World City Guide

Hotels

With its graceful monuments, sprawling parks, and interesting museums, it should be no surprise that Washington is one of the country’s top tourist destinations. Despite this, the abundance of hotels makes rooms easy to find. It is one of the few cities where the presidential suites in many of its hotels are often occupied by visiting presidents or dignitaries. Visitors should be sure to book a few months ahead if they have their heart set on a particular hotel. The best rates can be found during winter, but online specials, which sometimes include breakfast, are much cheaper than rack rates.

Sales tax of 14.5% is added to all hotel bills in Washington DC.

The prices given below are the starting prices for a standard double room and do not include sales tax. Breakfast is not included, unless otherwise stated.

Business

The Madison
Refinement permeates the air of the newly renovated Madison. It seems more intimate than its 353-room capacity. Airy and bright, its long narrow lobby is accented with crystal chandeliers and marble. Spacious guestrooms, with Georgian, Federal and American Empire furnishings, also feature antiques, white Egyptian cotton sheets and Frette duvets. Amenities available include fitness and business centres. While the hotel’s hip Palette restaurant lends itself to the trendy, its other dining room, The Federalist, is a trip back to Dolley Madison’s time. Her face decorates the china, the carpeting is copied from her White House china and the dining room’s huge mural is DC circa 1800.

15th and M Streets, NW
Tel: (202) 862 1600 or (800) 424 8577. Fax: (202) 785 1255.
Website: www.themadisonhotel.net
Price: From US$197.

Melrose Hotel
The boutique-like Melrose permeates a quiet elegance. The lobby is small but tastefully decorated, and the staff is friendly. Dark wood furniture accented with forest greens and beiges exudes comfort in oversized rooms that are equipped with sitting areas, a separate workspace, high-speed Internet access, plus a European marble bath. Other facilities include a complimentary exercise room, concierge services and the Melrose signature Library Bar and Landmark Restaurant. Though its ideal location makes it walking distance from Dupont Circle, Georgetown, the White House and the Foggy Bottom Metro station, it is a serene sanctuary from the hubbub of the nation’s capital.

2430 Pennsylvania Avenue
Tel: (202) 955 6400 or (800) MELROSE for reservations. Fax (202) 955 5765.
Website: www.melrosehotel.com
Price: From $119.

Omni Shoreham
There are eight ballrooms in this Art-Deco masterpiece dating from 1930, not to mention two dozen meeting rooms, two outdoor terraces, and an exhibition hall, so it should not be surprising that the Omni Shoreham is one of the top convention hotels in town. The sprawling structure hosts a multitude of events with competence and ease. Business travellers will find rooms equipped with desks and modems. Other amenities include a state-of-the-art fitness facility, heated pool and a nearby jogging trail in the verdant Rock Creek Park. Scores of restaurants are located just a few steps away.

2500 Calvert Street, NW
Tel: (202) 234 0700 or (800) 843 6664. Fax: (202) 265 7972.
Website: www.omnihotels.com
Price: From US$249.

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
Perhaps the city’s best-known hotel, this architectural treasure, located a short distance from the White House, has lost none of its lustre since it opened more than 75 years ago. The handsome façade, cleverly curved so that most of the rooms receive direct sunlight, is one reason the building was declared a national landmark. The clientele that breezes through the skylight-illuminated lobby is split between families who like the fact that shopping and dining are close at hand and executives who appreciate the proximity to corporate and governmental offices. The colonial-style guest rooms have generously sized desks with computer connections, including modem points, and there are 19 well-equipped meeting rooms downstairs.

1127 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 347 3000. Fax: (202) 776 9182.
Website: www.marriott.com
Price: From US$199.

Hilton Washington
Perched on a hill north of the Dupont Circle neighbourhood, the Hilton Washington has unobstructed views of the entire skyline. Known for its dazzling curved façade, this modern hotel is a favourite with corporate travellers because of its wide selection of meeting rooms, which hold from a few to a few dozen. The expansive ballroom, one of the largest in the city, holds events just about every night, ranging from corporate receptions to inaugural balls. There are several restaurants in the building itself, as well as dozens more just steps away. Rooms in the executive towers have large desks and amenities such as voice-mail and modem points.

1919 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 483 3000. Fax: (202) 232 0438.
Website: www.hilton.com
Price: From US$209.

Willard Inter-Continental
This long-time landmark, which celebrated its centennial in 2001, has hosted hundreds of heads of state over the years; upon stepping into the Beaux-Arts lobby, defined by marble columns and sparkling chandeliers, today’s visitor is treated with the same care and respect by the excellent staff. Guests are whisked up to their room, where they are treated to expansive views of the city. The restaurants are top notch, and the bars often feature live music. This is also a great place to conduct business, as it is filled with comfortable meeting rooms and a state-of-the-art business centre. For meetings with non-English-speaking colleagues, the capable staff can translate documents or interpret during meetings.

1401 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 628 9100. Fax: (202) 637 7326.
Website: www.washington.interconti.com
Price: From US$199.

Luxury

Four Seasons
Located on the edge of the exclusive neighbourhood of Georgetown, the modern Four Seasons provides the impeccable service that one would expect, without the attendant stuffiness. The bright, airy rooms, with views of Rock Creek Park, are a wonderful surprise, with casual and comfortable furnishings that make guests simply want to curl up with a good book. There is a pool and a huge fitness centre on the premises, as well as a running trail along the B&O canal just behind. This is a popular place among celebrities, so visitors should not be surprised if a rock star or television personality is brunching beside them at the Terrace Garden restaurant.

2800 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 342 0444. Fax: (202) 342 1673.
Website: www.fourseasons.com
Price: From US$335.

Hay-Adams Hotel
No matter what they think of the neighbours (the Bushes moved into the nearby house recently vacated by the Clintons), guests won’t find fault with the neighbourhood here. This Renaissance-style hotel across from the White House is within easy walking distance of just about every Washington landmark. Guests might not want to leave, as the warm wood panelling and intricate crown moulding found in every room recall an elegant era long past. Many rooms even have balconies overlooking lovely Lafayette Square. For homesick guests, the restaurant downstairs serves an excellent English tea.

800 16th Street, NW
Tel: (202) 638 6600 or (800) 853 6807. Fax: (202) 638 2716.
Website: www.hayadams.com
Price: From US$289.

Jefferson Hotel
Stepping through the elegant entrance of this Federal-style hotel is like stepping back in time. The Jefferson Hotel is the type of place where history is not relegated to some dusty bookshelf. The art collection includes documents signed by the hotel’s namesake, Thomas Jefferson. The rooms, furnished with four-poster beds and hard-carved armoires, would make the President feel right at home. All have VCRs and CD players and some are even warmed by their own fireplaces. Senior politicians often use the restaurant, the Jefferson Room, as a meeting place.

1200 16th Street, NW
Tel: (202) 347 2200 or (800) 23LOEWS (235 6397) for reservations.
Fax: (202) 785 1505.
Website: www.loewshotels.com
Price: From US$269.

Moderate

Henley Park Hotel
Though 100 gargoyles embellish the exterior of the Tudor-styled Henley Park Hotel, a feeling of warmth permeates its small lobby. Once home to senators and congressman, this 85 year-old property is located in the heart of the city, just one block from the new Convention Center. It is the perfect destination for business travellers who expect attentive service. Rooms are adorned in an English motif and are small but comfortable. The award-winning restaurant, the intimate Coeur de Lion, offers a reasonably priced, contemporary American menu. Complimentary limousine is offered on weekday mornings.

926 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Tel: (800) 222 8474 or (202) 638 5200. Fax: (202) 638 6740.
Website: www.henleypark.com
Price: From $129.

Hotel Helix
If funk is your thing, you’ll love this Kimpton boutique hotel. It has automatic curtains instead of an inner door and curtains that arc around the guestroom beds. The guestrooms’ pop art motif is further enhanced with bright red, green and blue colours and underscored with rounded mirrors, large pillows, and an orange bathroom vanity. The lighting system changes from blue to gold and ottoman-styled chairs light up when you sit on them in the hotel’s bar/café, Helix Lounge. Located in the Logan Circle neighbourhood, Hotel Helix is more appealing to young hipsters rather than sedate business people.

1430 Rhode Island Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 462 9001 or (800) 706 1202. Fax (202) 332 3519.
Website: www.hotelhelix.com
Price: From US$99.

Hotel Lombardy
Equipped with DC’s only manually operated elevator, this 139-room boutique hotel exudes the charm of the 1920s. Muted colours accent both the public and guest rooms, which are furnished with antique Asian period pieces. Small sitting rooms, modern stainless steel kitchenettes and wrought iron beds make the rooms feel more like a residence than a hotel. The quaint Café Lombardy is cosy, but the hotel is worth a visit just to have a look at the 18th-century Chinese and Middle Eastern antiques, the bar and gothic fireplace in the intimate Venetian Room. The multilingual staff is quite friendly at this prime location midway between the White House and Georgetown.

2019 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Tel: (202) 828 2600. Fax (202) 872 0503.
Website: www.hotellombardy.com
Price: From US$139.

Tabard Inn
Located on a tree-lined side street in the Dupont Circle neighbourhood, this is the small hotel that residents recommend to their friends. As it was constructed from three Federal-style row houses, no two rooms are exactly the same, but each is filled with unique antiques. Meeting rooms, also furnished in colonial style, hold up to 30 people, and the Victorian sitting areas in the lounge are quite cosy. The hotel’s downstairs dining room, a popular lunch spot for both guests and non-guests, features American cuisine. The restaurant’s brick-walled garden is one of the most pleasant places to pass an afternoon.

1739 N Street, NW
Tel: (202) 785 1277. Fax: (202) 785 6173.
Website: www.tabardinn.com
Price: From US$120 (includes continental breakfast).

Windsor Inn
One of the last real bargains in Washington is this bed and breakfast, located in a brick townhouse not far from Dupont Circle. Rooms in this three-story inn are clean and cosy, with little touches like fresh flowers that make it feel like home. In the afternoon, visitors can join other guests for a glass of sherry in the downstairs lounge.

1842 16th Street, NW
Tel: (202) 667 0300 or (800) 423 9111. Fax: (202) 667 4503.
Website: www.windsoninndc.com
Price: From US$79, including continental breakfast.