This year saw the opening of many significant event and meeting venues in Washington. Here's a look at the best restaurants, party rooms, hotels, corporate event venues, conference centers, and private rooms to open in 2017. These new and renovated D.C. venues suit groups large or small for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
D.C.’s new mile-long, mixed-use waterfront neighborhood the Wharf opened on October 12, and its luxury hotel anchor is InterContinental Washington D.C.—The Wharf. The LEED Silver-certified hotel boasts a glass-enclosed lobby, a rooftop pool and restaurant, a 4,250-square-foot spa, and Kith and Kin, an Afro-Caribbean restaurant from D.C. chef Kwame Onwauchi. The 278-room hotel also offers 33 suites, including the Constellation, a two-story Presidential Suite with panoramic views of the river. The hotel includes 17,000 square feet of event space spanning 11 meeting rooms. The 5,304-square-foot Waterside room holds as many as 700 guests for theater-style events, and can be divisible into three spaces. Cocktail receptions for as many as 270 can meet in the 1,988-square-foot Seaport room (convertible into two spaces), and theater-style events for as many as 280 people are suited for the 2,255-square-foot Algonquian room. For smaller events, meeting rooms include the Slip conference room with seating for 24, or the 15-seat Haven room.
The Museum of the Bible opened in November near the Federal Center Southwest metro station. The $500 million project spans eight floors and 430,000 square feet, with dramatic city views from its rooftop. The museum uses state-of-the-art technology to tell the ancient history of the Bible, including a 140-foot LED ceiling screen running the expanse of the museum’s grand lobby. Additional event space includes a ballroom with room for 420 for seated dinners and lecture-style seating for 630, as well as a high-tech 472-seat performing arts hall. The museum has two eateries: a Mediterranean street food café called Manna from chef Todd Gray and a coffee shop called Milk & Honey.
The National Arboretum's iconic parkland became available for private rentals for corporate events in June. The sprawling 446-acre U.S. Department of Agriculture research facility is just 1.5 miles from Capitol Hill, but feels worlds away from downtown Washington. A variety of outdoor spaces within the venue's floral and fauna collections are available for group rentals. The Herb Garden, the largest of its kind in the United States, can hold as many as 300 people for a seated dinner on its two patios, while the Youth Garden, with its new education pavilion that debuted in June, can accommodate as many as 100 guests for picnic-style events. A smaller lunch or dinner for 50 seated guests can be staged on the Arbor House Patio, which overlooks the Friendship Garden and Fern Valley. There's also the Arboretum Center Patio, which can seat 100 or host 200 for receptions, and the Visitors Center Lobby, an indoor space that can seat 50 for dinner. Cocktail hours can be held in the Arboretum's Capitol Columns, which are relics from the original United States Capitol; the wide-open meadow overlooking the columns can hold more than 500 people for a seated dinner. Guided tram tours are also available. All space rental is tax-deductible.
Gaylord National Resort debuted the 16,000-square-foot Riverview Ballroom in May, an expansive column-free private event venue with floor-to-ceiling windows and unobstructed panoramic views of the Potomac River. The waterfront space is over 16,000 square feet and can hold 1,800 guests for theater-style events, 820 guests for classroom-style events, 990 guests at round tables, and 1,850 guests for standing receptions. The Riverview Ballroom, which can be divided into eight different spaces, offers two outdoor terraces equaling more than 10,000 square feet of space, as well as pre-function space.
District Winery, Washington, D.C.'s only operational commercial winery, opened in August in Navy Yard. The winery and full-service restaurant is from co-founders Brian Leventhal and John Stires, who opened Brooklyn Winery in that the borough’s trendy Williamsburg neighborhood. The new location in the Yards neighborhood includes a second-floor event space with waterfront views of the Anacostia River. The event space spans 7,500 square feet and also expands into a wraparound outdoor terrace complete with a green roof and canopy. The airy, light-filled private event space can accommodate parties with a wide range of guest counts, from seated dinners for 200 guests to cocktail parties for as many as 450 guests. Ana, the full-service restaurant from executive chef Michael Gordon and chef de cuisine Ben Lambert, includes a 42-seat bar and a 56-seat dining room, along with a patio.
The Darcy, a 226-room hotel that’s part of Hilton's Curio Collection, opened this spring near 14th Street in what was once a Doubletree. Lead designer Christian Schnyder of Beleco brought in rich wood tones, distressed metals, and colorful artwork to create a refined look. Dining options include Siren, a seafood-driven restaurant by acclaimed chef Robert Wiedmaier, as well as chef David Guas' Lil’B Coffee Bar & Eatery. The property boasts 5,400 square feet of meeting space, and all meeting rooms offer natural light. The 1,856-square-foot Logan Ballroom, which is divisible into two rooms, can seat 100 guests for classroom style-events, 140 guests in rounds, 200 guests for theater-style events, and 200 guests for receptions. The 1,121-square-foot Ellington Room can hold as many as 80 guests in round tables and 100 guests for receptions. Other spaces are suited for smaller events or boardroom-style meetings. There’s also a 2,400-square-foot outdoor terrace that is available for events and can accommodate 100 guests at round tables or 140 guests for receptions. The stately 900-square-foot Presidential Suite at the Darcy, with a living room and dining area that features a table for six, also is available for events. All catering menus are created by Wiedmaier’s kitchen.
Dupont Circle club and event space Saint Yves opened in May on Connecticut Avenue. The club features dramatic decor by design firm Swatchroom, including a tulle ceiling installation, grand chandeliers, tufted booths, custom artwork, and a color scheme of gold and navy. The 5,000-square-foot space can accommodate a total of 336 guests: 279 standing and 56 seated.
Kimpton Carlyle Hotel Dupont Circle unveiled its new Oka Doner Suite in January, designed by renowned American artist Michele Oka Doner. The 900-square-foot, three-room suite has a private hallway, a living room, and two bedrooms. Of course, the suite includes artwork from Oka Doner, including a piece titled Cosmic I & II, presenting shimmering, celestial forms. The suite’s color palette complements the artwork, with sleek furniture and a gray carpet that echoes patterns of Oka Doner’s signature pieces. The suite can sleep as many as six guests.
The Spirit of Washington is the newest addition to Entertainment Cruises's fleet in the city. The renovated 175-foot yacht began sailing in March and is available for group reservations of 20 to 500. The four-level yacht’s first-level Capital Deck and second-level Waterfront Deck each accommodate 175 seated guests or as many as 200 guests for receptions. The third level’s District Lounge seats as many as 35 to 40 guests inside and is equipped with an open-air patio deck and bar. Amenities on board include designated dance areas and full-service bars.
Decades, a nightclub in Washington’s DuPont neighborhood, debuted a 2,500-square-foot rooftop space in April. The club, whose name derives from the venue’s throwback theme to the music of the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, has its own bar and amenities including a DJ booth and a retractable awning. The beverage menu includes seasonal cocktails including coconut-and-mango jalapeño margaritas and strawberry basil lemonade; a grill is available for private events. It holds about 200 people for reception-style events.
