Arrive Magazine - September/October, 2009

LUXURY STAYS
Modern Charm

The Dupont Hotel in Washington, D.C., is the only hotel in the neighborhood that is right on Dupont Circle. And, after a $52 million renovation, it now has become the most contemporary and comfortable hotel in the neighborhood, too. The luxury starts in the lobby, where floor-to-ceiling glass windows look out on New Hampshire Avenue, and club chairs and sleek, white, Saarinen-style tables invite you to relax.

Checking in, you’re greeted at a marble-and-wood reception desk, and handed a key to one of the hotel’s 327 rooms, each of which is furnished with modern furniture and luxury bedding. They include wireless Internet access, a flat-screen TV and spa-like bathrooms.

The recent renovations include an 11,000-square-foot, top-floor addition called Level 9. It’s like a hotel within a hotel, with access-key-only admission to its 15 deluxe rooms and suites and a two-story presidential suite with three bedrooms and three bathrooms and a balcony overlooking Dupont Circle.

The leafy neighborhood, one of the most fashionable in the city, is full of eclectic shops and gourmet restaurants—even art galleries and an excellent farmers market. But you would do very well to never leave the hotel. There’s the Café Dupont, which features a French-influenced, organic- and market-inspired menu served in an airy setting bathed in natural light; and Bar Dupont, a chic cocktail bar with rich, leather furniture and modern art. The bar is known for its colorful cocktails, and the café has a Sunday bu;et brunch that includes unlimited mimosas and Bloody Marys.

A state-of-the-art fitness center (all the cardio machines have their own 19-inch TVs) and a business center round out the amenities.

With a Metro stop just steps away, a drive-up valet service and the charm of one of the best neighborhoods in the city, the Dupont wouldn’t have to try so hard to be a desirable place to stay.

Fortunately for travelers, it has made the e;ort to be not only desirable but alluring, attractive and charming, too. And it does so with understated elegance.