The Hay-Adams Rating: 5.0 Pearls

Downtown, Washington, D.C., United States

The Hay-Adams Hotel

How else to inaugurate this review? OK, yes, the Hay-Adams made news early in 2009 when the Obamas stayed there for two weeks prior to the inauguration. But it was famous for quite some time before that, before it was a hotel even. In 1884, best friends John Hay (Abraham Lincoln's private secretary and later a secretary of state) and Henry Adams (the author and descendant of John and John Quincy) built their homes on the plot of land where the hotel now sits. The houses soon became "Washington's leading salons," as it says on the hotel's website: "The stimulating discussions of politics, literature, science, and art attracted the era's leading artists, writers and politicians." In 1927, nine years after Adams' death, the houses were razed and replaced by the hotel we have now.

Today, you're probably unlikely to find impassioned discussions on art or literature at the Hay-Adams, but you can be sure politics is still part of the nightly repertoire. The hotel's esteemed restaurant and especially its famous bar, the aptly named Off the Record (motto: "Washington's Place to be Seen and Not Heard"), host power players from both sides of the aisle. One step into the dark, cozy tavern in the basement, and you immediately get the feeling some fairly important decisions have been made there by people from the West Wing, or at least The West Wing.

One floor up, in the equally intimate lobby, it's much brighter but no less classy. Among the many highlights: vaulted archways, baroquely filigreed ceilings, an elaborate flower bouquet. Doormen hold the door every time; the concierge knows his stuff. Orchids festoon every hallway. I wouldn't call it stuffy, exactly, but it's worth noting the CD selections that accompanied the CD player in my room: Diana Krall, Faith Hill, and Lang Lang, among a few others. Make of that what you will.

That last detail also demonstrates the hotel's ability to go above and beyond to please guests. Ditto the free Fiji bottled water you find throughout the hotel: in the business center, gym, the rooms. Even the "tap" water in the restaurant is chilled Fiji water. To some, an egregious slap in the face to the environment (would Al Gore stay here?); to others, yet another example of the hotel going above and beyond to please.

The Hay-Adams doesn't stand alone in its level of service and attention to detail -- there are a host of excellent luxury properties in D.C. (For our favorites, click here.) The best comparison is probably to the Jefferson, its sort-of-neighbor several blocks north. While I liked the Jefferson a tad more -- it's newly renovated and boasts a spa -- the Hay-Adams bests it geographically: You can't beat the location, especially if you can nab one of the rooms with a view. Basically, you can't go wrong either way. If you can afford the Hay-Adams -- or have close, unsavory ties with a lobbyist who can -- I highly recommend it.

The lovely room-service spread

The hotel's motto -- "Where nothing is overlooked but the White House" -- applies to everything, but it would be fair to suggest it is referring primarily to the service. For most hotels, such a boast would reek of hyperbole; for the Hay-Adams, it's a reflection of reality. From the moment I checked in, when Mario, the bellman, took my bags and gave me a detailed tour of my room, to the morning I checked out, when a white rose and free bottle of Fiji water accompanied my room-service spread, the staff didn't just overlook nothing; they went above and beyond. When I returned to the lobby the evening after checking in, Mario greeted me with "Welcome back, Mr. W_____." When I took pictures of my food at the restaurant and of my drink at the bar (not common behavior, I imagine), the hostess and waiter, respectively, chatted with me about my camera instead of, say, reporting me to the Secret Service. And not once did I have to open the lobby door myself. My only complaint? No sugar for the coffee with my room-service breakfast.

• 24-hour room service
• Nightly turndown service includes chocolate, card with next day's weather, and a fun profile of a different downtown building each evening ("Welcome to our Historic Neighborhood").
• Choice of morning newspaper
• Knowledgeable concierge -- helped me with everything from local lunch spots to the best jogging route
• International, multilingual staff, many of whom have been at the Hay-Adams for years

View on a Larger Map

Even in 1884, it took guys named Hay and Adams to procure the plot of land at the corner of 16th and H Streets. Today it would take a successful land invasion -- across the street sits Lafayette Park, better known as the Obamas' unofficial backyard. The only way to stay closer to the White House would be to run for high office yourself (or, you know, go back in time and donate huge sums of money to Bill Clinton in 1992).

The immediate area, in the heart of old downtown, bustles during the day with nine-to-fivers in power suits, but it's positively desolate at night. Your only dining and drinking options are on-site or at other hotels like the Jefferson, W, or St. Regis. In sum, the location is a prime home base for daytime sightseeing and an even better one if you can score one of these rooms overlooking the White House. Just don't count on any nightlife.

• Lafayette Park great for tourist-watching and statue-spotting
• Across the street from St. John's Church, also known as the "Church of the Presidents." If you're there on a Sunday when the president is in town, watch out: Obama has attended mass there several times.
• 10-15-minute walk to Washington Monument, at the center of the Mall; further to other points of interest on the Mall
• 20- to 25-minute stroll to other points of interest on the Mall (Capitol, Smithsonian museums, Lincoln Memorial), though you can also take the Metro
• Two Metro stops within three blocks
• Two miles to Union Station; 10 minutes by cab, depending on traffic
• Five miles to Reagan National Airport; 10 minutes by cab, depending on traffic
• 25-plus miles to Dulles International Airport; at least 45 minutes by cab

An Interior View Room

If the Hay-Adams has a weak point, it's the rooms: They don't quite match up to those of its competitors, at least in terms of size. (Nearby, the Jefferson and St. Regis come to mind.) Because of the building's structural limitations -- it was built in 1928 -- the rooms are relatively small by modern luxury standards. My standard room was 375 square feet (but it didn't even feel that big). And it must be stated for the record that most of the rooms, alas, do not overlook the White House.

That said, the Hay-Adams's rooms are gorgeous: elegant yet understated, bright and comfortable. The pleasures are in the details, which vary from room to room: ornamental fireplaces, decorative carvings, patterned ceilings. My favorite touch? The "eco-friendly" panda you can place on your bed to alert housekeeping not to wash your linens every day. I'd like to think even a couple of guys like Hay and Adams would have smiled at that.

• Regal canopied beds with Sealy mattresses, 400-thread-count Frette sheets, and plush pillows
• 37-inch flat-screen TV with about 75 digital channels
• Free Wi-Fi
• Bose CD players with an iPod connection and a small selection of CDs (Faith Hill, Morrissey, Diana Krall, etc.)
• Bathrobes, slippers, and umbrellas in every room
• Honor bars and snack baskets
• Safe big enough for a laptop computer
• Three phones (each has two lines)
• Small but lovely bathrooms
• Asprey London bath products
• Excellent water pressure in the showers
• For a view of the White House (not to mention Lafayette Park, the Washington Monument, and -- if you squint -- the Jefferson Memorial), pay an extra $100 or so and ask for a room facing H Street on the 6th, 7th, or 8th floor. (Insider tip from the management: the "04" series on those floors have the best views of all.)
• Suites run from 540 square feet (Junior Suite) to 1,400 square feet (the Federal Suite).
• For a suite overlooking the White House, pay an extra $4,000 to $5,000. Or, you know, stay there before your inauguration as president of the United States.

The gym

The Hay-Adams doesn't offer anything unexpected in the way of amenities, and everything it does offer -- gym, business center, meeting rooms -- is small. But then, so is the hotel itself, and all the features, as you'd imagine, come with state-of-the-art equipment and luxury touches. The fitness center, for instance, sports free bottles of refrigerated Fiji water and cardio machines with private TV screens and headphones. In 2011, the hotel opened the "Top of the Hay" roof terrace for private events, which features gorgeous panoramic views of The White House.

• Business center has four PCs and a printer; best of all, it's free, which is unusual, even for a service-oriented luxury hotel.
• Fitness center with cardio machines, free weights, and bathroom; only one weight machine, though.
• Several lovely, intimate meeting rooms, perfect for big-time dealmaking in small numbers. (For bigger rooms -- and more of them -- try the St. Regis, down the street.)
• A beautiful but modestly sized ballroom, perfect for a certain kind of wedding. (Hint: It will only break the bank if your bank account is small enough to be broken.)
• "Top of the Hay" roof terrace is an ideal space for private functions (if campaign financing is successful, that is), featuring gorgeous panoramic views of the White House.

Because of its mature vibe (Depression-era architecture, antiquish furniture, conservative decor), the Hay-Adams isn't ideal for families with young children. At the least, though, you can be sure the attentive staff will go above and beyond to make the young'uns smile.

• Free cribs and rollaways
• Pullout sofas in suites
• Safe neighborhood (though, as in all of D.C., vagrancy and panhandling are common)
• No great family options in the neighborhood. The Jefferson has a similarly adult vibe, but it does have more kid-friendly amenities; for a roundup of the city's most family-friendly hotels, click here.

Crab cakes at the Lafayette Room

The Hay-Adams's restaurant, the Lafayette Room, isn't quite up there, reputation-wise, with those at the St. Regis or Jefferson, right down the street, but it still wields enough cache to draw beyond its hotel-guest base. The night I ate dinner there, an American was dropping names left and right with two Romanians at the table next to me; something related to macroeconomics or microfinance was discussed. At any rate, they were there, as are many like them, for the fine food and classy ambience, not just the address.

• Open for dinner Monday to Friday, as well as breakfast, lunch, and Sunday brunch
• Renowned pianist plays nightly.
• Hors d'oeuvres and other light fare available at the bar, Off the Record; dinner served there on weekends
• Neighborhood is business-oriented, so most of the eateries are lunch and afterwork spots. The best restaurants for dinner are at the hotels in the area: the St. Regis, Jefferson, and W, especially.
• For a quick lunch right nearby, try Devon & Blakely two blocks to the east.