Guest room at Royal Sonesta, Washington, DC
The Royal Sonesta Washington, DC is conveniently located on P Street NW (between 21st and 22nd Streets), just a few blocks from Dupont Circle. Many locals fondly remember the property from its previous incarnation as the Kimpton Hotel Palomar.
An ideal environment
The Royal Sonesta’s location is particularly attractive to travelers heading to Washington, DC, whether for business or pleasure.
The hotel is located in a lively and residential neighborhood whose streets are unlikely to empty when the work day (or work week) is over. That’s because the blocks surrounding the hotel are filled with a mix of mid-rise apartments and historic row houses whose residents include families, couples and singles, a mosaic that reflects the city’s culture and diversity.
The streets outside the hotel resemble a virtual food court. They are filled with dozens of cozy restaurants, bars and cafes. Several notable restaurants, including Al Tiramisu (specializing in authentic Italian food from the Basilicata region), Duck Duck Goose (a small plate, Parisian-style bar), Del Sur Cafe (with food from a variety of American South) and Emissary, an attractive neighborhood coffee bar and meeting place.
Nearby are specialty boutiques, bookstores (new and used), bakeries, bagel shops, grocery stores, pharmacies, and other small businesses.
The pedestrian streets emanating from Dupont Circle house small museums, art galleries, and a number of foreign embassies housed in graceful buildings of a variety of architectural styles, called Embassy Row. By the end of the 19th century, these buildings housed some of Washington’s power brokers.
Woodrow Wilson spent several years living in the renaissance-style Woodrow Wilson House, which is now open to the public, the only presidential museum in DC. a German immigrant who ran the city’s longest-running brewery.
After dark, the Dupont Circle area offers some nightlife at various bars. A section of 17th Street is known for its gay and lesbian-owned businesses and clubs.
And, of course, located just north of downtown, the hotel offers guests easy access to the District’s iconic tourist destinations. In particular, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the White House, Capital One Arena, the 11 Smithsonian museums at the National Center, the National Zoo and the Kennedy Center – are only 15 minutes by subway from the Dupont Circle subway. The station, which is a short walk from the hotel.
A residential feel
It’s no wonder the Royal Sonesta feels like a mansion, because it really was one. Even after its conversion, the 335 rooms and public spaces still retain an intimate and comfortable feel.
Originally built as an apartment building, the structure was converted into a hotel in the 1960s, changing hands and being remodeled several times since. It was rebranded as a Sonesta property in 2019.
Completely renovated in 2016, guest rooms and suites are furnished with contemporary decor, in soothing shades of blue and beige with splashes of bright orange and lemon. Geometric shapes featured in artwork and sculptures add a bit of whimsy. Some rooms have spa tubs, fireplaces and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The right-sized lobby has comfortable seating around a marble fireplace, a setting conducive to complimentary wine and informal chats from 5 to 6 pm daily. The decor is contemporary with rich walnut floorboards punctuated by modern art.
Coffee and tea are available every morning at no extra charge.
Affordable luxury
Royal Sonesta Washington, DC has 14 room categories. For a modest fee over conventional hotel room rates, guests can choose generously sized apartment-like rooms at more than 500 square feet. The four suite categories are particularly spacious yet affordable, some with separate living areas.
“Enhance” packages are available at time of booking that include free valet parking (which is otherwise at a premium with the 15% DC hotel parking fee added to the cost) and a full breakfast at Certo! restaurant, located on the ground floor of the hotel. The hotel offers a charging station for electric vehicles.
As reported by Suzanne Rowan Kelleher in Forbes a year ago, Sonesta International Hotels has become a quiet giant in the hotel industry and continues to grow exponentially. A small family-owned hotel chain before the pandemic with just three named properties, the company now owns about 280 full-service and extended-stay properties in eight countries.
The Sonesta brand includes Royal Sonesta, Sonesta Hotel & Resorts, Sonesta ES Suites, Sonesta Posada del Inca and Sonesta Cruise Collection. At the top of the pack, Royal Sonesta properties promise authentic local experiences in some of the most desirable travel destinations around the globe.
The brand’s loyalty program, the Sonesta Travel Pass allows guests to access points, benefits and promotions at the brand’s various properties.
Friendly service
Guests receive a warm welcome when they arrive at the Royal Sonesta Washington DC, and the staff is eager to assist during their stay, making suggestions of what to see and do based on their local knowledge and connections.
At a time when the hotel industry is struggling to recover from the lack of occupancy and staff shortages created by the pandemic, the staff at Royal Sonesta still manages to maintain an upbeat attitude that makes guests feel right at home.
