This property is hard for the uninitiated to find, as it occupies the top four floors and two lobby levels of a 12-story office building and shopping complex, adjacent to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
On the map it appears out of the loop, but the L'Enfant Metro station lies beneath the hotel, which helps bridge the gap for tourists who take advantage of the low weekend rates and well-priced packages. Just prior to the last inspection, Loews stepped out of its management contract with L'Enfant Plaza, leaving it to sail on as an independent.
It has since commenced a renovation project that is slowly moving through the public areas and guest rooms. To date, the lobby and main restaurant have been updated, but the rooms won't be completed until 2009. That said, the hotel remains in good shape.
Behind the monolithic curved facade lies a plush, furnished lobby, newly appointed with sophisticated contemporary seating, the new look is more attractive than the fussy French decor in place previously.
The restaurant, too, shows improvements, with a new American menu and stylish striped seating. The atrium lounge provides a lovely setting, and another lounge invites guests with its subdued library theme.
One of D.C.'s better year-round hotel pools is on the roof here, and a full health club with an aerobics room awaits one floor below. A business center operating at set hours complements meeting space for 750 people. Valets park cars.
Well-maintained guest rooms are appointed in reserved traditional style, feature floral fabrics, period armoires with TVs and minibars, leather-topped desks, three multiline phones, coffeemakers and good storage space with irons and ironing boards.
The new rooms will bare more modern appurtenances and flat-screen TVs. For now, marble fittings, toiletries, phones and TV speakers are in all the baths.
The best rooms face the National Mall, and oversized premium rooms on the 15th floor offer robes, scales, wine on arrival and massaging showerheads. In the summer, some of the best choices are cabana rooms with direct pool access. Turndown, room service until midnight and valet service are among the offerings.
This hotel remains popular with small groups and individuals despite its loss of familiar branding since Loews' departure. Despite the extreme makeover at the neighboring Holiday Inn Capitol, this is still the best bet between the Mall and the Potomac, save the newer (and more expensive) Mandarin Oriental.
