WASHINGTON — Travelers to the D.C. area and resident staycationers rest assured: The region has plenty to offer in top luxury hotels. To help sift through the choices, U.S. News & World Report revealed its annual best hotels ranking Tuesday, and a number are within the Capital Beltway.
“We rank more than 30,000 hotels across the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, Bermuda and Europe,” Erin Shields, assistant managing editor for the travel section at U.S. News, told WTOP.
In the U.S., the top hotels include Hawaii’s Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at No. 1; right behind is The Peninsula Chicago, and No. 3 is Four Seasons Hotel at The Surf Club in Surfside, Florida.
Shields added, “There are a lot of top-notch hotels in the D.C. area.” Take a look at some of those hotels ranked best in the D.C. area in the gallery below.
The Watergate Hotel T (Courtesy David Preta)
Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
The Willard InterContinental (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
The St. Regis Washington, D.C. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for TIME)
The Hay-Adams Also ranks No. 20 in the U.S. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
U.S. News awarded the top 10 percent of the ranked hotels a gold badge. The U.S. cities with the highest number of ranked hotels with gold badges are New York City, with 39 gold-badge winners; Las Vegas, with 14; Los Angeles, also with 14; D.C., with 12; and Chicago, also with 12.
“The hotels that end up at the top of the top typically have plenty of amenities, they have really nice rooms, and they really stand out because they have excellent service,” Shields said. “To even qualify for a ranking, a hotel must be a four, four and a half, five-star hotel with at least 20 reviews on TripAdvisor and at least 20 rooms.”
Shields added that what makes U.S. News’ rankings valuable are the elements that make up a hotel’s score, which not only include industry awards and class ratings, but also guest ratings on TripAdvisor.
Discerning hotel guests can also look forward to U.S. News’ added destination-specific rankings, branching out to include smaller cities and distinct vacation spots. Part of those new lists include rankings for hotels in Arlington and Alexandria.
“There are some people who are looking to go just to those specific regions, whether it’s to visit Old Town (Alexandria) specifically, or whether people know they want to stay in Arlington because they know they can get a better rate and it’s easier for them to get to their office or conference that they’re going to be in the city for,” Shields said.
In Arlington, these top three distinguished hotels were awarded silver badges: The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, also No. 7 in Virginia; Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel, No. 43 in the state; and Hyatt Centric Arlington, No. 46 in the state.
In Alexandria, silver badges went to these top three: Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa, also No. 11 in Virginia; The Alexandrian, Autograph Collection, No. 34 in the state; and Hilton Alexandria Old Town, No. 36 in Virginia.
For those not trying to break the bank to book a hotel but still looking for quality, Shields said, “New in 2019, we have included a handful of three and a half-star hotels in select destinations in the U.S.”
There’s an option on U.S. News’ website to filter by price point and star rating.
“There are plenty of options on our ranking for people who are looking for a more mid-scale option or even a more budget-friendly option,” Shields said.
Shields added that a lot of research went into the lists to help travelers make informed decisions. “We try to be an everyday resource for the everyday traveler trying to plan a vacation,” she said.
WTOP’s Kristi King contributed to this report.
