20036 Travel Guide
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Relive Robert Langdon's Quest at DC's Dupont Hotel (And Empty Your Wallets Too)
Oh lordy, it’s begun. We speak, of course, of the inevitable descent of Dan Brown fanatics looking to unlock the secrets of the Masonry in DC as described in his new bestseller novel, “The Lost Symbol.” And just as inevitable: DC hotels looking to cash in on the influx of tourists. The new boutique Dupont Hotel leads the way with its “Ultimate Lost Symbol Package.”
With a $5,999 price tag, you might need to sweet talk Dan Brown into footing your bill, but that’s besides the point. True devotees know no cost, we suppose.
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.
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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.
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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.
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The Jefferson Hotel Gets Delayed a Week
[Update: We were looking at the wrong room category. Room rates will be available for $300 for the hotel's classic king room category on the weekends. Mid-week rates will start at $380. We apologize for the error.]
We thought The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC would be open by now but when we went to check out the going rates, we found that we could not make reservations until next week, August 31. The Washington Business Journal has also confirmed the hotel's "new" opening date.
But aside from the delay, which to be honest is not all that bad in the scheme of things, the room rates have gone up. Last we heard, the rates would be around $300. Yet they've actually gone up to $440 a night. That's even with the special opening discount of 20 percent. Seriously, Jefferson? That's just not reasonable anymore. It's not like you even have a presidential inauguration to look forward to either. Why can't you just let the people experience your hotel first before jacking the rates? How can you expect folks to try a brand-new hotel at that rate? Surely, Thomas Jefferson would have something to say about this.
But if some of you out there are keen to stay here, hit up the hotel on the weekends when rates start at an equally ridiculous a cheaper rate of $380 a night.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Renovations / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
DC's Jefferson Hotel Taking Reservations for Aug. 24
While TA reviewers continue to duke it out over the W Washington DC’s semi-iffy first month in service, DC’s classic Jefferson Hotel is quietly preparing to open. Soon!
We’re still awaiting word on the official opening date, but here’s what we know: The Jefferson is accepting reservations starting Aug. 24, a fact that’s been confirmed by the Jefferson’s team. Here’s what else we know: The hotel’s restaurant, Plume, and bar, Quill, will be fully operational on Aug. 24. And the Jefferson is offering 20 percent off stays through October 3, with rates starting at $300 for a weekend night stay.
Pricey, of course, but that’s actually lower than they told us back in May. And we’re expecting a pretty nice value for that money. After all, this place has been revamped with all the bells and whistles Mr. Jefferson himself would have fancied.
Tags: NYT Reviews / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
NYT Declares DC's Dupont Hotel 'Boutiquey,' Not 'Creaky'
As we busy ourselves heaping hype on the soon-to-open W Washington DC and soon-to-reopen Jefferson, we’ve pretty much ignored the capital’s new Dupont Hotel. Shame on us, we suppose: The hotel is a revamped, posher version of the former Jurys Washington Hotel. It re-opened its doors fairly quietly amid a flurry of cherry blossom excitement back in April.
Deftly coming to our aid is one Fred Bernstein of the New York Times, who apparently checked in during the hotel’s opening week and published a review yesterday. The hotel has undergone a “top-to-bottom renovation,” Bernstein says, and though the hotel will have its official opening at the end of the summer it was “operating nicely” during his April stay, which is always nice to hear.
Highlights: Not that this bit has changed, but it’s the only hotel actually on Dupont Circle, one of DC’s most popular neighborhoods among both tourists and locals, located about a block from the metro. Bernstein’s room was large with a “masculine, clubby décor” (think wood shutters instead of curtains, beige leather headboard, gooseneck reading lights). The top floor will feature 13 suites with “enhanced amenities.” Design “strikes a good balance between openness and privacy.” Wi-fi everywhere (though it’s not clear whether it was free). The bar overlooks prime people-watching perch Dupont Circle with floor-to-ceiling windows and is “cheerfully designed.”
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Preview of the Bar and Restaurant at DC's Jefferson Hotel
A rendering of the Jefferson's Plume
Last week we divulged details about the fresh look and amenities of the soon-to-reopen Jefferson Hotel in D.C. Today, it’s restaurant and bar time!
The Jefferson sticks closely to a “feather” theme (as throwback to its namesake’s writings) throughout the hotel, from brand logo to the fine-dining restaurant Plume and bar Quill. Since the hotel’s renovations are taking place from the top down, the main floor—which will house the restaurant and bar—is still a construction zone. But we were lucky enough to sample some of the future fare off-site.
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: Hotel Packages / Mother's Day Packages / Hotel Amenities / → All Tags
Hotel Madera Serves 'Preggatinis' to Moms-to-Be
Now, we’ll admit that the mommy-to-be tome, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting,” isn’t on our reading list. So correct us if we’re wrong, but we’re pretty sure there’s not a chapter on cocktails.
That said, the book “Preggatinis: Mixology for the Mom-to-Be” seems bent on righting the oversight with 75 trendy mocktail recipes designed for a pregnant women’s body. And Kimpton’s Hotel Madera in DC has teamed up with author Natalie Bovis-Nelsen to offer the Proudly Preggers package, complete with overnight accommodations, a signed copy of the book, a take-home Preggatinis-branded muddler, and an in-room Mother-to-be Harmony massage, which uses paraben-free Kerstin Florian products. (No actual “preggatinis,” though, unfortunately. Guess the preggos will have to settle for an organic dinner at Hotel Madera’s Firefly Restaurant.)
You know, so the baby bump crowd doesn’t get left out of the Mothers Day festivities — or all the fun.
Rates start at $325 and are available through Dec. 31.
Tags: Hotel Openings / Hotel Renovations / Washington DC Hotels / → All Tags
The Jefferson DC Will Reopen This Summer
While we eagerly await word on when the Edition Hotel will open in Washington, DC, a classic DC hotel is gearing up for its reopening. Just four blocks due north of the White House, the Jefferson Hotel has been closed since March 2007 for a major renovation but plans to re-open this summer.
The 99-room Beaux Arts boutique hotel dates back to 1923, when it opened as a luxury apartment building, and was in 1955 converted into a luxury hotel that catered to the Washington elite. When it reopens, the Jefferson is set to introduce the mid-Atlantic’s only spa suite as well as a brand new fine dining restaurant called Plume and a lounge called Quill.
Headed by Chef Damon Gordon, Plume will feature classic dishes, with “occasional global influences…but never fusion.” At Plume, guests will dine beneath a vaulted skylight from 1923, alongside a crackling fireplace, in an ambiance aiming to be discreet and cozy. Quill promises “to reintroduce the art of cocktails to Washington” under the direction of barman Alex Holzer, most recently of the Michelin three-starred La Pergola in Rome.
Plus, the renovation includes the addition of three new specialty suites, spa, and a 24-hour fitness center. We’ll keep you posted on an opening date and more details as we hear them.
Tags: Insane Hotel Packages / Inauguration Hotels / DC Hotels / → All Tags
Mayflower Hotel Has an Interesting Idea of What a Recession Is
Perhaps you’ve heard we elected a new president last night? Uh, yeah, true story. And now that the bubbly (or hard liquor, depending on how you voted) has invoked its requisite day-after hangover, D.C. hotels are looking ahead to the city’s next big bash: Barack Obama’s inauguration in January.
When we think political events in D.C., it always comes back to a few classic hotels. Right on cue, the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel is offering an insanely luxe inauguration package. Emphasis on insane.
Like 50G insane.
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