8. Sofitel Washington D.C. Lafayette Square
Get a European experience from this French hotel chain that’s a short distance from the White House and the National Mall.
(WTOP/Julianne Pelusi)
7. The Donovan
With rooftop access and an Instagram-worthy view of Thomas Circle and the National City Christian Church, it’s a location for the social media age.
(WTOP/Julianne Pelusi)
6. The St. Regis Washington, D.C.
With the White House in view, the central location of this hotel makes it a prime spot to stay to easily travel around D.C.
(WTOP/Julianne Pelusi)
5. The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, Virginia
There are several Ritz-Carlton hotels located around the D.C. area but the Tysons Corner location offers closeness to the city through the Silver Line, but also enough distance to get away from the bustle of urban life.
(WTOP/Julianne Pelusi)
4. Lorien Hotel & Spa, Alexandria, Virginia
Old Town Alexandria resident Stacy Reyan, 44, reads a magazine in the relaxation room of the Lorien Hotel Spa after getting a facial and prior to sitting in the steam room, Saturday, Jan. 23, 2016 in Alexandria, Virginia. This was during the big blizzard, which delivered gale-force winds, white-out conditions and flooding to much of the eastern United States.
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
3. The Jefferson, Washington, D.C.
The Jefferson is a short walk away from the White House and this dog-friendly hotel even has a resident beagle named Lord Monticello —or Monti for short.
(AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
2. The Hay-Adams
On the corner of H and 16th Streets in Northwest, D.C., sits one of Washington’s most prestigious five-star hotels: The Hay-Adams. With classic décor and suites overlooking the White House, the boutique hotel is the very definition of refined luxury.
(WTOP/Rachel Nania)
WTOP/Rachel Nania
1. Rosewood Washington, D.C.
The Rosewood Hotel in Georgetown has a rooftop bar and lounge that’s open to guests and locals, alike.
(Courtesy The Rosewood)
WASHINGTON — A fairly new arrival beat out luxury D.C. hotel mainstays in Travel & Leisure magazine’s 2016 list of the best hotels in the nation’s capital.
The Rosewood Washington, D.C. in Georgetown sits at the top of the list, beating out The Ritz-Carlton and The St. Regis.
The property on the C&O Canal originally opened in 2013 in the renovated American Trial Lawyers Association building as The Capella. Rosewood Hotels & Resorts took over the hotel in April.
Reader comments cited things like “outstanding bath products,” “amazing rooftop bar and grill,” and James Beard Award-winning chef Frank Ruta in the kitchen at the hotel’s restaurant, the Grill Room, which includes an outdoor patio along the canal.
One reader called the Rosewood “a whimsical alternative to the establishment grande dame properties.”
Room rates at the Rosewood range from about $500 to more than $1,000 a night.
Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.