Rooms come with flat-screen TVs and coffeemakers
Stylish restaurant and bar with good food and
seasonal outdoor seating
Spacious one-bedroom suites with sofa beds and
kitchens available
Walking distance to Dupont Circle and Embassy
Row
Convenient location one mile from the National
Mall
24-hour fitness center and free passes to YMCA
across the street
24-hour business center
Nice city views from select rooms
Room service
Rooftop bar with city views (open seasonally,
evenings only)
Pricey, valet-only parking
Daily fee for Wi-Fi
No 24-hour room service
No swimming pool
No mini-fridges or microwaves in Standard Rooms
Small standard rooms and bathrooms
Geared primarily towards business travelers, the Beacon
Hotel has an excellent location between Dupont Circle and the corporate offices
in downtown D.C. Property highlights include a stylish restaurant, 24-hour
fitness center, and apartment-style suites with kitchens. Guests may be
disappointed with the Standard Rooms, which are small for the price and lacking
in amenities (no free Wi-Fi, minibars, or microwaves). Travelers should also
consider the Courtyard Washington Embassy Row (half a block away and similarly
priced), which features a swimming pool and free Wi-Fi. Still, this is a good value overall for an upper-middle-range property.
Disclaimer: This content was accurate at the time the hotel was reviewed. Please check our partner sites when booking to verify that details are still correct.
Scene
Contemporary business hotel with an above-average restaurant
Built in 1968, this 199-room hotel primarily hosts business
travelers during the week and tourists on the weekends (when rates are
significantly lower). The Beacon is independently owned and has a modern
business vibe. The lobby features wood-paneled walls, clocks that tell the time
in various international cities, a designer chandelier made of twisted glass
pieces, and a chic sitting area with floor-to-ceiling windows. During our
visit, a valet and porter stood at attention at the front door, ready to greet
arriving guests.A stairwell connects the lobby to the hotel’s various
meeting rooms and a restaurant, Beacon Bar and Grill. The restaurant is broken
down into two sections: a swankier fine-dining area and hip diner-style space
with a bar and outdoor patio. The fine-dining room is dimly lit and decorated
in bold patterns of red, black, white, and orange. A large reproduction of Johannes
Vermeer’s 17th-century painting, “Girl with a Pearl Earring,” is the
centerpiece of the otherwise contemporary restaurant. Overall, the Beacon is a competitively priced hotel with
good food, above-average style, and a great location -- but daily charges for
Internet and parking can add up fast if your company isn’t footing the bill.
Location
Walking distance to Dupont Circle and one mile from the National Mall
The Beacon is located just off of Embassy Row -- a string of
embassies and diplomatic buildings lining Massachusetts Avenue -- and dozens of
hip bars, restaurants, and shops are a five-minute walk away in Dupont Circle. The
immediate area surrounding the hotel is bustling with nine-to-fivers. Many
guests come to the Beacon to do business at The Center for Strategic and
International Studies, Human Rights Campaign headquarters, or U.C. Berkeley’s
Washington Center campus, all located within a block of the hotel.- Three-minute walk from the National Geographic Museum
Rooms
Small, basic rooms and apartment-style suites with kitchens
The Beacon has four main room types: Standard Rooms, slightly
larger Executive rooms, Corporate Quarter Studio Suites, and One-Bedroom Ambassador Suites. Units are available with one king bed, one queen, or two
doubles. Rooms are small and lack common amenities like mini-fridges and
microwaves (Wi-Fi always costs extra), but some upper-level units have
floor-to-ceiling windows with nice city views. The suites are significantly
nicer and come with sofa beds and basic kitchens (a microwave, refrigerator,
toaster, stovetop, and dishwasher are included), and select suites have
fireplaces and soaking tubs. Style-wise,
the rooms are minimalist and contemporary with beige and red walls, white
bedspreads, orange accents, and brown carpeting. Ambassador Suites also have
hardwood floors, animal-print rugs, and granite countertops. All units include
basic coffeemakers and bottled water for purchase.
Features
Fitness center, restaurant, business center, and daily charges for Wi-Fi
The best feature of the Beacon Hotel is its on-site restaurant,
Beacon Bar and Grill. The food is quite good, and the restaurant is open for breakfast,
lunch, and dinner, as well as specialty brunches on Saturday and Sunday. The
restaurant also has a 60-person private dining room. A second rooftop bar is open
in the evenings during the summer. Other amenities include a modest 24-hour
fitness center, 24-hour business center, and five meeting rooms. Services
include room service and pricey valet-only parking. Free passes are available
to a YMCA across the street. Wi-Fi is available throughout the property for a daily
fee.
