OK DC Dopers and those who frequent our capital!
My wife and I are going to DC in a few weeks for a weekend of R&R. We usually stay at the JW Marriott on Pennsylvania Ave, but we are looking for something a little different.
Anyone know and cool boutiques or lesser known gems in the District? We want to be within walking distance of the Mall or Georgetown.
I am looking at the St. Gregory, which is new. It isnt a boutique, but it looks interesting.
Thanks bunches!
Boutique hotels are popping up all over DC these days. Some of these include Hotel Monaco (beautifully built in the edifice that used to house the city’s central Post Office), Rouge Hotel (not really within walking distance to much though), Hotel Madera, and Topaz Hotel.
Topaz and Monaco are your best bets for being close to the Mall, since each are about 4-5 blocks walk away. Topaz is much closer to Georgetown, yet is still at least 10 blocks away. So you’ll be taking a cab to G’town either way.
I’d highly recommend Hotel Monaco, since it is centrally located and just a couple blocks away from a number of great restaurants (including the new, trendy, and highly popular [and critically aclaimed] Zaytinya), bars, several good nightclubs, museums (the new International Spy Museum is just across the street, but order tickets before you go to avoid an hours long line), cultural attractions (including the Warner Theater and others), and the Mall is just a few blocks to the south. And the restaurant/bar in the hotel (called Poste) is top notch.
I haven’t personally stayed at any of them, but know their neighborhoods well. But I’d guess you’d find similar experiences at any of the boutique hotels in DC, since almost all of them are recent additions to the city and are almost all (Monaco, Topaz, Rouge, and others) run by the Kimpton Hotel Group.
I stayed at the Willard last time I was in DC. Not a “boutique” hotel, but a lovely old hotel dripping in history. Their rates can be quite high, but I was dead set on staying there and called them and asked if they had any upcoming weekends that were discounted. I ended up getting the room at about half price because it was a slow time of year.
Even if you don’t stay there, pop in and have a mint julep at the bar. Well worth it!
A lot of my friends have stayed at the Carlyle Suites Hotel near DuPont Circle, and have given it nothing but positive reviews.
Is the Watergate still there?
The Watergate is now all condos…I think…
Thanks for the advice guys! Any more? I would think that I would be able to get a pretty good rate in DC considering the state of world affairs.
How about the Lincoln Suite? All suites, and free milk and cookies every evening.
When I read that I thought you were making a humorous reference to the Lincoln Bedroom in the White House!
This place looks cool! 
Just some links to the boutique hotels I mentioned:
Hotel Monaco
Topaz Hotel
Hotel Rouge
Hotel Madera
I hear that Rouge is a big destination for a lot of professional sports team coming to DC, so it’s pretty luxurious – look at the room pictures on their website. And all the beds are 7 feet long as well! (to accommodate NBA players)
You can stay at the Watergate still, but I think it is done on a non-hotel styled basis. In other words you have to find someone who rents their condo out on a weekly/daily basis. I have known people who have stayed there for short periods that way.
Your best bet would be to hit a Bed and Breakfast. There are hundreds of them scattered throughout the city. It will get you away from the chain hotel drags and into cozier areas which will likely make you feel more at home. Here is a brief listing of some of the Bed and Breakfasts in the area. I would suggest staying in one around the Dupont area as it is pretty close to Georgetown and tons of boutiques are in the area.
You can still stay at the Watergate, although I don’t recommend it. I was attending a conference there recently after it went under renovation, and heard some pretty bad stories. Since I am a local resident I didn’t stay there, but had some friends that did. Many were displeased with the service they received, the size and features of their room, and the amenities at the hotel. One would think for $300 a night, you would get free access to the hotel’s pool!
That being said, I would check out something in Georgetown area. You may want to look around the net a bit or check out the Washington Post’s website, especially their Visitors Guide
Perhaps even a call to the DC Visitors Bureau is in order.
The Swissotel Washington, Watergate
The Watergate Hotel
Good luck and please tell us how it went!
What constitutes a cool hotel is a matter of opinion, so I’ll move this thread to IMHO.
bibliophage
moderator GQ