Four Seasons Hotel, Washington, D.C.

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. is a luxury hotel located at 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C..

Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.
General information
LocationUnited States
AddressWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38.904714°N 77.057229°W / 38.904714; -77.057229
OpeningOctober 1979
OwnerThe Blackstone Group
Design and construction
ArchitectDavid Childs of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill
DeveloperStrategic Hotels & Resorts
Website
fourseasons.com/washington

About the hotel

The 222-room, $21.726 million Four Seasons hotel was designed by architect David Childs of the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill. At its opening in 1979, The Washington Post architectural critic Wolf Von Eckardt said the building featured "skillful urban design". But it was marred by poorly laid brick and "phoney" concrete window lintels painted to look like brownstone. He called Childs' idea of making the entrance a campanile "charming", but declared Childs' idea of making the campanile a stand-alone tower "insipid". The hotel's interiors were designed by Frank Nicholson. Rooms featured a great deal of marble and plush carpeting. The furniture was imitation Chippendale, public spaces and guest room features occasionally mimicked Chinese and Japanese artistry, and the color scheme of the hotel was earth tones. There was no hotel lobby. Rather, a concierge behind a standing desk greeted guests.[1]

In 1989, the Four Seasons Hotel won a five-diamond rating from the AAA, the organization's highest ranking.[2]

The Four Seasons underwent a $20 million renovation in 2004. The 200 rooms in the hotel's main structure were closed, and major expansions of the rooms undertaken. The middle room of each three-room block was removed to permit the expansion of the remaining two rooms, with most of the space devoted to expanding each remaining room's bathroom (which now featured custom maple and pear wood cabinets). Room size expanded to an average of 525 square feet (48.8 m2) per room from 325 square feet (30.2 m2). The 60 rooms and suites in the hotel's addition (which were larger than those in the main structure) remained open, as did the hotel's meeting space, restaurant, and spa.[3] The Mobil Guide gave the hotel a five-star rating after the renovation.[4]

Bourbon Steak, the hotel restaurant, is overseen by head chef Michael Mina. The 5,400-square-foot (500 m2) restaurant has a capacity of seating of 144 people and a private dining room which seats 22.[5][6][7][8]

In September 2015, King Salman of Saudi Arabia rented every single room at the Four Seasons Hotel in order to accommodate his entourage while he met with President Barack Obama. The hotel added an extensive amount of gold gilded furniture and laid red carpet in every hallway in order to meet the royal party's tastes.[9] In that same month, Strategic Hotels & Resorts sold itself to The Blackstone Group for $6 billion, giving the Four Seasons its first change in ownership.[10]

Rating

In February 2016, the hotel had a five-star rating from Forbes Travel Guide,[11] and a five-diamond rating from AAA.[12]

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References
  1. Von Eckardt, Wolf (October 6, 1979). "A Clockwork Lemon: Georgetown's Bland New Hotel Tower". The Washington Post. pp. B1, B3.
  2. McManus, Kevin (April 15, 1993). "AAA's 'Inspector General': Hotels Treasure His Diamond Ratings". The Washington Post. p. C5.
  3. Irwin, Neil (July 26, 2004). "Four Seasons Hotel to Close Rooms for Renovation". The Washington Post. p. E03.
  4. "Mobil Guide Gives Five Stars to Four Seasons". The Washington Post. October 31, 2005. p. D02.
  5. "Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC Spends $1 Million On Breakfast". Forbes. May 5, 2012. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  6. Rubin, Beth (7 March 2012). Frommer's Washington D.C. with Kids. John Wiley & Sons. p. 30. ISBN 978-1-118-23689-5. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  7. "Four Seasons". Classic Travel. Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  8. Daft, Richard L. (6 March 2007). Management. Cengage Learning. p. 286. ISBN 978-0-324-53770-3. Retrieved 25 June 2012.
  9. Konstantinides, Anneta (September 4, 2015). "King of Saudi Arabia makes grandest of entrances in DC, booking every room in the luxurious Four Seasons hotel for meeting with Obama". Daily Mail. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  10. Bray, Chad (September 8, 2015). "Blackstone Agrees to Buy Strategic Hotels and Resorts". The New York Times. Retrieved September 8, 2015.
  11. "Forbes Travel Guide 2016 Star Award Winners". Forbes Travel Guide. February 2016. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
  12. American Automobile Association (January 15, 2016). AAA/CAA Five Diamond Hotels (PDF) (Report). p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 13, 2017. Retrieved May 3, 2016.
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