Whether it was truth or just a myth, there was a time when conventional wisdom among members of the meeting industry in the nation’s capital was that nightlife in Washington, D.C., teetered somewhere between slow and outright moribund. But undeniable facts of a recent, multibillion-dollar boom in the entertainment and dining sector have dispelled that thinking in a big way.
“I have been in Washington since 1995 and I can remember when downtown was considered to be pretty slow in the evening,” says Yoko Heukels (MPI Potomac Chapter), president of Meeting Element, a Washington, D.C.-based full-service meetings management company. “You’d see government workers come and go during the day and then at night it was almost like a ghost town. That has changed completely in the last few years. People have been moving back into the city and that is creating a lot of vibrant neighborhoods all over the district.”
Billions of dollars have been put into the development of entertainment venues and a broad cornucopia of restaurants and bars to serve the professionals who work both in government and the private sector in Washington, D.C., and also choose to live there.
Elliott L. Ferguson, president and CEO of Destination DC, the destination marketing organization (DMO) for the district, says new development in the past few years has served to broaden the diversity of experiences for all visitors, whether leisure travelers or meeting attendees. He cites a Potomac riverfront development known as The Wharf, which he classifies as a “big deal” in terms of its impact.
The Wharf opened in October 2017 with waterfront views from the restaurants, clubs, retail stores, condos and hotels that are part of the 24-acre complex. It also includes a pier from which water taxis take passengers to other riverfront locales such as historic Alexandria, Va. Major facilities at The Wharf include hotels (an InterContinental with 278 rooms, a Canopy by Hilton with 175 rooms and Hyatt House with 237 rooms), music venues (the 6,000-seat Anthem, 450-seat Union Stage and 300-seat Pearl Street Warehouse) and bars and restaurants such as Hanks Oyster Bar, Kirwan’s Irish Pub and Potomac Distilling Company.
Ferguson says there will be a groundbreaking this year for a second phase of The Wharf, adding another 1.1 million square feet to the initial 3.2 million. When the second phase opens in 2022, The Wharf will have a mile of waterfront on 24 acres of land, 1,375 residences, 945,000 square feet of office space, 800 guest rooms in four hotels, 2,500 parking spaces and 10 acres of parks and open spaces.
Alex Plaxen, MTA (MPI Potomac Chapter), president and founder of Little Bird Told Media, which organizes executive-level meetings and events and facilitates event marketing campaigns, says that while the cuisine options are broad at The Wharf, the place is starting to make a name for itself with seafood.
“Whenever I am dealing with a group or have friends who are coming to town, I tell them they just gotta try The Wharf,” says Plaxen, a 2018 MPI RISE Award recipient.
He says that in addition to the return of white-collar workers who make their homes inside Washington, D.C., there is another demographic phenomenon that has paid off with its impact on the tourism and meeting industries: the diversity of food offerings.
“We have just about every country in the world with an embassy here, and we have every ethnicity here—with their own special cuisine,” Plaxen says. “What is great about D.C. is that we bring food from literally all over the world. It’s a very international city as far as its food is concerned, and you can get anything from an amazing bowl of chili at Ben’s Chili Bowl to grasshopper tacos at one of José Andrés’ restaurants. Food here really runs the entire gamut.”
Independent planner Shelli Vasser Gilliam, CMP (MPI Potomac Chapter), says that in addition to all the new venue development going on all over Washington, D.C., is the vast array of outdoor spaces available to groups.
“I’m seeing planners use a lot more natural spaces even though we are an urban setting,” she says. “We have parks and trails and wonderful spaces where planners can get their group involved in experiential learning.”
Venue Development
Washington, D.C., has 20 hotels with more than 4,544 guest rooms in the pipeline. Several independent brands will make their debuts in the district in the next two years.
The former Four Points Sheraton at 12th and K streets NW is being transformed into a 209-room lifestyle property called Eaton Workshop. In addition to a bar and restaurant from Derek Brown (The Columbia Room) and Tim Ma (Kyirisan), respectively, the flagship property will sport amenities designed to charm millennial travelers: a radio/podcasting studio, a 50-person movie theater, a co-working space for 370 people and a juice bar and wellness center offering alternative treatments. The hotel is expected to open this summer. Future Eaton Workshops are planned for San Francisco and Seattle.
In 2019, Phase 2 of CityCenterDC, a high-end residential and retail destination, welcomes the US$250 million, 360-room Herzog & de Meuron-designed Conrad Hotel. In addition to retail, the property is expected to house a restaurant from Bryan and Michael Voltaggio as well as a rooftop bar with Capitol views. The property will boast 32,000 square feet of meeting space including two pillarless, above-ground ballrooms, a rarity in Washington, D.C.
The city’s first SLS-branded property is expected to open at 5th and I streets NW in the first half of 2020 in Mount Vernon Triangle. The design-focused, 12-story building will house 198 guest rooms and a 5,500-square-foot ballroom.
A Residence Inn (40 guest rooms) and Courtyard by Marriott (357 guest rooms) are expected to open immediately across the street from the Walter E. Washington Convention Center this fall.
Hilton Washington DC National Mall, a renovated and rebranded property, opens at L’Enfant Plaza with 367 guest rooms late this year. The location is key: The property is equidistant to the National Mall and The Wharf and faces the future home of the International Spy Museum. The property will be topped by a heated swimming pool. The hotel will feature 23,000 square feet of meeting space including a grand ballroom that will accommodate 600 guests and a unique solarium that can accommodate up to 300 people.
Choice Hotels will build a 154-room Cambria Hotel & Suites at Buzzard Point in 2020. Nearby, the new 20,000-seat Audi Field opened in July 2018, home to Major League Soccer’s D.C. United team.
The 55,000-square-foot National Law Enforcement Museum opens in October in Judiciary Square using interactive exhibits, engaging programming and more than 21,000 artifacts to connect visitors to the U.S. law enforcement experience.
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will add 2,500 square feet of new performance space, 7,500 square feet of pre-function and event space with new art installations and digital advancements as well as a terrace for up to 1,600 people and a scenic walkway.
The United States World War One Centennial Commission began construction on a dedicated U.S. WWI Memorial in November. The memorial commemorates the 100th anniversary of the war’s end and honors the 4.7 million servicemen and women. It is scheduled to open in November in Pershing Park.
The 480,000-square-foot Columbia Place hotel and apartment building will feature a Courtyard by Marriott with 357 guest rooms, a Residence Inn with 147 guest rooms and more than 200 apartments near the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in early 2019.
James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef and humanitarian of the year José Andrés brought yet another restaurant to his renowned mix in the nation’s capital just in time for summer. America Eats Tavern just moved into the space previously occupied by Old Glory in Georgetown. What originated as a pop-up in conjunction with the National Archives in 2011, followed by a move to the Ritz-Carlton in Tysons Corner, now sets foot in Georgetown with some charred and smoky flavor combos.
Washington’s newest coffee shop and wine bar combination, Ministry DC, opened recently. First-time restaurateur Elisa Bennaton says customers should anticipate “internationally inspired baked goods, fancy toasts, small plates and sharing platters.”
