The St. Regis Washington DC

August 9th, 2020

Enroute:

I did my undergrad and master’s at one of the nation’s most overpriced institutions in DC, yet still hold my years here dearly. So it sure was nice to be back in arguably the most beautifully landscaped major American city for a bit. We inherited the French aesthetics, but we also forewent any practicality. Arc de Triomphe-style traffic (I mean just look at them damn circles) does not blend well with American interstate system (or Maryland drivers😉).

I had been to pretty much every single notable hotel in DC, mostly to drink at the bars. The Washingtonian magazine should pay me to write an article on hotel bar scene here. College life in DC is a little different than in Little Rock, as you can imagine. The one exception is the St. Regis, which I have yet to make my way to.

As consequential of a market DC is, the “luxury” hotels in DC have failed to wow me in the past. It isn’t that we don’t have respectable brands. Quite to the contrary, we host a Mandarin Oriental, a Rosewood, a Four Seasons, and several more boutique establishments. Oh and obviously, a Trump. Many hotels in DC are subject to union/labor law, where a certain percentage of employees must be hired locally. So it does sometimes represent a compromise on each brand’s standards.

The St. Regis rests at the intersection of 16th & K Street, the (in)famous lobbying central and steps away from the White House. While it’s not where I’d live in the city, it does offer a great home base for travelers on official business. Two blocks south of the St. Regis is the Hay-Adams, and three blocks north is the Jefferson - two well-regarded boutique options for those in the know.

Check-in:

We pulled up to the hotel’s new valet area on K St. Due to the tragic events that unraveled during the summer, the hotel’s main entrance on 16th St had become part of the BLM Plaza.

The porter promptly approached us and brought a trolley for our belongings. As was the norm for luxury hotels, we were invited to have a seat while the agent performed our check-in formalities. Everybody was extremely friendly and happy about the reopening. Shortly after we were on our way to the room, for which I requested one overlooking the BLM Plaza.

Unpack:

There are many hotels that reside in historic buildings in DC, such as the Willard. While there’s undoubtedly charm to it, it often times does imply the rooms would be less than spacious.

Our room was a premier room with city view on the 6th floor. It’s several levels from the entry level rooms, but it was still quite tight. The website suggests this room is 375-400 square feet, while I’d say it’s probably 300 at most.

Once pass the entrance was the bathroom to the left. Much to my surprise, the bathroom featured double sinks, which I did not expect after seeing how small the room was.

The toiletries were provided by Laboratoire Remède, which was the standard St. Regis offering, and I like them alright. While the shower itself wasn’t roomy enough for two people (we had to get ready for Zoom calls at the same time), it did have fantastic water pressure. The décor of the bathroom was kind of serving the “newly retired boomer from somewhere cold who just bought a big house on the water in Florida” chic, or a “Crowne Plaza in an Asian city from two decades ago when manufacturing was taking off” realness. It is tacky, and it is a bit dated, but for some reason I don’t hate it.

Next was an antique-y desk, which I found to be quite comfortable for working. There was also one of those charging ports on the desk, providing convenience while preserving some charm.

Across from the writing desk was the king size bed.

The TV was opposite from the bed and inside a larger complex that housed closets and a minibar. Again, very boomer’s Florida home vibe. Or maybe it’s supposed to be the Lincoln Memorial? Non-suites didn’t have the St. Regis butler service so I wasn’t given a room tour🤷‍♂️.

Understandably minibar wasn’t stocked. There was a message playing on the TV saying we could request any amenities we might need, so we asked for a Nespresso machine. Surprisingly, some of the pods were already used, which was especially worrisome during Covid. The front desk was apologetic and sent up another one that was supposedly “deep-cleaned”.

The room was perfectly serviceable. Given how compact it was, what you see is what you get. I did mention that our room looked right onto the BLM Plaza, so that part was nice.

Refuel:

Similar to a lot of hotels during Covid, most facilities at the St. Regis weren’t operational, including all the F&B outlets. It wasn’t an issue for us since we both lived in DC for years and knew all the spots. There were all kinds of quick lunch places near the hotel, due to its close proximity to McPherson Square and Farragut Square, both of which are surrounded by office buildings. For dinner, the options were even more endless. We ate out every night to revisit the places we always loved. The hotel is within easy walking distance to Dupont Circle and 14th St. Not that you asked, but we went to Rakuya near DuPont one night for sushi and their deluxe bento box, which came with sirloin, assorted sashimi, seaweed salad, tempura and miso black cod. Sure it wasn’t Sushi Taro, but it’s quality fish and great value - possibly my favorite sushi in DC. One other night we went to Bul in Adams Morgan, my go-to Korean joint in DC (meaning not comparing to Annadale, a Korean enclave in the nearby Virginia suburb). On our last night, we went to Del Mar at the Wharf. We used to live at the Wharf so it was our Sunday night tradition to stop by for a round of dry martinis - best I’ve had anywhere in the world. Too bad our favorite bartender moved to Columbus since Covid. Comment below if you need more DC-area restaurant recs, and these aforementioned restaurants DM me for my Cash App handle😉.

Back to the hotel, we did have room service breakfast one day when it was drizzling outside.

I really loved how everything was still beautifully presented even in the midst of Covid. Not a trace of plastic in sight. We shared everything we ordered, which included a traditional breakfast with scrambled eggs, roasted potatoes and tomatoes, chicken sausage, bacon, a fruit bowl, a pastry basket, coffee, guava juice, and an Astor omelet. Astor is a name consistently used by pretty much all St. Regis around the world for their premium suites. And for this omelet to live up to the reputation, it was loaded with lump crab, lobster and brie. Talk about a brekkie of champions.

Our last night was the first night the hotel reopened its lobby bar, so we felt compelled to have a round of apéritifs before heading to dinner. No, we clearly do not have a drinking problem.

Here’s a picture of the lobby before a manhattan:

And here’s a picture of the lobby after a manhattan:

Now a lobby where no lobbyists are lobbying…

Depart:

After an entire week at the St. Regis, it was time for us to pack up. Even considering that our stay wasn’t an accurate reflection of how things would be under normal circumstances, like many other hotels in DC, the St. Regis didn’t feel truly luxurious. The service was attentive, or even above and beyond at times - it was lightly raining after we had drinks at the lobby bar, so when the front desk manager returned with our bill, he also brought a brand new umbrella still wrapped in plastic for us to take to dinner with (knowing I’m a clean freak). I can’t quite point at where exactly the hotel failed to impress. But as is the conundrum with other “luxury” hotels in DC, I have never walked into one and had a Barbara from House Hunters-style OMG. Whilst I’m aware I’m extremely meticulous about certain things, maybe there’s a reason why there’s only two Forbes 5-star hotels in DC.

We were on a work trip, so the hotel was paid for. For a trip that can’t be expensed, I probably wouldn’t book the St. Regis. I’m not saying it’s not a great hotel, but rather there is a sea of options serving infinite purposes.