Comments on: W Hotel Debuts Today

By: pqresident

pqresident — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 14:04:57 +0000

PQ Living did check out all the spaces in the new W/Washington Hotel last night. the native Washingtonian in us came away with mixed feelings. some, but not all, of the spaces do a good job of blending the old hotel with new style and renovation.

we talked to a few of the staff and security folks. management is trying to strike the right balance between accommodating hotel guests, those with reservations and thsoe walking in. undoubtedly, the ratios will change as the initial buzz dies down. opening weekend was very crowded, we were told.

although not a big fan of mixed drinks, they do make excellent non-alcoholic and alcoholic cocktails alike and have wisely included a half-bottle wine list in the Wine Bar which was the coziest venue on the premises. we think the Wine Bar is the real sleeper hit (we didn’t see any photos of it on the W Hotel website but it’s below the J&G Steakhouse).

more will follow in another post once we do a repeat visit to settle our opinions.

By: DCfan

DCfan — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:52:57 +0000

Penn Quarter was a name made up to represent the section in Downtown bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue, 9th Street, F Street and 5th Street. The new W Hotel, formerly the Hotel Washington, is in Downtown Washington, but NOT in the Penn Quarter section!

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:34:57 +0000

And as I look up at the top I see written “Your downtown Washington DC & Penn Quarter news dose” – so I guess I really did miss an expansion or something along the way.

To quote that great American Emily Litella – “Nevermind.”

By: Andy

Andy — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:31:37 +0000

@pqresident – longtime reader here. I can remember back in 2007 when you wrote:

“The PQ lies in two zip codes only: 20001 and 20004. Not 20005. Anyone claiming otherwise is trying to fool you. Some (not all) realtors like to stretch the truth by fabricating neighborhoods. Who ever heard of Logan East? It’s Shaw. The diamond formed by Mass Ave, New York Ave, Penn Ave, 3rd Street and 10th Street is the broadest definition of the Penn Quarter. Wikipedia stretches it out to 15th Street but we think that includes Downtown.”

I also point to a post written on Oct 30 2007 which provided a link to a map of the DNA. Back in the day, this blog, while sometimes mentioning things outside the DNA generally used the DNA as that basis for a geographical limit to the PQ.

I must have missed the post where we expanded from the DNA to the BID. Not that I’m complaining – just trying to keep my neighborhoods straight.

By: Local DC dweller

Local DC dweller — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:22:54 +0000

It is more like a hotel in Miami or NYC, no real room on the rooftop which is going to be their biggest draw. Why make it so exclusive? The best thing about being in DC is how accessible everything is. They will make far more money by allowing those of us that make under $200K and aren’t directly connected to the “who’s who” around town upstairs. We were turned away because we were not on the list. So we had a drink and laughed at the DJ. Not really necessary, but the music was good. It is a nice change of pace, but if you can’t get in, what is the point?

By: pqresident

pqresident — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:22:31 +0000

we’ll be checking it out tonight so will report back on our findings.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:15:32 +0000

I went on Saturday to meet some friends who were on the rooftop. When I arrived, one of the juiced up doormen wearing an ear piece and sunglasses (at night) told me I couldn’t meet my friends if I wasn’t on “the list.” After trying to reason with him for several minutes, I called my friends who came down from the roof and we all left. The crowd inside the lobby, or excuse me “the living room,” was trying very hard.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:09:41 +0000

Mewonders why a blog invoking the name “Penn Quarter” does not use the boundaries set by the Penn Quarter Neighborhood Association.

By: jetsettrdc

jetsettrdc — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:47:38 +0000

I went on opening night. I agree with the last post, there are no traces of the classic Hotel Washington, although for the most part, the new decor was very nice (except for the cheesy digital fake fireplace). The staff stood at the elevators with a guest list for access to the rooftop, which was ridiculous. It’s just going to be another stupid ultra-exclusive-for-no-reason space, which true Washingtonians won’t give a hoot about.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:15:42 +0000

Went last night. You need to make reservations to go to the rooftop bar, even to stand. Mixed drinks are around $15, and IMHO the W stripped all of the classic elegance from the Hotel Washington and turned it into cheesy contemporary.