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 2014. These new and renovated Washington venues suit groups large or small for private and corporate events, business dinners, cocktail parties, conferences, weddings, and more.
Kimpton debuted a $5 million renovation of Capitol Hill property Hotel George in February. The 139 guest rooms and suites, hallway corridors, and elevator banks were updated to match the recently refreshed living room, gallery, and meeting spaces. Designed by Boston-based firm CBT, the redesign incorporates warm blue, brown, and beige hues. In the guest rooms, presidential design nods include parchment and ink graphic wallpaper depicting George Washington's handwritten inaugural address and custom artwork featuring Mount Vernon.
After a decade of development, the much-anticipated 1,175-room Marriott Marquis Washington, DC opened in May adjacent to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The hotel, on track to earn Silver LEED certification, has more than 105,000 square feet of meeting space as well as a number of bars and restaurants, including Anthem, the Dignitary lounge, and the sports bar High Velocity.
Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises opened an outpost of Joe’s Seafood, Prime Steak & Stone Crab downtown in January. Located in a former bank and designed by Gensler, the 20,000-square-foot restaurant holds intimate gatherings or parties for as many as 150 guests. The restaurant’s mezzanine level includes four private dining rooms: the Gigi Room, which seats 112 guests or holds 150 for receptions and can be partitioned; Jo Ann’s Room, which seats 14 and has full audiovisual capabilities; Grace’s Room, which includes a boardroom table with 18 seats and audiovisual capabilities; and the South Beach Room, which seats 30, has audiovisual capabilities, and overlooks the grand bar on the lower level. On the first level, Jesse’s Room is decorated with restored floor-to-ceiling vintage millwork and seats eight.
W Washington D.C.’s popular P.O.V. rooftop bar and lounge overlooking the White House debuted a redesigned space in September. The new design from Nemaworkshop includes a red, silver, and blue color scheme and a red-tape wall as a humorous nod to D.C. bureaucracy. Railside seating lines the P.O.V. Outdoor Terrace, which offers unencumbered views of the city and monuments, while the V.I.P. bar seats 50 guests. Inside, a new bar stands in front of a wall-size brass mural of Benjamin Franklin, John F. Kennedy, and Abraham Lincoln. For receptions, the terrace holds 250 and the lounge holds 150.
Celebrity chef Spike Mendelsohn’s speakeasy the Sheppard opened in July in Dupont Circle. The Prohibition-inspired 35-seat venue includes red velvet booths, a bar that seats 12, and only a green light outside a nondescript exterior to signify its existence.
Chef Daniel Boulud’s long-awaited French brasserie DBGB Kitchen and Bar opened in September at the exclusive mixed-use development CityCenterDC. Serving classic American dishes prepared with a French flair, DBGB is designed by Thomas Schlesser, the same architect and interior designer who designed the original DBGB location in New York. The dining room is a mix of beer-hall-style tables and booths, with private dining space upstairs. The restaurant's two private dining rooms, Salon Rouge and Salon Bleu, can host seated meals and cocktail receptions. Salon Bleu seats 40 guests in several styles of arrangements with panoramic views overlooking H Street, while Salon Rouge seats 24 guests with a boardroom table and views of CityCenter’s courtyard. There is a shared reception area adjacent to the space, and both private rooms can be reserved in tandem for 90 people for receptions or a seated meal for 60 using the reception space. The private rooms boast individually controlled lighting, HVAC, blackout shades, and iPod docks. The entire restaurant including the ground floor holds 200 additional guests.
Chef and restaurateur Richard Sandoval’s newest project in Washington, contemporary pan-Latin steak house Toro Toro, opened at the end of March. Designed by LW Design Group of Dubai, the 12,400-square-foot restaurant includes an open main dining room with Japanese and Latin elements such as cowhide accents, marble floors, silk cushions, and a sculptural metal cage staircase. Events for as many as 50 guests can be arranged upstairs, and the downstairs holds 200 for receptions. The entire restaurant is available for buyouts of 600.
After 20 years in business, power dining spot the Oval Room received a dramatic interior renovation. Martin Vahtra of Projects Design Associates of New York added a white Carrera marble bar and flooring, contrasted with dark mahogany wood accents. An abstract painting by American artist Jennifer Bartlett is the focal point in the main dining room, while faux leather, art pieces, and fabrics in burgundy and deep brown serve as decor accents. The restaurant seats 70 for dinner in the main dining room, 40 in the Green Room, and 10 in the intimate Curtain Room; it holds 250 guests for receptions.
In April, Convene opened a Tysons Corner location, Convene at Tysons Corner, its first location outside New York City. The business conference and corporate event center features flexible, state-of-the-art meeting rooms designed for a variety of functions from one-on-one meetings to events for 200. Designed by Fox Architects, the facility has dramatic 20-foot floor-to-ceiling glass walls and offers integrated audiovisual resources and in-house catering with fresh, seasonal meals.
Georgetown is now home to a bowling alley and other amusements at Pinstripes. The D.C. location of the Midwestern chain opened at the Shops at Georgetown Park in February, serving Italian-American classic comfort food. The 34,000-square-foot venue spans two levels, with 14 bowling lanes, boccie courts, an outdoor fire pit with a patio, and a wine cellar. Pinstripes holds 600 for private events.
