WASHINGTON – Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is excited to announce the completion of a multimillion-dollar redesign to Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC. With an ideal address surrounded by grand, historic buildings and the contemporary Penn Quarter buzz, Hotel Monaco aims to heighten guests’ sensory experiences in an elegance-meets-bold environment. The building, a National Historic Landmark and the original General Post Office in the District, has been richly renewed with elegant design to all spaces including the hotel’s grand living room style lobby, corridors, all 183 guest rooms and suites as well as its three impressive meeting and event spaces. This fall, Dirty Habit will debut at Hotel Monaco as a luxe new restaurant and bar with a vivid social scene centered around expertly-crafted cocktails, innovative social-plates, edgy design and an expansive urban patio.
History Meets Modern Day Design
Built in the 19th century by Robert Mills, the designer of the Washington Monument, and Thomas Walter, one of the architects of the U.S. Capitol, the four-story, all-marble building underwent a stunning internal transformation to become Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC in 2002. Fourteen years later, Hotel Monaco’s new bold design, reimagined by San Francisco-based Paletteur, pays homage to the building and city’s classical architecture along with deep roots in American politics and history while honoring the hotel’s unique fusion of traditional and contemporary. The building’s rich history as well as its location near the National Mall and Smithsonian Museums provided a playful backdrop to draw upon. The building radiates grandeur with graceful columns, domes, pediments and friezes, and its new look brings to life Hotel Monaco’s lively spirit with iconic flair.
As guests enter Hotel Monaco’s grand lobby they’ll know they’ve arrived in Washington, with undeniable hints of the city’s Neoclassical Greek and Roman style visible with beautiful juxtaposition between the new and old. Embracing its bold green walls and Murano glass chandeliers, the living room is brilliantly complimented with burnt orange, gold, silver and dark blues. More open, inviting seating areas – many with outlets built into the furniture – allow visitors to linger and enjoy the space, whether popping in for a meeting or settling in to examine the hotel’s new art installation inspired by the nearby National Portrait Gallery featuring original drawings by Michael di Cosola.
Kimpton’s signature hosted wine hour is so popular at Hotel Monaco that a practical, but attractive bar was installed from which hotel guests can enjoy wine and local beer in the evenings and complimentary morning coffee and tea. The piece was designed to resemble a modern, salvaged chest of drawers that nods to the hotel’s playful vibe. The living room’s showpiece fireplace is flanked with a bronze eagle and lion relief, above which custom black framed mirrors hang layered on top of one another, bouncing light from the ends of the room. On either side, the fireplace is surrounded by mirrored obelisks, an homage to the building’s architect. The centerpiece of the space, however, is a signature life-size, 230-pound steel lion sculpture by artist Brian Mock prowling nearby the restaurant entrance, which was crafted carefully from recycled materials into a stunning visual representation of the building’s adaptive reuse and stately nature.
Regally Redesigned Rooms
With grand scale, Hotel Monaco’s 183 guest rooms and suites feature an equally grand pinnacle element with the addition of a five-foot lion head architectural medallion that is a nod to the magnificent friezes and motifs found on many government buildings in the area. The lion has long represented strength, power and nobility and adds gravitas to the room as the main focal point. To complement the magnificent piece, the color palette and materials throughout the guest rooms are warm, regal tones of plum, champagne and royal blue.
Beds are adorned with bronze faux leather folding screen headboards with Greek trim details, and Kimpton’s signature luxurious Frette linens are swathed with a regal lavender throw with graceful scrollwork. Boldly scaled carpet inspired by architectural ironwork seen throughout the District adds stately accents. Furnishings, such as a new armoire, are detailed with warm toned oaks designed after classical European residential pieces and juxtapose a dark grey, ebony and polished chrome finishes in the room. Large hanging globe sconces were inspired by the promenade at nearby Union Station.
Guests can kick back in a sitting area with modern domed Guérite chairs and accent tables that resemble the top of a Corinthian column, or settle into work at the circular table and soft seating chairs in lieu of a traditional desk. The hotel’s lavish bathrooms have been updated to resemble an elegant powder room featuring acanthus leaf wall coverings and overscale rounded mirrors with lacquered off-white edges inspired by the crown molding profile Robert Mills used throughout the historic building.
Sumptuous Suites
Positioned at the corners of the building, Hotel Monaco’s 16 redesigned Mediterranean, Majestic and Robert Mills Presidential Suites give guests the opportunity to truly indulge in modern amenities while feeling a part of history. Signature one-bedroom Robert Mills Presidential Suites feature king beds, a spacious sitting area, two 55-inch televisions, and a custom work table for two. All suites are redesigned with some of the most luxe, well-appointed bathrooms in Washington with custom stone tile flooring, marble double vanities, and most impressively, a spacious wet room featuring a walk-in shower and a freestanding, cast iron clawfoot bathtub for two. While historic explorations call outside, guests may find that modern discoveries beg for attention inside.
The hotel’s grand corridors are robed in new sophisticated wall coverings of architectural rosettes to play off of the beautiful scroll work of the boldly scaled carpets in rich plum and greige color palette with original marble floors peeking out below. To crown the hallways, new candelabra style chandeliers were designed with a modern twist and paired with tailored and refined drapery treatments to accentuate the incredible height of the famous corridors to which no other Washington hotel can compare.
Meeting and Event Spaces
Hotel Monaco’s 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space are bold areas ripe for swapping stories, monumental life moments or business ideas. The décor reflects the same regal and classical aesthetic throughout the three rooms named for bold, international cities – Paris, Athens and Tokyo. The hotel’s premier event space, the Paris Ballroom is a former library created for the Postmaster General on the fourth floor of the building that features a dramatic dome skylight and classical columns. The building’s historic architecture is surrounded by shimmering acanthus leaf patterned wall coverings and over scaled matelassé window treatments topped with Christopher Guy mirrors that accentuate the drama of the space. Architecturally paneled mirrors in the foyer’s archway add a touch of sparkle to the ballroom entryway. Bookshelves with classical busts and finials flank decorative sateen screens that create a dynamic elevation from the foyer. Paris can host up to 300 guests for receptions.
The Athens Room, which can accommodate up to 200 guests reception style, is adorned with the original cast iron ceiling details, which impart a sense of grandeur. Accents and custom wall coverings in rich black, white, silver and gold tones as well as dignified torchiere lamps provide a regal backdrop to any event. Large windows overlook the courtyard on one side and the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery on the other. The Tokyo Boardroom looks down upon the outdoor courtyard is ideal for small meetings accommodating up to 16 people. The décor is modern and bold with a maze-like carpet – a sly reference to the political process – and comfortable two-toned French Art Deco inspired task chairs surrounding a large fixed table. All events at Hotel Monaco will be catered exclusively by the hotel’s adjacent restaurant Dirty Habit with globally-influenced seasonal cuisine by Executive Chef Kyoo Eom and inventive cocktails by Head Bartender Sarah Ruiz.
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC is a landmark boutique hotel destination in the nation’s capital. Occupying an entire block in the heart of the vibrant downtown arts and theater district, Hotel Monaco delights discerning travelers with exemplary service and style with bold, colorful, and modern design against the backdrop of stunning historic architecture with adventure and intrigue just around every corner. Kimpton Hotel Monaco Washington DC is located at 700 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004. For more information, visit www.monaco-dc.com or call 202-628-7177.
