Washington, D.C., continues to expand its hip meeting options with the re-opening of The Embassy Row Hotel on March 17. After a $15 million renovation, the hotel will soon immerse meeting attendees into an authentic D.C. experience with its interior design, food options and even philanthropy initiatives all having a local bent.
The 231-room hotel underwent an extensive redesign of its guest rooms as well as added new meeting and event spaces, now totaling more than 8,000 sf. Artwork throughout the new spaces features iconic D.C. buildings, row houses and metro stations. Plus, the lobby now includes an installation of handmade acrylic cherry blossoms that match the front desk backdrop of silhouettes of historic D.C. figures and personalities.
The hotel’s new restaurant concept — Station Kitchen & Cocktails — offers attendees and locals an engaging social experience. The space is an extension of the public lobby and will feature a marketplace with coffee by local roasters Compass Coffee. In the evening, it will transition into a restaurant featuring cocktails and shared plates served at communal tables. The Rooftop, the hotel’s rooftop bar, will also play host to a variety of small business pop-ups via Union Kitchen, a company that provides a full-service kitchen for small business to establish their operations.
“The social lobby lifestyle experience at The Embassy Row Hotel continues into the meeting and event space,” says Shawn Jervis, the hotel’s general manager. “Instead of traditional 3-course meals, guests can expect an interactive meetings experience with Lazy Susans on each table to encourage conversation along with a menu implementing the five elements of food: fire, earth, metal, water and wood.”
The hotel teamed up with So Others Might Eat (SOME), a community-based organization that helps D.C.’s poor and homeless. As such, the hotel has agreed to donate 1 percent of revenue each night the suite is occupied. It will also donate 25 cents every time the special of the day is ordered at Station Kitchen & Cocktails. Meeting planners will also appreciate that 5 percent of each continuous break station requested will be donated to the organization.
Jervis says that groups can also organize volunteer activities with SOME. “There are plenty of opportunities to volunteer with SOME from serving breakfast in their dining room to playing BINGO with the elderly,” he says.
Other teambuilding options at the hotel include a scavenger hunt around the city, organized by the hotel staff. Meeting planners can also give attendees time to explore the area on their own. Jervis suggests attendees take a self-guided walking tour of Embassy Row “to gaze at the stately mansions and ponder about the diplomatic relations inside.” On the weekends, attendees can also meet local farmers and get a delicious lunch such a pulled pork sandwich at the farmers market on 21st Street, located next to the hotel.
“If you want to explore beyond the neighborhood, The Embassy Row Hotel is sustainable and recommends taking Capital Bikeshare (the nearest station is located steps from the hotel) to admire some of America’s most significant landmarks,” Jervis adds.
