Hotels Special Section Fresh Faces City Keeps Topping Itself With High-End Additions by Stephanie Kanowitz Washington is a haven for tourists, be they of the fanny-pack-wearing, camera-toting variety or entourage-laden heads of state. With more than 100 hotels in the District alone, according to Destination DC, it’s important for the hospitality industry to constantly stay fresh. In the latest attempt to stay ahead of the competition, several notable Washington hotels have undergone massive transformations, while brand new properties have sprung onto the scene as well. The options — which range from the traditional and classic to modern and minimalist, to a mix of both — exemplify just how much the nation’s capital has evolved when it comes to internationally ranked, prestigious lodging. And like the city itself, the accommodations are diverse, so whether you need a single room or an eight-bedroom wing, these properties have something for every visitor. Four Seasons Royal Treatment The Four Seasons Hotel (2800 Pennsylvania Ave., NW) in Georgetown has recently upped the luxury ante by treating its guests like royalty. Guests staying in its new 4,000-square-foot Royal Suite can indulge and spread out in the city’s largest hotel suite, according to Liliana Baldassari, director of public relations at the 30-year-old property. The Royal’s foyer greets you with a wall of Macassar ebony wood punctuated by mother-of-pearl inlays, while Swarovski crystal ceiling lights glint off the white mosaic tile on the floor. The suite, designed by Pamela Anderson of Anderson/Miller Ltd., is part of a $40 million renovation that the hotel completed last summer. Blending contemporary, art deco and modern décor, the suite houses a dining room that seats 10, a kitchen with separate entrance for hotel staff, a living room, a library with gas fireplace, and a media room. Beyond the bullet-resistant windows is a 1,000-square-foot terrace furnished with a fire pit, dining table and lounge chairs, all directly overlooking the Georgetown scenery below. “This space has been designed for entertaining, for living,” Baldassari said. “It looks like, if you had this much money, this could be your home.” The private quarters comprise an office, dressing area, fitness room, and silver-and-cream master bedroom. The real standout, however, is the white marble bathroom’s freestanding 90-gallon sculptural tub and the crystal chandelier dangling above it. The rain shower also has Vichy jets if you prefer to stand. The suite — which is part of a new 11-room section of the hotel — can be enlarged by closing one corridor door to create a three-bedroom suite, linking the Royal Suite with two other rooms, or by closing the entire corridor, creating an eight-bedroom space with standard rooms and smaller suites. You can even bypass the newly renovated lobby by taking a private entrance straight up to the suite. But skipping the lobby would mean missing out. Designer Pierre-Yves Rochon expanded the elegant yet comfortable space to incorporate a theme of gardens and art, Baldassari said. “He added a gallery to display five pieces of original artwork,” she explained. “And then on the right-hand side, he added a garden inside the lobby, which we never had before. And the plants get changed every season, so now it’s our summer garden.” Bourbon Steak, a Michael Mina restaurant, was also part of the renovations. The wood-centric look is an interpretation of the modern tavern by designer David Rockwell of the Rockwell Group. The result is a striking space featuring an open kitchen and a bar that is equally popular with hotel guests and locals. Intersecting Styles At the St. Regis The St. Regis (923 16th St., NW, at the intersection with K Street), a classic Washington hotel built in 1926, has combined its Italian Renaissance charm with modern appointments such as hotel-wide wireless access — thanks to a $60 million renovation that closed the hotel from August 2006 until January 2008. The number of rooms was reduced from 193 to 175 to accommodate an additional 13 suites, which range in size from 620 square feet to 2,510 square feet. The most popular is the 1,035-square-foot St. Regis Suite, decorated in blue by Sills Huniford Associates, a design firm that has worked with Elton John, Tina Turner and Vera Wang. “Their vision for the hotel was to really bring out the Italian Renaissance look and feel of the hotel from outside into the guestrooms and suites,” said André Jacques, the hotel’s director of sales and marketing. “All the furniture was custom-designed for this hotel.” Besides the additional space, suite guests have private butler service, which they can directly BlackBerry using a code they get on arrival, Jacques noted. Contrasting with the European antiques, Louis XVI chandeliers and Palladian windows of the lobby are the art deco St. Regis Bar and Alain Ducasse’s boldly contemporary Adour restaurant, both designed by Rockwell. “We very much wanted a slightly younger crowd,” Jacques said, “and we wanted to be known as Adour restaurant, not the hotel restaurant.” New House on the Block Not everything that was old in Washington is new again. Some hotels are first-time residents — and they’re doing everything they can to stand out from the city’s older, more traditional properties. Donovan House (1155 14th St., NW), part of Thompson Hotels, doesn’t know the meaning of the word traditional. It starts in the lounge-like lobby against a backdrop of new age music and spaceship-worthy swivel chairs. Studio Gaia is responsible for the hotel’s chic look, including a massive, L-shaped wood sculpture carved with a cherry blossom design that sits in the middle of the lobby. “Washington is very conservative,” said Shirin Kooros, director of sales and marketing. “It’s coming around, and we’re trying to help it come around.” Next Page

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