It’s always risky tampering with a tried and true formula, and when you’ve had enjoyable experiences at a hotel in the past, hearing of a renovation or revamping tends to leave me more skeptical than hopeful. Such was my state of trepidation as we returned to the Dupont Circle Hotel for a quick one-night stay mid-week near the end of October. The city had just been soaked in a deluge of rain, but when we arrived the skies were dry, if a little gray. One of my favorite parts of the hotel on previous stays had been its heated bathroom floor. I’m happy to report that they are still intact, lending a cozy aspect to the modern design – the lighting of which makes anyone look exceptionally good.
There is a daily $25 charge for those mysterious hotel fees that almost everywhere seems to be charging, but they gave us a $10 credit to be used in the bar (or restaurant I believe, but why would I use it in the restaurant when I could put it toward a drink at the bar?) Speaking of which, both restaurant and bar – long-time favorites – have been updated as well, and happily for the better – an almost impossible feat to surpass something great and produce something greater – but they pulled it off. Based on the steady trickle of people on a weather-wise questionable mid-week night, the bar is still very much a destination of its own, and rightly so. It’s more handsome than ever, even if the cocktails are on the small side for their price points. (Maybe I’ve just been away from Washington for too long.)
Our room overlooked DuPont Circle, with a curved window that ran its entire length. The beds were offset at an angle, making unique use of the unconventional shape of the surroundings. It worked well, subverting the traditional linear notion of squares and rectangles. Complimentary bottled water was in plentiful supply, and after a late-night dinner we returned to a turned-down bed and a single pair of bed slippers and one bedtime chocolate. Strange for a room booked for two people (I do not share chocolate), but it was a minor concern for a stay that retained the original luster of the place while adding bits of new sparkle along the way.
That sparkle was most evident in the service, which was more than exemplary. Attentive front desk operators and valets went out of their way to engage and offer help at every turn. It wasn’t just surface service either – it ran all the way through the bar and restaurant on premises, which is the mark of a stellar property. An establishment is only as strong as its weakest link, and there were no such links here. What a happy thing it is to return to a favored place of respite and find it altered for the better.
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