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Michelin Honors 7 Key Hotels in Washington, D.C.

Leslie Carbone
Washington, D.C.

Looking for a fine hotel in Washington, D.C.?

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Michelin has just announced seven key hotels in the nation’s capital.  Like Michelin stars for outstanding restaurants, Michelin keys are awarded for outstanding hotels.

Michelin vets hotels for excellence in five categories:

Its somewhat vague key code is as follows:

Michelin recognized the following hotels in Washington, D.C.:

Two Keys

The Jefferson

This hotel is an excellent choice if you prefer classic luxury, a sense of history, and a central location.  The beaux-arts building is located downtown not far from where I worked for a year or so at a job so boring that it inspired me to start blogging as a way to save my sanity.  The hotel opened in 1923 and was named after America’s third president.

The lobby features a gallery of gold-framed documents signed by Thomas Jefferson.  Framed maps around the hotel mark some of the places where he travelled.  Most of the furniture is custom-built replicas from Monticello.

The rooms and suites are elegant.  Curtains and pillows feature images of Monticello.  Some rooms display Jefferson quotes in frames.

Amenities include a gym and valet parking.  Check-out time is an annoying 11 a.m.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Greenhouse, is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.  Options range from a short-rib burger to Dover sole for two.

Its upscale lounge Quill offers craft cocktails and bar bites.  A pianist plays live music during Tuesday-Saturday.

The closest Michelin restaurant is Dauphine’s, a Bib Gourmand spot serving creative Creole cuisine.  The closest Bilt restaurant is Le DeSales, which features French and Japanese food.

The Jefferson is within walking distance of lots of sites, including

The closest Metro station is Farragut North on the Red line.

Rosewood Washington, D.C.

This modern hotel is a good choice if you want contemporary comfort in a vibrant waterfront location.  It is located in Georgetown, a historic neighborhood with lots of restaurants and shops, where I spent quite a bit of time when I went to college nearby.

The small hotel features 57 rooms, including 12 suites and eight townhouses.  Most offer views of Georgetown’s quaint streets, the Potomac River, or the C&O Canal.  They’re also tech-y, with features like remote-controlled blinds.

Amenities include a gym and a heated rooftop infinity pool.  There is a library with soaring ceilings, complimentary coffee, and butler service.

Check-out time is a reasonable 12 noon.

Wolfgang Puck‘s CUT steakhouse is open for breakfast and dinner.  Options range from Ivy City smoked salmon to Australian wagyu filet mignon.  There is also a roof-top bar, CUT Above.

The closest Michelin restaurant is Fiola Mare, which serves seafood.  The closest Bilt restaurant is FLAVIO, which features Italian cuisine.

The hotel is within walking distance of several sites, including:

The closest Metro stop is Rosslyn on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

One Key

The Dupont Circle

This Preferred hotel is a good choice if you want contemporary style in a vibrant location.  It is located in Dupont Circle, an eclectic neighborhood where I went to grad school.

There’s a broad range of sleeping accommodations, from cozy rooms to spacious suites with fireplaces, balconies, and fabulous views.

Amenities include a gym and valet parking.  Check-out is at 12 noon.

The hotel’s Michelin restaurant, The Pembroke, is open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.  Options range from Virginia Ham Benedict to miso-glazed Chilean sea bass.

The hotel’s lounge Doyle features a club-like vibe, bar bites, and views of Dupont Circle.  Doyle and Co. is the hotel’s coffee bar.

The closest Bilt restaurant is Lyle’s, which serves American food.

The Dupont Circle is within walking distance of several sites, including:

The closest Metro station is Dupont Circle on the Red line.

Eaton D.C.

This modern hotel is a good choice if you want something contemporary with a woke hostel vibe.  It is located downtown very close to where I worked for several years in a fun job that fueled my wanderlust with travel from Ontario to El Salvador.

Accommodations range from cozy rooms to small suites.  They are equipped with books, smart TVs, and turntables and vinyl records, but no coffee makers.

Amenities include a gym, valet parking, and co-working space.

The spa offers a limited range of services, including massage, reiki, and pranic healing, a “no[-]touch” treatment during which “practitioners work directly with your energy field to restore balance and flow to your entire system”.  Check-out is at 11 a.m.

The hotel’s Michelin restaurant Michele’s serves French-American cuisine for lunch, happy hour, and dinner.  Options include oysters on the half-shell, a double cheeseburger, and fried fish for two.

Its roof-top lounge Wild Days offers tacos, ‘smores, and live music.  Allegory is a speak-easy tucked inside a library.  Baker’s Daughter is a casual café.

The closest Bilt restaurant is Immigrant Food inside the Planet Word museum.

Other sites nearby include:

The closest Metro stop is McPherson Square on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

The Hay-Adams Hotel

This hotel is an excellent choice if you prefer classic luxury, a sense of history, and a central location.  Its Italian Renaissance building is located downtown not far from where I worked during college.

The hotel opened in 1928.  It’s named for Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State John Milton Hay and author Henry Brooks Adams, who owned homes at the site where the hotel now stands.  It’s one of my favorite hotels in Washington.

The rooms and suites are elegant, and many have balconies.

Amenities include a gym and valet parking.  Check-out is at 12 noon.

The hotel’s restaurant, The Lafayette, serves American food for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.  Options range from oatmeal soufflé to American kuro wagyu striploin.

Its elegant lounge, Off the Record, is one of my favorite hotel bars in the world.  Top of the Hay is a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of Washington.

The closest Michelin restaurant is La Bise, which serves French food.  The closest Bilt restaurant is Immigrant Food at the White House.

The Hay-Adams is across Lafayette Park from the White House.  The closest Metro stop is Farragut West on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines.

Pendry Washington, D.C. — the Wharf

This Preferred hotel is a fine choice if you want contemporary comfort in a vibrant waterfront location.

Rooms and suites have a sleek modernist design with full-length windows.  Many have nice views of the Potomac River.

Amenities include a gym and a terrace with a heated saltwater pool, a whirlpool, cabanas, and views of the Potomac River.

Spa Pendry offers the indulgent services you’d expect at a luxury spa, like facials and massages, as well as rainfall showers and a eucalyptus steam room.

The Pendry offers guests complimentary rides around the immediate area in its hotel Cadillac.  It also offers the complimentary use of e-bikes.  And it has a boat you can charter for a local cruise.

Check-out time is 11 a.m.

The hotel’s Michelin restaurant Flora Flora serves Latin American cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Options range from huevos rancheros to ancho-braised short rib.

The hotel’s rooftop bar Moonraker offers spectacular views of the River; its walls can open and close depending on the weather.

The lobby Bar Pendry offers a speak-easy feel, with comfy backed stools and cushy seating by the windows and in a cozy side room.  It offers “boozy tea” on Saturday afternoons.  I enjoy popping in for a glass of wine while visiting the Wharf.

The closest Bilt restaurant is Station 4, which serves American food.

The hotel is a fine staging spot for a stroll around the Tidal Basin, where the cherry blossoms bloom.

The closest Metro stop is Waterfront on the Green line.  The Pendry is also a short walk from the Transit Pier, where you may board the Potomac Water Taxi to Georgetown, National Harbor, and Alexandria.

Riggs Washington D.C.

This Preferred hotel is a good choice if you want classic luxury, a sense of history, and a vibrant central location.  Its Romanesque Revival building is located in Penn Quarter, an eclectic neighborhood near where I used to work.  It used to house a leading bank, and several presidents and embassies conducted their financial business there.

The hotel offers elegant rooms and four suites named after former First Ladies.  Amenities include a gym and valet parking.  Check-out time is 12 noon.

The bank-turned-hotel has a bar housed in the original vault.  Its Café Riggs is a Michelin/Bilt restaurant open for breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner.  Options range from shakshuka to Rohan duck for two.

It is within walking distance of lots of sites, including:

The closest Metro station is Gallery Place on the Yellow, Red, and Green lines.

Michelin has also announced key hotels in six other areas around the United States:

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