IT IS SAID OUR NATION’S CAPITAL city reinvents itself every four years, which may be an unsettling scenario for some visitors. It’s music to the ears of MICE planners, however, who look forward to the many new restaurants, hotels, off-site meeting venues and the ever-changing social and political climate so reflective of Washington, D.C., one of the country’s most dynamic cities.
Destination DC, the city’s official destination marketing organization, reports the U.S. capital hosted more than 22.8 million domestic and international business and leisure visitors in 2017, the eighth straight year of record visitor figures. And a staggering number of new hospitality and cultural venues recently opened or will open shortly. Estimated figures for 2019 show Washington will welcome at least 21 citywide conventions and special events, generating 359,557 total room nights and an estimated economic impact of $341 million. D.C. ranks among the top three North American meeting destinations, according to STR’s 2017 DestinationMAP (Meeting Assessment Program).
The Walter E. Washington Convention Center is the city’s main MICE venue for large conventions and exhibitions. The building offers 2.3 million square feet and can handle 500 to 42,000 attendees. One of the most energy-efficient buildings in the nation for its size, the Convention Center provides 77 breakout rooms and the largest ballroom in the region. The 1,175-room Marriott Marquis Washington, DC, the only property with direct access to the Convention Center via an underground concourse, features an additional 105,000 square feet of event space.
CityCenterDC will be a 10-acre, mixed-use luxury downtown development when fully completed later this year, but about 30 upscale shops and restaurants are already open for business. The $250 million, 360-room Herzog & de Meurondesigned Conrad Washington, DC Hotel, a five-minute walk from the Convention Center, opens in February.
In downtown D.C.’s Mount Vernon Square, a $122.5 million mega-complex is being erected across from the Convention Center. The mixed-use development incorporates 15 historic buildings and is expected to open early this year. Another project opening near the Convention Center this year, Columbia Place, a 480,000-square-foot project, features a dual-brand hotel (357-room Courtyard by Marriott and 147-room Residence Inn) and a 203-unit apartment complex.

The Washington National Cathedral © CHANSAK AROONMANAKUL – DREAMSTIME.COM
The Wharf district opened just two years ago, transforming the city’s Southwest Waterfront. It features four rentable public piers and a new performance venue, The Anthem, with flexible capacity for 2,000–6,000 persons. New hotels in this district include the 278-room InterContinental Washington D.C. – The Wharf with 17,000 square feet of meeting space and the Caribbean-style Kith/Kin restaurant. The 175-room Canopy by Hilton offers a 10th-floor rooftop lounge and a large outdoor terrace, while Hyatt House, with 237 rooms, provides indoor/outdoor meeting space.
The 317-room W Washington D.C. hotel, a 1917 Beaux Arts building across from The White House, embarked on a $50 million top-to-bottom renovation expected to be complete by this spring. In addition to all guestrooms, the renovations include the hotel’s modern rooftop bar and a new lobby design to include a waterfall and a seemingly endless mirror honoring the Lincoln Memorial’s Reflecting Pool.
For planners interested in D.C.’s culinary draw, the metropolitan area finally has a Michelin 3-starred restaurant. In the 2019 edition of Michelin’s guide to Washington, D.C., Chef Patrick O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington became the first Michelin 3-starred restaurant in the D.C. area. Although located 68 miles away (in Washington, Virginia), the 19th-century property offers private dinner, reception and meeting options for 30–90 persons.
Fortunately, D.C. offers many other fine-dining restaurants, several with at least one Michelin star, including the 2-starred Pineapple and Pearls and José Andrés’ Minibar; and 1-starred venues like Bresca; Masseria; Métier, offering a seven-course tasting menu; and Komi, serving a “leisurely” 12-course tasting menu. Other properties of interest to planners include Capitol Hill’s Spanish-themed tapas bar Joselito Casa de Comidas and Wharf district newcomer Kaliwa with its Southeast Asian fare.
D.C.’s first SLS-branded property, the 175-room SLS Hotel Washington, is expected to open in 2020 with 10,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space in the city’s Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. As another sign of the city’s hotel boom, its first Virgin Hotels property will feature 178 rooms, a panoramic rooftop lounge with an infinity pool, and multiple meeting and event spaces when it opens in the fast-growing Union Market district in 2021.
UNIQUE VENUES
Officina, the tri-level culinary playground Nicholas Stefanelli opened at the Wharf last fall, is already a buzz-worthy leisure and corporate venue. D.C. architecture firm Grupo used blue tiling, wood accents, soft lighting and black-and-white flooring across the space. The Mercato is a replica of an Italian market; the first-floor Café offers Italian snacks and a gelato bar; the à la carte Trattoria Stefanelli’s, focusing on casual southern Italian food, includes a 12-seat private dining room overlooking the water; and Terraza, with its year-round alfresco rooftop and 70 seats, also offers an adjacent 64-seat private event space with prime waterfront views. Private events represent a big part of the operation, and the whole venue can be bought out to accommodate 500-plus guests.
officinadc.com
The REACH at the John F. Kennedy Center is a new venue being created at this noted performing arts center. It will add 2,500 square feet of new performance space; 7,500 square feet of pre-function and event space with new art installations; and a terrace for up to 1,600 — all opening Sept. 7.
cms.kennedy-center.org/thereach/about
The Smithsonian National Postal Museum in the heart of Capitol Hill is perfect for all types of events, from galas and seated dinners to cocktail receptions. Its 90-foot-high Atrium features three vintage airmail planes suspended above the space, while the historic Beaux Arts lobby features a rosette ceiling and elegant marble floors and columns. postalmuseum.si.edu The Washington National Cathedral, with its stunning interior, hosts events in its Bethlehem Chapel, the nave and the Pilgrim Observation Gallery, offering panoramic views of the skyline. The National Law Enforcement Museum, a new building opened last October in Judiciary Square, features interactive exhibits and 21,000 artifacts and provides private event space.
cathedral.org
lawenforcementmuseum.org
Read This Next
Bold and Beautiful
January 2019
Jan 9, 2020Introducing
FX Excursions
FX Excursions offers the chance for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in destinations around the world.
#globility
Insta FeedDaily
Mar 30, 2023The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach’s Wellness Experiences
The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Waikiki Beach offers travelers a new immersive wellness experience: Healing in Hawai’i.
Sponsored Content
Share Your Travel Preferences with Global Traveler in a Short Survey & Win
Learning more about our readers’ travel habits and preferences ensures Global Traveler delivers the content you desire. As the travel industry has adapted and changed over the last few years, it’s more important than ever to connect. To best meet your short- and long-term travel content needs, please help us!
Daily
Mar 30, 2023NoMo Soho Introduces New Private Event Spaces, Return of Rose Garden
NoMo SoHo recently announced the return of Rose Garden as well as the introduction of two new event spaces, The Penthouse and Nina’s.
Daily
Mar 30, 2023A New Type of Art Experience: Rotterdam’s Depot Boijman’s Van Beuningen Opens
A little more a year ago, Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen, designed by architectural firm MVRDV, opened to the public in Rotterdam. At Depot, everything revolves around the interaction between the visitors and more than 151,000 works stored in various areas of the unique building.
Sponsored Content
Enter to Win $500 and Get Six Months’ Free Access to the New GT App
Now through May 8, sign up for a free six-month trial of the Global Traveler app and be automatically entered for a chance to win a $500 gift card of your choice for Amazon, Apple or American Express.
Daily
Mar 29, 20234 Spring Hotel Openings
With the start of spring, travelers have their choice of new design-centric boutique properties opening in the coming months. Check out these properties for travel inspiration.
Elk Cove Inn & Spa Review
eFlyer Reviews
Mar 29, 2023Last-Minute Spring Deals from SIXT
eFlyer Deals
Mar 29, 2023eFlyer Deals
Mar 29, 2023Andaz Mayakoba Welcomes Summer with 20 Percent Off All Suite Stays
Just in time for summer travel, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya launches its Suites on Sale promotion. During the summer months, the resort offers travelers 20 percent off a stay in a suite.
Sponsored Content
Exclusive Savings: Cruise Along the Danube River with Global Traveler
Exclusive Sailing with Global Traveler
eFlyer Lead
Mar 29, 2023Will Unruly Passengers Soon Be Banned from Flights in the United States?
After a series of high-profile unruly passenger incidents, many of which made their way across the internet for thousands to see, a bipartisan group of lawmakers announced a new push for legislation to ban passengers fined or convicted of serious physical violence from commercial flights.
ShareThis