soft-open W Hotel in Washington, D.C., hotel interior designer Dianna Wong’s carefully curated art program vies for your attention. To your left, a digital fire flickers in the fireplace. Look closely, and you might notice the flames exhibit some curious Benjamin Button symptoms. Video artist Adam Duplay remixed the staid fireplace, starting with glowing embers and progressing backwards.
And just above the fireplace, Israeli artist Ori Gersht offers a statement charged with post-9/11 politics, laced with throwbacks to both the American and French revolutions. After spraying liquid nitrogen on red, white, and blue flowers, Gersht wired each stem with firecrackers and set up 11 cameras around the blooms. He triggered the cameras and explosives simultaneously to capture the exploding-but-intact petals. His enlarged photo of the flowers “look like brush strokes of paint across the canvas,” as L.A.-based designer Wong described on a recent tour.
Tags: Snapshot / Hotel Rooftop Bars / Washington DC Hotels / W Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
The 'Congress of Cool' Could Chill on W Washington's Roof Terrace
Cheesy “Congress of Cool” tagline aside, we’d be out of order to understate the anticipation surrounding the summer opening of DC’s first W Hotel. It’s a bubbling-under-the-surface buzz, mind you, but the nation’s capital has waited a long time to welcome a W — er, a W Hotel, that is.
Perhaps most of all, Washingtonians are eager to see what Starwood has done with the old Hotel Washington’s iconic Sky Terrace, a roof spot unrivaled for its views of the White House, Washington Monument, and, well, pretty much the rest of DC. Though beloved for its incredible views, the Sky Terrace always seemed to ooze with mediocrity previously (i.e. overpriced-but-underwhelming drinks and a touristy vibe).
Tags: Washington DC Hotels / Hotel Restaurants / W Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags
Dubya Would Have Liked the J&G Steakhouse Coming to W D.C.
Though a few notable cowboys have, ahem, ridden off into the proverbial sunset from our nation’s capital, it seems Washington’s love affair with the steakhouse is not yet over (organic vegetables sprouting in the White House garden be damned).
And where more appropriate than the W Washington DC for a little Texas-style comfort? The Washington Business Journal broke the news this week that the soon-to-open hotel, site of the old Hotel Washington, will be home to a J&G Steakhouse by big-time celeb chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. This will be Vongerichten’s second J&G Steakhouse, after one in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Though the WBJ reports the W’s opening date as sometime in August, these days W’s website lists July 8 as the day the doors will fling open. Also apparent from the website: the W is grasping for lots of straws when it comes to political puns (“the Congress of Cool”? “the First Amendment of luxury”?! Groans all around.)
[Photo: NCinDC]
Tags: Inauguration Hotels / DC Hotels / Hotel Parties / → All Tags
Inauguration Hotel Party Watch: The Willard Intercontinental
We’ve talked a lot about inaugurapalooza, but so far have largely ignored the best part about the quadrennial event. No, dweebs, not the witness of democracy — we’re talking about all those parties! After all, two million folks aren’t heading to D.C. just to stand outside in the freezing cold, craning their necks to see Obama’s face on a Jumbotron.
With 10 official balls and gobs of unofficial ones — literally, gobs — hotels in the area are keeping more than busy hosting all the revelry. To be honest, there are just way more than we have time to write about (and, hopefully, you have attention span to read about), so we’re going to be a bit choosy in our coverage.
That brings us to the Willard Intercontinental’s inauguration parade brunch, to be held 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Tags: Hotel Delays / W Hotels / DC Hotels / Hotel Hype / Hotel News / → All Tags
W Washington DC Gets Delayed
It's always nice to mix good news with the bad and today we're doing just that with news about the W Washington DC. If you remember, it used to be the Hotel Washington, and has been closed since last year when renovations began to convert it into a W Hotel.
The renovation was only supposed to take a year and we were hoping it would be ready for the Presidential Inauguration, but alas, that was not meant to be. According to the hotel's website, the opening date is now August 1, 2009. Boo.
But all is not lost! The hotel's page has also been updated with renderings of the rooms, the banquet hall, the lobby/living room, and even a picture of the hotel's skyterrace--a rooftop bar. (pictured above.)
We were also wondering how W would keep the historical and classic design from the old Hotel Washington while converting it into a modern/trendy hotel that W Hotels are known for.
From what we can tell by these renderings, the hotel will totally keep its classic look and feel, giving those who worried about losing another historic property to modernity a sense of relief. For W aficionados, you'll have to rely on the other W signature items such as their Whatever/Whenever service, and bedding, while appreciating the historic roots of the building.
Tags: Inauguration Hotels / Hotels Doing Good / DC Hotels / JW Marriott Hotels / → All Tags
An Inauguration Hotel Story That Will Make You Feel Good
The view from the private 12th-floor balcony of the J.W. Marriott.
Might we suggest you temporarily halt the drinking of any beverages? We’ve got some zany news we’d hate for you to choke on: A Washington do-gooder (no, not an oxymoron) is turning lemons--those greedy D.C. hotels with their surreal recession-be-damned inauguration packages--into some pretty sweet lemonade.
Indeed, the news was announced today that Virginia businessman Earl W. Stafford has booked the $1 million “build-your-own-ball” package offered by D.C.’s J.W. Marriott, with which he plans to host terminally ill patients, wounded soldiers, and other disadvantaged people for the historic occasion. The J.W. Marriott sits smack on Pennsylvania Avenue with a primo view of the inauguration parade route and even has a large 12th-floor balcony for viewing from above.
Hotels In: Africa | Asia | Australia | Caribbean | Europe | North America | South America
Our Publications:
Jaunted | HotelChatter | VegasChatter
