Style in the Suburbs

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, December 22nd, 2008

New Boutique Hotels Cater to Hipster Travelers

By Katie Wilmeth / Photography by David Phelps

Troy Furbay won’t name names. But he will confirm that his hotels have played host to a long list of the who’s who in the entertainment, sports and political worlds when they find themselves in Washington, D.C. for the night.

“We get a lot of really good political coverage at The Monaco and The George,” said Furbay, vice president of acquisitions for The Kimpton Group, a San Francisco-based hotel developer known for its hip, buzzed-about boutique hotels, including seven in the District. “The Monaco gets all the basketball teams and we get quite a few of the music performers that are playing across the street [at the Verizon Center]. We’ve even had a handful of groups practice their shows in our ballroom.”

In a town that’s long fought its buttoned-up reputation, Kimpton has staked its claim as the place to be and be seen in Washington with themed hotels that provide more than a place to sleep at night. The kitschy Hotel Helix pays homage to pop culture with oversized black and white photos of entertainment icons in the lobby and in-room mini bars stocked with Pop Rocks and Twizzlers. Topaz Hotel aims to help guests find their bliss with Zen-inspired yoga rooms and the sleek Hotel Rouge with its heavy-on-the-mood-lighting bar provides a place for a sexy weekend getaway.

Under Furbay’s direction, the Kimpton hotels and their special brand of hipness have been quietly upping D.C.’s cool factor since they moved into the city five years ago.

And now he’s turning his attention to Northern Virginia.

Image Makeover
Furbay and his team have announced plans to open no fewer than three Kimpton properties in Northern Virginia by 2008.

The Hotel Palomar will open in Rosslyn this September. The Hotel Monaco, along with another yet-to-be-named Kimpton property, will open on King Street in Alexandria later this fall.

The hotels will offer something new to Northern Virginians, who until now had to cross the Potomac River or head to New York City if they sought a stylish weekend getaway.

“Literally, we were all more than excited,” said Stephanie Landrum, acting executive director of the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership, Inc., of Kimpton’s decision to move to the highly-trafficked King Street. “There’s a hole in the market in terms of funky different hotels.”

The Hotel Monaco, which already has a four-star location in the Penn Street Quarter in Washington, D.C., will open its doors on the site of the old Holiday Inn across the street from Alexandria’s City Hall this fall. Designed as one of Kimpton’s more luxurious properties, the pet-friendly hotel is appointed in black and white lush furnishings accented with vibrant reds, blues and greens and comes complete with standard luxuries, such as terry cloth robes and a CD player in every room. To add to the sophistication, the hotel features a nightly wine reception in the lobby to help guests unwind from a day of shopping in Old Town.
As at all Kimpton properties, guests of The Monaco can arrange for special in-room spa services, such as the Fleurs de Chocolat Hot Stone Massage or a rice and sake hand and foot treatment. For those who need company, the concierge can arrange for an in-room goldfish to brighten up the room.

Hotel Monaco also features several unique guest rooms and amenities, such as the Monte Carlo Tall Rooms, designed specifically with the tall traveler in mind with high ceilings and extra long beds.

But more than offering a fresh hotel for King Street, Alexandria officials and business owners hope the Monaco will signal the continuing transformation of Old Town Alexandria from a once stodgy tourist attraction to a destination for young professionals and families. With more and more retail shops moving into Alexandria that are targeted to a demographic similar to the Hotel Monaco, it was a natural fit, Landrum said.

“Instead of gifts that had Alexandria and pictures of George Washington emblazoned on them, we’re seeing different types of gift shops pop up,” Landrum said. “They attract a different audience to come and shop along King Street and I think that’s what Kimpton is banking on. It’s more their type of clientele.”
High-end boutiques such as Hysteria, Diva and Shoe Hive have added a kick to Old Town’s retail offerings, and proprietors are hoping Hotel Monaco will drive additional traffic to their stores.

“It’s obviously going to turn around what was once a more standard, conventional hotel and hopefully make it more interesting,” said Ethan Drath, owner of Hysteria, a women’s clothing boutique on South Fairfax Street that, until Alexandria’s recent renaissance, probably would have looked more at home in Georgetown. “I would like to think our demographics are pretty similar [to Kimpton’s]. In relation to what Old Town is known to be, that hotel will be pushing the envelope.”

Kimpton’s second hotel will be near the King Street Metro in the new Carlyle neighborhood, but they have not yet announced which brand will go into the space. In addition, Kimpton owns the Morrison House, but continues to run it under that established name rather than converting it to a Kimpton-branded property.

Not a Suburb Hotel
While Alexandria is looking to Kimpton for an image boost, Arlington’s Hotel Palomar is going into an established part of Rosslyn and will go head-to-head with District hotels catering to business travelers and weekend tourists.

“We really looked at this [Palomar] as a central business district property,” Furbay said. “We didn’t look at this as a suburb hotel. We looked at it as another D.C. hotel that just happened to be on the other side of the bridge.”

Furbay said the property will compete with such hotels as The Ritz-Carlton in Georgetown, which is about the same distance from downtown Washington as the Hotel Palomar will be.

Set to open in September, Palomar also comes with a twist. It will open in conjunction with The Waterview, a condo from Chevy Chase-based developer The JBG Companies. Occupying the lower floors of the high-rise building, condo residents will be offered the same amenities, such as room service and in-room spa services, as Palomar guests.

The Palomar has a homier feel, albeit a high-end home, than the brightly colored Monaco and features a motif of dark woods and rich leather furniture. Its close proximity to Georgetown and D.C.’s tourist attractions make it a great place for tourists looking to see Washington in style, Furbay said.

But it’s the view, said Furbay, that will keep D.C.-bound guests staying on the Arlington side of the river.
“The most unique thing about it will be it has some of the most spectacular views in D.C.,” he said. “Get on the upper floors of the building facing back over to Georgetown and you can see the whole city. It’s as good a view as any condo [in the area]. It will be pretty spectacular.”

With views like that, Hotel Palomar will likely feature Fourth of July packages for its guests. While Furbay said the Northern Virginia properties haven’t yet determined which packages will be available, Kimpton is known for offering uniquely themed, quirky packages. For example, a recent promotion at the Hotel Madera, another Kimpton property in the District, called the “Mother Earth” package was offered in conjunction with Earth Day and featured a welcome gift of organic wine and fair-trade chocolates and a 50-minute in-room massage.

Taking a Cue
The Kimpton hotels in Arlington and Alexandria will surely be buzzed about, but the company isn’t the only one venturing into Northern Virginia. In a nod of confidence to the market in the technology-heavy Dulles area, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which owns the successful boutique chain W Hotels, will open its newest concept hotel near Dulles Airport in 2008.

Aimed at the busy, yet hip, traveler, aloft Hotel will draw in guests with business meetings beyond Washington, D.C.

“We consider Dulles a vibrant destination,” said Brian McGuiness, vice president of aloft Hotels Worldwide. “We love the fact that technology [companies] are in that zone because generally technos are early adopters and they’re looking for the next big thing.”

Despite its Fairfax location, aloft has an urban feel, McGuiness said, with loft-like guestrooms that feature floor-to-ceiling windows and sleek furnishings.

Unlike the Kimpton properties, which will compete with high-end hotels, aloft is more geared toward the business traveler and is more in line service- and price-wise with hotels such as the Hilton Garden Inn or the Marriott Courtyard. The hotel comes with all the amenities a business traveler would need, such as Internet access, but pares down room costs by limiting other services. For example, aloft offers a 24-hour grab-and-go cafe instead of room service.

Its Northern Virginia location will provide travelers with access to businesses in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties and in the District, McGuiness said.

“It’s far enough away from the city, but close enough in that you don’t feel like you’re lost in farmland,” McGuiness said.

Northern Virginia’s influx of boutique hotels is not unique to the region. All across the country as travelers get savvier about their needs, suburban locations are popping up—especially in affluent areas with many young professionals, said Joe McInnerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association.

“The trend of these smaller boutique hotels going to second- and third-tier cities and the suburbs is happening all over the country,” McInnerney said. “It’s a new wave of hotels that are being built in the markets where there’s a need for these hotels … [The average traveler], they don’t have gray hair, I’ll tell you that. They’re the marketplace.”

Liz Debarros, vice president of the Hotel Association of Washington, D.C. agreed, saying the new Northern Virginia locations will give District hotels a run for their money.

“People are getting more sophisticated about traveling and they’re wanting their needs met, so what you’re seeing in the city you’re seeing in the suburbs as well,” she said. “And I think the suburbs are competing with us to get those customers now.”

Whether or not the new hotels can lure travelers used to staying in D.C. away to Northern Virginia remains to be seen. But one thing is for sure. Kimpton—and the boutique hotels that follow on its heels—will likely quietly up the cool factor in Alexandria and Arlington, just as it did in Washington.

“It’s a change in hotels, retail, restaurants and the image in general,” said Landrum, who is a young professional herself, of the image boost hip hotels and other businesses are bringing to Northern Virginia. “We’re not trying to become a spring break haven. We’re trying to serve the people who live here and recognize that we have young professionals living here … As somebody who grew up here, it’s nice to want to take my friends to Old Town.”

(September 2007)

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