At These DC Hotels, the Lobby Is the Main Attraction
Plush daytime spaces and sleek lobby bars make hanging onsite all day and night so easy.
DC might be known for its world-class museums, but have you checked out the city’s world-class hotels? Long gone are the days when America’s capital was popularized by standard business stay joints—today, the district is filled with classic and boutique hotel gems that rival any top cosmopolitan.
However, the city’s hotel scene is so much more than just rooms for sleeping. In an era where soulless kiosk check-ins are common, some DC hotels have transformed their lobbies into visit-worthy third spaces and destinations beyond just a bar (but don’t worry, we have those, too). From hip lobbies with co-working spaces to vinyl sessions and pop-up shops to iconic interiors steeped in history, here are 12 hotels with unbeatable lobbies in Washington DC. Afterwards, be sure to explore nearby hidden gem museums as well.
DC hotel lobbies for all-day hanging and cool events
Dupont Circle
A bagel shop, a restaurant, a record library/listening room, a barber shop—Yours Truly is this and so much more. As one of the coolest hangout spots in town, the hotel is as popular with the mid-day WFH crowd lounging behind laptops in the retro, 70s-inspired spacious lobby as it is for the late nighters who come to dine at Mercy Me, the property’s South American-inspired restaurant. The property is known for its line-up of weekend events, particularly its vintage markets which run four times a year and are packed with vintage clothing, home goods, and local craft makers along with fun activations like tarot readers and a plethora of cocktails and mocktails.
Downtown
The Eaton DC is a rare example of a hotel that brings many things to mind other than actually staying the night: a co-working space, restaurant, cafe, speakeasy, record library, and non-stop events. Bring your laptop and settle in with a coffee from the on-site cafe, Baker’s Daughter, or join their membership-based co-working space, Eaton House. At night, grab a table at Michele’s or make your way to Allegory, a speakeasy-style bar recently ranked as one of North America’s 50 Best Bars. Chances are on any given day, there are any number of events happening upstairs, from sound bath sessions to panels on Icelandic literature and Black women in food to regular Thursday evenings (7 pm–9 pm) A2B vinyl listening sessions.
Adams Morgan
As one of the most stylish hotels in town, The LINE has been drawing a chic crowd since it burst onto the scene in 2017. Originally built in 1912 as a church, the property now offers 220 rooms and a mega-lobby with preserved original architectural features (think choir loft and stained-glass windows). While the rooms’ boho aesthetic help keeps guests always checking in, it’s the lobby that keeps this place buzzing. An all-day restaurant—No Goodbyes—serves mid-Atlantic and Chesapeake Bay inspired dishes and also functions as the hotel’s coffee shop and cocktail bar. With its spacious lobby, head to this inimitable neighborhood hang out zone and inspiring work spot and return during non-work hours on Sunday afternoons for live DJ sets.
Best hotel lobby bars in DC
Downtown
To enter the Jefferson Hotel, tucked away on 16th Street, is to slip back in time. On any given day, expect a line of back SUVs adorned with flags from any nation of the world waiting out front. But if you’re not there for the dignitary watching, check out the hotel lobby’s beautiful black and white checkerboard floors, as well as a fabulous restaurant, The Greenhouse, which is both great for brunch or for a romantic special occasion dinner. However, the real highlight of the property might be its bar, Quill. A true DC establishment, it’s an in-the-know spot for classic cocktails, and you never know who’ll be next to you at the bar.
Penn Quarter
Another former post office turned hotel, part of Kimpton Hotel Monaco’s charm is its proximity to one of the city’s best museums across the street, The National Portrait Gallery. Another part of its charm is its lobby restaurant and bar, Dirty Habit, which has a spacious and surprisingly serene outdoor terrace. Dirty Habit is one of the buzziest spots in the crowded Penn Quarter and attracts a sizable local crowd thanks to its sleek ambience and cocktails and their popular pre-theater menu. It’s especially popular for pre-theater drinks at one of the neighborhood's many venues.
Dupont Circle
Operating as a hotel for over 100 years, The Tabard Inn is one of the city’s most charming spots to enjoy a drink. With a different style and tone than most of the city, imagine a living room with a roaring fireplace, cozy antique furnishings, and relatively cheap cocktails—you just never know who will show up here (An old professor? Past lover? Congressperson?). The Inn’s living room hosts weekly Sunday and Monday evening jazz performances which attracts a loyal following. This is an ideal spot to impress a date or an out-of-town guest.
The Wharf
Finding a great spot at the tourist-heavy Wharf can be a challenge, but thanks to the hotel Pendry, you might have a reason to actually look forward to venturing to DC’s newest neighborhood. The hotel’s lobby level cocktail space, Bar Pendry, is styled as if it’s a European train car (think the Orient Express or the Royal Scotsman). Bar Pendry’s lush and moody interiors form a rich, sexy backdrop for DC-inspired cocktails like a District 75 (i.e. a local take on a classic French 75) or the Haru DC, a tea and gin concoction.
Georgetown
We love that the Ritz-Carlton Georgetown’s Living Room bar for its approachability to everyone, both guests and locals alike. With a modern fireplace and ample seating, the industrial chic space (the building was built in 1932 as a waste processing plant) is an ideal spot for a stylish and low-key (a rare combination, in our book) drink. Crisp martinis and juicy Manhattans (think old school DC vibes) is the way to go here.
DC hotel lobbies with architectural marvels and historic spaces
Downtown
They don’t build banks like they used to, that’s for sure. Originally built as Riggs National Bank, Riggs is one of the city’s most gorgeous boutique hotels. With teller windows and its original marble lobby still intact, the transformed and airy bank space is also home to Café Riggs, a dreamy spot for weekend brunch, a weekday power lunch, or a classy drink after work or touring the city (it’s right across the street from the National Portrait Gallery). We love the cafe’s enormous paper flower installation housed in an equally large glass bell jar. Make sure to stop back after hours as the Riggs boasts a sleek subterranean cocktail bar—Silver Lyan—housed in the former bank’s vault.
Downtown
The Waldorf Astoria is one of the city’s toniest and most historic addresses. Built in 1892 as the DC’s central post office, the building was only recently transformed into a hotel (first under a different name we won’t mention here). Today, it’s known as one of the district’s most opulent places to visit, thanks to its soaring glass atrium lobby as well as its clock tower, which is open daily to visitors. The glass-roofed interior courtyard is a must for a decadent cocktail, a fancy lunch, or leisurely afternoon tea. The lobby courtyard is also home to The Bazaar, an upscale dining concept by celebrity chef and humanitarian José Andrés, as well as a private rare whiskey tasting room.
Downtown
Dating back over two hundred years, The Willard’s walls are seeping with stories. It was here in 1869, for example, that then President Ulysses S. Grant popularized the term “lobbying” for people who petitioned him for specific needs while he was trying to enjoy a cigar and brandy in the hotel’s lobby. It was also here that Aristotle Onassis booked a room the night before JFK’s funeral (iykyk). The space’s storied history has also played host to numerous politicians, dignitaries, and celebrities. As a true local institution, it’s a must stop for a drink, or pensive sit in the lobby, or, our favorite, tea. The Willard is legendary for their afternoon tea—they’ve been serving it since the 1920s—and a recent redesign of its tearoom, the renowned Peacock Alley, makes it all the more appealing.
Foggy Bottom
Name a hotel that conjures as much scandal as The Watergate and you would likely be hard pressed to do so. Known as the site of the infamous 1972 White House break-in and consequential resignation of then President Nixon, it remains, decades later, a totem of mid-century infamy and style. The space-age designed building lends for one of the most iconic lobbies in the city, with psychedelic-leaning curved walls and a whiskey bar, The Next Whiskey Bar, that looks plucked out of the Jetsons’ living room. Come for a drink and soak in a piece of the building’s history, and don’t leave without asking the concierge for a tour of “The Scandal Room,” which is preserved with original 1970s paraphernalia.