Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC is a 183-room high end boutique hotel at the corner of 7th and F Streets Northwest in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of Washington, D.C.. Kimpton Hotel Monaco DC is one of ten Kimpton hotel properties in the Washington Metropolitan Area and is located across the street from the National Portrait Gallery and the Capital One Arena.[1][2] The hotel opened in the summer of 2002 and was named one of the eighty best new hotels in the world in 2003 by Condé Nast Traveler.[2] In September 2010, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust acquired the Monaco Washington DC hotel for $74.0 million.[3]

Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC in August 2008
Location within Washington, D.C.
General information
LocationWashington, D.C.
Coordinates38°53′48″N 77°1′21″W
OwnerKimpton Hotels & Restaurants
Design and construction
ArchitectRobert Mills and Thomas U. Walter
Other information
Number of rooms183
Number of restaurants1
Website
https://www.monaco-dc.com

Architecture

Kimpton Hotel Monaco DC is located inside the neoclassical General Post Office building, a National Historic Landmark constructed in 1839 that was the first all-marble building in Washington and patterned after the Roman Temple of Jupiter.[4][5] The hotel, listed on the Historic Hotels of America, occupies an entire city block between 7th and 8th, and E and F streets. The four-story building is separated by a courtyard. One half of the structure was designed by Robert Mills, designer of the Washington Monument, while the other half was designed by Thomas U. Walter, one of the architects for the United States Capitol.[2][6]

Kimpton began a $32 million renovation of the General Post Office Building in 2000 after an agreement with the General Services Administration to lease the building for 60 years.[7] The main post office area was transformed into the hotel lobby and the mail-sorting pavilion became the restaurant.[8]

Room design

The hotel rooms feature vaulted 12–18 ft (3.7-5.5 m) ceilings and long windows. The color scheme of each room is eclectic. The drapes are charcoal and white patterned, the walls are yellow, lounge chairs are periwinkle blue, chandeliers are lime green, and damask pillows are a mixture of orange and red.[2][9][10] A bust of Thomas Jefferson, the third President of the United States and a good friend of Robert Mills, sits on top of a neoclassic armoire in each room.[11] In addition to standard rooms and suites, the hotel features "Tall Rooms" with 18-foot ceilings, 96-inch (244 cm) beds, and raised showerheads. First floor rooms are mostly below ground with only small windows near the ceiling letting in sunlight. The second through fourth floor exterior rooms face the city, while the interior rooms face the courtyard and restaurant. Each guest is given a complimentary goldfish at check-in which hotel staff feed and maintain during the guest's stay.[10]

Restaurant

Hotel Monaco's restaurant and bar, Dirty Habit, features a glass-walled atrium and a large outdoor patio.[12] It shares its name and design with a hotel restaurant in San Francisco.[13] The restaurant is accessible through an entrance in the hotel lobby and a second entrance on 8th Street that was once a carriageway passage for horses and buggies.[14][15]

When the hotel opened in 2002, the original restaurant was Poste Moderne Brasserie, which closed in 2016.[16] Poste was known for its sustainable practices and organic garden, and it was the 2009 Mayor's Environmental Excellence Award Winner for Outstanding Achievement by a Restaurant.[17] In 2008, Poste was recognized as the Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.[18] In 2014, First Lady Michelle Obama celebrated her 50th birthday in a private room at Poste.[19]

Guest Services

Fruit water is provided at check-in in addition to a complimentary coffee bar in the mornings in the lobby until 10 am. For travelers checking in after noon, freshly baked cookies are offered at the front desk around 3 pm. A happy hour is hosted in the lobby for guests from 4-5 pm daily.

References
  1. Rosenwald, Michael (2007-11-19). ""Welcoming a New Guest To the Trendy Hotel Club"". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  2. Ford, Elise (2003), Frommer's Washington, D.C. 2004, Frommer's, p. 87, ISBN 0-7645-5578-2
  3. "HNN Newswire". Archived from the original on 2011-07-12. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  4. ""General Post Office"". National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2011-06-06. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  5. ""Hotel Monaco - Overview"". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  6. ""Hotel Monaco - Historical Significance"". National Trust for Historic Preservation. Archived from the original on 2010-01-25. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  7. ""Economic Development In The District Of Columbia"". General Services Administration. 2002-03-08. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  8. ""Hotel Monaco (Tariff Building)"". Architectural Record. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  9. "Hotel Monaco". The Economist. Archived from the original on 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  10. ""Hotel Monaco Washington, DC"". New York Times. Archived from the original on 2007-08-07. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  11. Rubin, Karen. ""Hotel Monaco is perfect for weekend getaway to DC"". Travel Writer's Magazine. Archived from the original on 2008-05-09. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  12. Clarissa Villondo; Logan Hollers (October 26, 2016). "Taste Test: Dirty Habit". Brightest Young Things. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  13. Spiegel, Anna (August 2, 2016). "An "Apocalyptic" Spinoff of San Francisco's Dirty Habit Is Coming to DC". Washingtonian. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  14. Epstein, Edward (2006-07-02). ""Portrait of a new Washington"". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved 2008-05-19.
  15. ""Poste: A classy new brasserie in an historic setting"". The Hill. 2002-09-11. Archived from the original on 2009-02-20. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  16. Krystal, Becky (April 21, 2016). "Say goodbye this weekend to Poste's patio". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  17. "Case Study: Poste Moderne Brasserie". DC.gov. DC Department of Energy & Environment. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  18. "2008 RAMMY Award Winners". Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
  19. Heil, Emily (January 27, 2014). "Another Michelle Obama birthday bash at Poste". Washington Post. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2020.

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