28/08/2022
The Dupont Circle Hotel
Where everyone seems like an ultra cool local, whether they are or not.
Why did this hotel catch your attention?
Wedged into a crook just off its namesake park, The Dupont Circle may not have the street-level gravitas of some its kin, but one feels its warm personality the moment a uniformed bellhop swings open a massive glass door, revealing a low-ceilinged lobby—a remnant of the building’s 1950s origins. Much like a living room, the tidy space offers plenty of places to post up before a meeting, type away on a laptop, or wait for an Uber. Pops of brass glisten in the sunlight, which streams through the wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.
Give us the backstory on this place.
A member of the UK-based Doyle Collection since 1997, The Dupont Circle got a multi-million-dollar renovation that includes a gleaming new lobby, rooms refreshed by the firm Clodagh and revamped food and drink outlets by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (MBDS). When complete, a new 5,000-square-foot penthouse, also by Clodagh, will be among the largest hotel suites in D.C.
Tell us about your room. Is it cozy or swanky?
The all-suites 9th floor feels like a luxury condo building, with plush hallway carpeting and heavy, extra-wide doors. Our 600-square-foot King Luxury Suite had a living room with a wet bar, a spacious bathroom, a doored bedroom, and a generous balcony spanning the entire length. A soft palette of creams, grays, and muted purples ran throughout. With upholstered walls, two armchairs, reading lights, and luxurious black-out drapes, the suite could have easily doubled as someone’s swanky D.C. pied-a-terre.
How about the bed, bath and all the rest of the decor?
The king-size poster bed, dressed with crisp white linens, a nubby throw blanket, and purple-and-cream accent pillows, was ultra comfortable, and various surfaces—a console under the TV, a coffee table, a wet bar countertop, and a desk—provided ample room to unpack without resorting to the floor. The decadent marble bathroom had a glass-walled shower (with three individual shower heads), a separate soaking tub with a flat-screen TV, a heated towel rack, and a cornucopia of Malin + Goetz toiletries.
How about the food and drink?
In 2019 the space that once housed Cafe Dupont reopened as The Pembroke, complete with a glamorous new look from the Swedish interior architect Martin Brudnizki. Almost since its reopening the restaurant became something of a local hangout. The menu, steered by chef Marlon Rambaran, formerly of the legendary (and now-shuttered) Le Bec Fin in Philadelphia, offers enough variety that hotel guests won't get bored even if they had multiple meals here over the course of a stay. Lunch and dinner pull diverse influences into perfectly dressed salads; mussels in coconut-curry broth; veal Milanese; a house burger; and tuna tartare (a stellar recent special). Half-portions of pasta and a kids’ menu of bento-box-like entrees and sides feel especially hospitable.
How did you find the service?
It was outstanding from the moment we checked in (early, no sweat). The housekeeper learned our infant son’s sleep schedule after a single night and tweaked her turn-down service accordingly. Particularly notable was the front-of-house staff at The Pembroke—everyone was so warm and gracious that it wouldn’t be unreasonable to hire them as babysitters.
Who else are we going to see here?
Rollaboards aside, it’s hard to believe this is a hotel. Everyone you see—from the women sipping after-work Vieux Carres at the bar Doyle to the dapper foursome by the window at the restaurant—looks like they live and work in D.C. Some do, of course, but even the farther-flung guests are a savvy, well-traveled bunch—the only f***y packs you’ll see here are the latest matelassé beauts by Gucci.
How does the hotel fit in with everything else in the neighborhood?
Dupont Circle is an upscale neighborhood with tree- and townhouse-lined streets and a buzzy after-work scene; if you’re into happy hours and oyster specials, you needn’t go far to find one. The hotel sits a block from the Red Line for easy access to Union Station, and within a nice walk of one end of the National Mall; meander straight past the White House and you’ll soon reach the Washington Monument on your right and the National Museum of African American History and Culture on your left.
Tell us what we missed.
The generous cocktail spread atop our suite’s mirrored wet bar included a full stainless steel shaker set; 375 mL bottles of Tanqueray, Makers Mark, and other top-shelf booze; a bowl of fresh citrus; and even a little sealed jar of olives. We also appreciated the suite's ample, well-placed outlets and, in the bathroom, the dental kit and black makeup towel.
Bottom line: Why are we choosing the Dupont Circle?
The newly renovated Dupont Circle is like that one friend who always looks glamorous and effortless, even though she eschews ostentatious designer merch for her own mix—likely from brands you’ve never even heard of. There are plenty of other big-name luxury hotels in the neighborhood, all of which attract heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and tourists loyal to certain logos. The Dupont Circle feels more like a private members’ club, one that’s confident enough to do its own thing—and one the bold-face names will soon be angling to join.
