"The Lorien Hotel & Spa will be a destination all its own, with a level of service that is unsurpassed," says Don Anderson, general manager and Alexandria native. "We are in the unique position to offer the comfort and intimacy of a boutique hotel, with the amenities of a resort, to deliver a four and a half star-caliber hotel experience. This is a highly anticipated opening for Kimpton and Old Town alike."

At Kimpton hotels, every hotel tells a story, and the Lorien Hotel & Spa will celebrate the story of dreams. The dream story will be brought to life through personalized amenities such as a 24-hour "dream" button on all guestroom phones, with a direct line to a highly-trained concierge to coordinate all elements of a perfect stay. An extensive "Dream Service Menu" will make available specialized amenities including comfort foods, soothing bath, aromatherapy and pillow options, that can be delivered to the room to help set the stage for a good night's sleep and sweet dreams.

With an eye towards offering a heavenly retreat for travelers, world-class designer Vicente Wolf was hired to create the hotel's décor. Artfully blending old with new, Wolf reinterprets American classic design with a modern flair at Lorien Hotel & Spa. The building's exterior reflects the historic charm of Old Town with its warm coral-hued brick walls and copper rooftops. But stepping inside, guests are welcomed by sleek and elegant interiors that hint at both past and present and evoke a fresh and contemporary feel.

The 107 spacious guestrooms and suites have a warm and residential atmosphere, with a calming palette of robin's egg blue, gray and white. Custom-made furnishings, such as wingchairs and trellis-style headboards, are reinterpreted with a contemporary flair. Numerous suites and specialty Spa Rooms also boast spacious bathrooms with claw foot tubs and rainfall showers.

All rooms offer a wide range of amenities including 42" flat panel televisions, a spacious work area, wireless and wired high-speed Internet access, an iHome clock radio, laptop safe, plush robes, and a gourmet honor bar featuring organic and healthy options. Guests can also enjoy signature Kimpton services including in-room yoga, Pilates and meditation TV programming, 24-hour room service, Forgot It? We've Got It! travel items, and overnight shoe shine and valet/laundry service.

Perhaps one of the most inspiring aspects of the Lorien Hotel & Spa is the hotel's Terrace Suites. These unique suites offer expansive terraces, some as large as 700 square feet, complete with cozy couches and seating ideal for hosting intimate gatherings for up to 30 people, or for nighttime stargazing. To enhance the experience, the hotel will offer a "Terrace Menu" with choices that range from private wine tastings and alfresco dining to dance lessons, as well as more playful amenities such as sleeping bags, luxurious blankets, telescopes, and more.

The Lorien Hotel & Spa will be the first hotel in Old Town Alexandria with a full-service spa. The 4,000 square foot spa and fitness center includes five treatment rooms, private locker rooms, two steam rooms and an indulgent dream-inspired treatment menu utilizing organic and paraben-free products from Kerstin Florian that are restorative to the body and in harmony with the environment. The spa's 24-hour fitness center offers a full range of exercise equipment, free weights, and personal training and private yoga classes are available by appointment.

Lorien Hotel & Spa is also a gourmand's dream with not one, but three dining venues helmed by celebrated chef Robert Wiedmaier. The foodie trifecta includes a 105-seat restaurant, a 43-seat tasting room, and a wine and cheese retail shop. At the restaurant, Chef Wiedmaier will serve Belgian cuisine with American inspiration and offer a collection of hard-to-find, yet approachable wines and an extensive list of Belgian beers to pair with any meal. The tasting room will provide a more casual, European-style dining experience experience, where guests can enjoy light fare from the chef's wood-fired oven and sample wine and other spirits. At Chef Wiedmaier's retail shop, which will be Old Town's first gourmet food shop, guests and locals alike can shop for wine, gourmet beer, and various treats ranging from cheese to olives and charcuterie.

The Lorien Hotel & Spa will also feature more than 3500 square feet of sophisticated meeting and event space, including three meeting rooms, a hospitality suite, and functional outdoor venues. Customized meeting breaks, including private wine tastings and chef dinners, can be arranged through the hotel's team of highly trained professional meeting planners.

Lorien Hotel & Spa is ideally located within steps of the metro, located in the heart of Old Town Alexandria and offers easy access to the surrounding Washington, D.C. area. The hotel is just four miles from Ronald Reagan international Airport, and four blocks from the Amtrak station. For guests who prefer a different mode of transportation, complimentary bicycles are available for a ride to the Potomac River. Chef Wiedmaier picnic baskets, filled with all the makings for a gourmet lunch, can be prepared upon request.

Room rates at Lorien Hotel & Spa start at $329, and special weekend rates are available. Lorien Hotel & Spa is located at 1600 King Street, Alexandria VA, 22314. For more information or reservations, please call 703.894.3434 or 877.856.7436 toll free or visit lorienhotelandspa.com.

The Owners DSF Group
The award-winning DSF Group is a private real estate company that makes value-added investments in multifamily and commercial properties, primarily in the high-growth Northeast Corridor between Washington DC and Boston.

Having extensive business and leisure travel experience, the founders of The DSF Group wanted to create a hotel they would choose to stay at...and one they would want to return to.

Lorien Hotel & Spa is the result of that vision. The DSF Group partnered with boutique hotelier experts Kimpton Hotels, world-renowned designer Vicente Wolf and critically-acclaimed Washington DC chef Robert Wiedmaier to create an environment in which the business traveler could relax, unwind and feel rejuvenated following a long day. Whether that is accomplished through a private spa treatment, dinner from one of the three destination food venues or simply returning to the restful guestrooms, it is all available to choose from at Lorien Hotel & Spa.

With over $1.5 billion invested in four million square feet since the year 2000, The DSF Group has quietly become one of the most successful private real estate investment firms in the country.

Designer Vicente Wolf
In the world of contemporary design, Vicente Wolf has been at the top for three decades. Through his firm, Vicente Wolf Associates, he explores his passion for design, guided by the principles of integrity and simplicity. Lorien Hotel & Spa is the latest in his pursuit of this passion, benefitting from his design throughout the hotel, the spa and the restaurants.

Wolf has designed a wide range of projects, including the LS Store in Hong Kong, the Luxe Hotel Rodeo Drive and Café Rodeo in Beverly Hills, the Andrew Fezza company offices and showrooms, the Registry stores in Chicago, Bedell Cellars Winery and guest cottage on Long Island's North Fork, the executive office of J Records for Clive Davis, the interiors of New York's L'Impero and Alto restaurants and an extensive list of residential interiors.

House Beautiful named Vicente Wolf as one of the ten most influential designers in the United States and Interior Design Magazine inducted him into its Designer Hall of Fame. Selected as one of the top 100 designers in both Metropolitan Home's "Design 100" and Architectural Digest's "AD 100," Wolf's work has been featured in various design books and magazine, including these publications, The New York Times, Elle Décor, House & Garden, Vogue Decoration, Country Living and Maison & Jardin.
Over the last few years, Wolf has become known for his other passion: photography, which can be found throughout the Lorien Hotel & Spa. He has had individual gallery shows, photographed his design projects for magazines and shot the advertising campaign for Anichini Linens. He also put together an exhibit of his photography, titled Series III: Compositions, for the Pucci Gallery in New York.

Wolf has contributed his designs to many arts and charitable organizations, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA) and the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). Wolf teaches an annual course through Parsons School of Design in the Dominican Republic and his first book, Learning to See, focuses on personal style and travel.

The Chef Robert Wiedmaier 
Now leading the culinary efforts at Lorien Hotel & Spa, chef and proprietor Robert Wiedmaier developed a strong passion for the culinary arts at a young age while growing up in Germany. Born to a father who is 100% Belgian and a mother who is Californian, Wiedmaier was given a chance to experience ingredient-based cuisine with the freshest produce, meat and dairy.

Wiedmaier attended the Culinary School of Horca in the Netherlands. His apprenticeship at the Thermidor Restaurant, a Michelin two-star establishment, brought him to Brussels to work with famed Chef Eddie Van Maele. In 1986, he took the position as Saucier at Le Chardon D'Or in the Morrison House in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, bringing him to the United States for the first time in his culinary career.

In 1988, Wiedmaier joined the team at the renowned Le Pavillion as Chef Poissonnier, and a year later, moved to the Four Seasons, the most prominent hotel in the city, as Sous Chef position at Aux Beaux Champs restaurant under the tutorial direction of Chef Douglass McNeill.

Seven years later, Chef Wiedmaier opened Café on M at The Grand Hotel, giving Wiedmaier a personal venue to use his culinary roots and where he established his critically acclaimed French Cuisine Flavored with a Flemish Flair.

In June of 1996, The Watergate Hotel asked Wiedmaier to oversee and manage the culinary operations for the hotel. He also undertook the re-design of the kitchen and opened their then-new restaurant, Aquarelle. Wiedmaier replaced Executive Chef Jean-Louis Palladin, whose tenure at the hotel had been immensely successful as well as having been a strategic mentor to Wiedmaier.

In March of 1999, Robert Wiedmaier opened Marcel's restaurant, named after his first-born son. Between this opening and the opening in April of 2007 of Brasserie Beck, named for his younger son (and only a mile from Marcel's), Wiedmaier received significant acclaim for his cuisine, including Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year (2004) award by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington and Chef of the Year by the American Culinary Institute. Marcel's was inducted to the prestigious Distinguished Restaurants of North America (DiRoNA), the only anonymous restaurant inspection program in North America and maintains Washingtonian magazine's high level of status with 3.5 out of 4 stars. Additionally, Zagat rates Marcel's in the Top 5 for Food category.

Some of Wiedmaier's favorite things to cook with are sweetbreads, foie gras, skate and any variations of wild game at Marcel's and at Beck's. According to Wiedmaier, "My cuisine is simple. I concentrate on high quality ingredients. More than anything, I'm a cook first, chef second." An exceptional highlight of Wiedmaier's cuisine techniques is his use of all parts of each animal he cooks with to create his sauces. "Nothing goes to waste. If you're not tasting, you're not cooking."

Sarah C Horner
202.661.2702
[email protected]

www.thedsfgroup.com
www.vicentewolf.com