The first tier of Washington, DC luxury hotels consists of the Four Seasons, the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, the Park Hyatt, and arguably the Hay Adams (currently closed for renovations). This is pretty much the consensus of this Forum, the major drawback to the FS, RC, and PH being the fact that they are not close to a Metro station.
I did site inspections of three additional Virtuoso hotels this weekend, the St. Regis, Willard, and Mandarin Oriental, and am also providing notes on the Shoreham (not a Virtuoso hotel).
St. Regis
The St. Regis is an intimate hotel that was built in 1926 by a Turkish businessman in the style of an Italian Renaissance Palace; this style is still in evidence in the Lobby with its 18-foot-high with intricate carved wood ceiling. Its location is ideal for professional travelers, set on the corner of 16th Street and K Street, convenient to the offices of lobbying firms and law firms. Guest rooms have a traditional interior style but are small. The Superior room we were shown was 350 square feet with a gold and red color scheme. Built-ins created during the 2007 renovation create hanging space, drawer space, and a place for the flat screen television, providing more floor space by eliminating a closet). The bathroom is very small with a single vanity, step-in shower (but no tub), and toilet.
The St. Regis Suite we were shown had the same small bedroom, a slightly larger bathroom, as well as a powder room and exceptionally large living room area with a second large flat screen.
Two blocks from the White House (and on the same block as the Hay Adams), this hotel does provide a good option for a single business traveler as well as weekend leisure travelers who may be attracted by lower weekend rates. The hotel's restaurant is Adour by Alain Ducasse.
The Willard InterContinental
The Willard is all about its history. Abraham Lincoln stayed at The Willard before his inauguration, and Ulysses Grant used to smoke cigars in its lobby and "hold court" with individuals who came to the lobby to ask for favors (this being the origin of the term "lobbyist"). The Willard has a small museum with interesting displays of the role the hotel has played in the history of the Nation's Capital. Located a short walk down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House, The Willard provides a good location for tourists visiting the Mall.
The rooms feature traditional styling in shades of red, green, and gold. Lead-in Superior Rooms are about 450 square feet and Deluxe Rooms a bit larger at 475 square feet. Bathrooms are small with shower-in-tub and a single vanity. Virtuoso guests are often upgraded from a Deluxe to a Willard Room - a great upgrade as this room is really a Junior Suite (about 600 square feet), normally $150 more in price.
The Executive Suite is a full 1 BR Suite, about 1200 square feet, and the Oval Suites (1500 sq. feet) feature an oval shaped living room reminiscent of the Oval Office located a short walk away.
There is a cute French-bistro, Café du Parc, with both inside and (in good weather) sidewalk seating.
Mandarin Oriental Washington
The Mandarin Oriental brings MO's contemporary Asian styling to Southwest Washington, DC. Located near the Department of Agriculture, most rooms face the Potomac River and provide views of the sites of the city. The lobby's design is intended to resemble the circular space of the Jefferson Memorial, and the hotel has built a private bridge to the Tidal Basin and its monument to Jefferson. This would be a good location for tourists wanting to spend a lot of time at the various Smithsonian museums.
Guest rooms are comfortable and well sized, ranging from 400 - 700 square feet and feature large bathroom areas with separate walk-in showers and a separate area for the toilet. However, only a single vanity is provided, even in suites. The top two floors of the hotel, the 8th and 9th floors, comprise the Tai Pan Club Level. About $100 more per night, these rooms come with access to the Club which offers breakfast, snacks during the day, heavy hors d'oeuvres at dinner time, and complimentary cocktails. While upgrades to the Club floor are not technically provided, they may be possible upon request.
The hotel's restaurant, CityZen, is one of Washington's finest restaurants overseen by chef Eric Ziebold (who worked with Thomas Keller at The French Laundry). Its menu features several tasting menus - including a vegetarian tasting meal.
The Omni Shoreham
The Shoreham is not a Virtuoso hotel and is not typically a hotel that I would review. However, I have stayed here many times over the years; my grandparents lived next door in a connected apartment building and my father currently lives around the corner. The Shoreham is a large hotel with 836 guest rooms spread over eight floors. Guests enter into a large and impressive lobby.
Rooms have been recently renovated and are of varying sizes. We are currently in room 516, a corner room facing southeast (it's worth requesting a corner room). The room is spacious with a large walk-in closet and a small marble-tiled bathroom (with shower in tub and a single vanity). Many of the original design features have been retained - notably the crystal glass doorknobs on closet and bathroom doors; guestroom doorknobs have been replaced with a key-card system. The hotel has a nice lobby restaurant - Robert's - where we had breakfast. There is a good breakfast buffet, or you can order à-la-carte off the menu.
The Shoreham is in a residential section of Washington, not near any tourist sites except for the National Zoo. But as it is very close to the Woodley Park Metro station, less than a 5 minute walk, it's easy to get quickly anywhere in the city that Metro goes. There are many local restaurants within a block of the hotel. We enjoyed dinner one evening at Lebanese Taverna Restaurant (I highly recommend the Yogurt Casserole with Lamb). The next evening, I walked across the Calvert Street Bridge to the Adams Morgan district where I enjoyed dinner at Bardia's New Orleans Cafe (Etouffee with Andouille) and dessert afterwards at Caliyogurt.
The Shoreham is a good 4-star choice for leisure travelers to Washington, DC. It's mostly a hotel for tour groups (there were 5 large tour busses in the parking lot on Sunday morning) and conventions (a Tea Party convention was meeting here during our stay), but deals can be found for leisure guests: you can bid for rooms here on Priceline. Be sure to join the Omni Select Guest program to receive free internet, normally $9.95 per day.