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Travel Spotlight
Senior Editor Elizabeth Harvey shares recent finds and travel intel—plus a few always-return-to favorites—from her trip to Washington, D.C. earlier this March.
The former Mandarin Oriental, Washington D.C. will be reopening in May as a member of the Salamander Hotels & Resorts portfolio, owned by entrepreneur and producer Sheila Johnson (it currently counts six properties). Sitting directly between the National Mall and the rapidly growing waterfront development The Wharf, the renovated Salamander, Washington, D.C. will offer 373 rooms, a two-level spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center and a new restaurant, Dogon, by one of the hottest chef-restaurateurs in the U.S. right now, Kwame Onwuachi (his Lincoln Center restaurant Tatiana was named the best new restaurant in New York City of 2023 by The New York Times's Pete Wells in December). Also opening this spring, the restaurant concept will pay homage both to Onwuachi's own heritage to the West African Dogon tribe and to the legacy of Benjamin Banneker, a mathematician, astronomer and surveyor born to formerly enslaved parents in 1731 (who also traces ancestry to the Dogon tribe), who made significant contributions to the development of the city of Washington, D.C. The Afro-Caribbean menu will nod to Nigerian, Jamaican, Trinidadian and Creole influences—and, of course, "our menu will celebrate all the cultures within DC’s four quadrants," says Onwuachi. (Also on the culinary front, the Salamander plans to bring back the property's beloved afternoon tea service.)
My Indagare colleagues recently scouted the new waterfront Pendry Washington DC, also at The Wharf. Their take: "The hotel is a fantastic choice for those looking to experience a different, up-and-coming side of the city, with a lively restaurant and nightlife scene. Don't miss a drink with breathtaking sunsets over the Potomac at the Japanese-inspired Moonraker rooftop bar." They also checked out The Lyle, a boutique hotel that opened in the spring of 2021 in a 1940s Art Deco building. They report: "Staying at The Lyle feels like staying at the apartment of your ultra-chic friend—a unique and welcoming experience. It's a nice option for travelers looking for a more affordable, residential hotel."
Also on my radar is The Morrow, a modern hotel with 203 rooms and suites in NoMa (convenient for business travelers, it's just a five-minute cab ride or 20-minute walk south of Union Station) that opened in November 2022. Accommodations feature natural light and a soothing blue-and-grey color palette—but the standout is the culinary program, which offers four food and beverage venues crafted by acclaimed chef Nicholas Stefanelli (more on him, below). Highlights include Vesper, a sultry cocktail lounge with live music and caviar service; Le Clou, a contemporary take on the French brasserie; and the panoramic rooftop restaurant and bar Upstairs at The Morrow. The hotel is also plugged into the vibrant artistic scene of its up-and-coming neighborhood, so guests can expect a fun calendar of seasonal events and exhibitions at their fingertips. (The Morrow also sits at the center of NoMa’s Metropolitan Beer Trail, which links 11 of the District’s most popular breweries and bars.)
This March, I returned to the The Dupont Circle, a historic hotel named for the well-heeled, mansion-lined, diplomatic neighborhood it sits in. Originally built in 1947, the property was acquired and renovated by the Irish family-owned portfolio The Doyle Collection, and it reopened in 2020—only to close a few months later for the pandemic. The Dupont Circle has finally, properly hit its stride in the last few years, and it has become a neighborhood hub that attracts stylish locals and emissaries as well as visitors (a table for Sunday brunch at their restaurant The Pembroke is a coveted reservation, thanks to cheery, leafy interiors by Martin Brudnizki and a particularly aesthetic—and also perfectly light—french toast dish). Cozy in my studio terrace suite (on the all-suite ninth floor), I found that most magical thing begin to happen during my recent stay, which occurs at only the best hotels—I began to believe myself at home. (This is in large part the result of the considerable combined talents of designer Clodagh and owner/creative director Bernie Gallagher, whose own private art collection hangs throughout the property.)
I also had the good fortune of experiencing the hotel's Irish Heritage Month programming, leading up to St. Patrick's Day; as the preeminent Irish-owned hotel in Washington, D.C., The Dupont Circle is the de facto annex of the Irish embassy (and the favored property of the prime minister). So, it pulls out all the stops in March. (And did you know Washington, D.C.'s Irish roots run deep? In fact, the White House was designed by an Irishman, James Hoban.) This year, the major event was a pop-up restaurant with Irish-born, London-based chef Richard Corrigan, whose portfolio currently includes Daffodil Mulligan in Shoreditch, Corrigan's Bar & Restaurant in Mayfair and Bentley's Oyster Bar & Grill, also in Mayfair. Over his decades-long career, chef Corrigan has earned Michelin stars, authored two cookbooks, both won and judged on the popular BBC series The Great British Menu and cooked for such heads of state as the late Queen Elizabeth and President Barack Obama. We savored the pop-up dinner, yes, with highlights like a welcome Irish Breeze cocktail (and vintages from Irish Wine Geese producers), wild snapper ceviche and sinfully good fried hearts and livers with spicy aioli, smoked haddock with cured egg yolk and kale, tikka celeriac with tahini and pomegranate, roasted maialeto with apple kimchi and a massive grass-fed beef rib, generously sprinkled with salt. (The menu was inspired by the more informal, inventive kitchen at Daffodil Mulligan, where the international team of cooks is regularly encouraged to test new recipes inspired by their backgrounds. Next time I am across the pond, I intend to visit.) But even more memorable were the post-shift pints with chef in the Doyle bar, where we debated the future of food and farm-to-table (on chef Corrigan's orders: support your local farmers), and learning to bake Irish soda bread in the hotel kitchens, with perhaps a bit too much Champagne (this was okay, as chef's recipe is fool-proof in its simplicity). In a high-powered city like D.C., The Dupont Circle is the kind of hotel where these moments of warmth and friendship can happen—and they often do.
Plus: In Georgetown, my favorite hotel remains the Rosewood. The addition of six private, four-story townhouses designed by Thomas Pheasant in 2020 was a game-changer, and I still dream of my perfect hideaway for one—complete with a Dyson hair dryer, Toto toilet, private patio, fireplace and Bosch washer and dryer. The new Wolfgang Puck restaurant, CUT, is also a must-visit.
Explore the Indagare Guide to Washington, D.C., with expert advice on where to stay, eat, shop and more.
Contact your Indagare Trip Designer or Indagare, if you are not yet a member, to start planning a trip to Washington, D.C. Our team can provide expert travel advice and assist with custom itinerary planning, hotel, restaurant and guide recommendations and more.
Published onMarch 28, 2024
We only feature hotels that we can vouch for first-hand. At many of them, Indagare members receive special amenities.
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