Park Hyatt Washington

Review of Park Hyatt Washington

BusinessClass.com review by Varun Sharma

A modernist outlook combined with American style are the hallmarks of the welcoming Park Hyatt, Washington DC. The property is located in Washington’s revitalised West End neighbourhood. Minimalistic with a distinctly Asian touch, the nine story Park Hyatt, Washington offers 220 rooms including 134 suites and 86 Park Deluxe rooms styled with a residential feel by New-York based interior designer, Tony Chi.

Bright, friendly and open, the hotel also offers an acclaimed Michelin-star restaurant in the shape of the Blue Duck Tavern, a vibrant lobby lounge and the Tea Cellar, offering more than 30 rare and vintage teas. For recreation, there is an indoor saltwater pool with a whirlpool tub, a 24-hour fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment, in room spa services and free car service based upon availability. The hotel will also lend out bicycles to residents and

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Location

9/10

The Park Hyatt, Washington DC is located in the city’s trendy West End neighbourhood, bordering Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom and Georgetown, near Embassy Row. A short walk to some of the city’s best dining and boutique shopping areas, the major tourist attractions are easily reached by Metro – there are two stations near the hotel – Foggy Bottom / George Washington University Station (Orange, Silver and Blue lines) and Dupont Circle (Red line).

City points of interest, apart from The White House, Capitol Hill and the National Monuments include the Smithsonian Museums – the world’s largest museum complex, The Phillips Collection: America’s first modern art museum and The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. There are also more than 93,078 hectares (230,000) acres of parks in the city to explore including the famed estates and gardens of Dumbarton Oaks and Hillwood Estate and Gardens. Making the city your base, suggested day trips include visits to Shenandoah National Park, Virginia Wine Country and Chesapeake Bay.

Ronald Reagan Washington Airport (DCA) is approximately 10 kilometres from the hotel with transfer times around twenty minutes by car. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is around 43 kilometres (27 miles) away and Baltimore/Washington International Airport is 60 kilometres (37 miles) away. Transfer times are around an hour to 90 minutes’ drive, depending on traffic.

For those arriving by car there is valet parking and electric car charging stations.

Accommodation

9/10

There are 220 spacious guestrooms at the Park Hyatt, Washington DC including 134 suites and 86 Park Deluxe rooms. Designed by New-York based interior designer Tony Chi, the concept for the hotel was to bring together modernism with classic American style – and it works well with echoes of Japanese minimalism evident.

All accommodation offers custom-designed seating; day beds and work areas; flat screen HD televisions; spa-inspired basalt or limestone bathrooms; collections of books highlighting American crafts and heritage; exclusive bathroom amenities by Le Labo; Bluetooth alarm clock radios; bedside light controls; free bottled water and Nespresso coffee machines. The property also offers a complimentary shoeshine service, free Wi-Fi including digital access to The New York Times and a daily newspaper of choice.

With a clearly defined living space, each guestroom has a restful residential feel with clever use of shelving, custom designed furniture and wall mounted televisions to maximise room space making even the entry level double rooms feel generous. The muted colour palette of blues and golds and layered use of textures – fabric wall coverings, throws and custom commissioned rugs - works especially well with the walnut floors (in the suites) and sleek walnut framed beds with leather headboards and reading lights. Each room features custom glasswork by photographic glass artist Amanda Weil which celebrates the Autumn blossom season with the deluxe rooms featuring social tables with inlaid cherry blossom art and the junior suites having cherry blossom glass-topped desks.

There are seven suite categories ranging from the entry level Park Junior Suite at 31 square metres (544 square feet) of space to the largest space – the Presidential Suite at 186 square metres (2,006 square feet) of space with hardwood floors, a dining space for six, separate living and bedroom areas, a limestone bath, a baby grand piano and a private butler’s pantry. This suite can be connected to a Park Executive Suite if extra space is required.

The corner Georgetown Suite has 95 square metres of space with a dining table for four, a spa-inspired limestone bath and city views. The Ambassador Suite meanwhile has 106 square metres of space, solid walnut floors, a hand-carved Travertine tub, a spacious living room and a generous pantry.

The property offers 12 specially adapted rooms for those with disabilities including grab rails, Braille symbols, roll in showers and wheelchair accessible doors.

Service & Facilities

9/10

The Fitness Centre, swimming pool and Spa Room are located adjacent to each other. The Fitness Centre is open 24/7 and offers a wide range of strength training equipment, high tech cardio machines, free weights and two Peloton bikes. The indoor saltwater pool is located in a tranquil Zen-like space with natural light and a separate hot tub, surrounded by loungers.  The intimate Spa Room offers full-service body and facial treatments and a private aromatherapy steam shower. Full in-room spa services are also available.

Washington DC is an extremely pet-friendly city and the hotel welcomes dogs with open arms. Your canine companion (under 50 pounds) will be offered a dog bed, water bowl and welcome treats.  A fee is applicable with a portion donated to the Humane Rescue Alliance.

Style

9/10

When you stay in a Park Hyatt property, you can be assured of beautifully designed interiors, with custom furnishings, commissioned elements and authentic, natural materials.

The Park Hyatt, Washington DC offers a Zen-like oasis from the busy city streets outside. Such a modern, minimalist style tends to showcase spectacular little gems such as the eye-catching six-sided glass sculpture boxes in the lobby, filled with photos of DC cherry blossoms from glass artist Amanda Weil.  Her stunning, original works are echoed too in the custom furnishings of the guest rooms. Amanda’s boxes flank the reception desk which features a red burlap wall reminiscent of the stripes of the American flag. This highlights the intent of the designer – to create a mix of classic Americano intertwined with a stripped back palette of both materials and colours in a minimalist design.

The rocking chairs seen throughout the public areas – a subtle nod perhaps to JFK – are much admired, handmade for designer Tony Chi in Vermont. And no, you cannot purchase from the hotel, much to the dismay of many guests. As for the artworks, the property has an ongoing relationship with the nearby Phillips Gallery so original artworks are displayed sparingly to good effect throughout the public spaces. 

This serene and neutral backdrop lends a very peaceful vibe to the hotel which is, in essence, the perfect urban bolthole offering a thoughtful, clever design with unexpected pops of beauty surprising and enhancing the space. If you couple this with award-winning food and a warm and welcoming, smiling staff who want to cosset you, what more can any luxury hotel really offer?

Restaurants & Bars

10/10

Park Hyatt Washington DC is home to the acclaimed neighbourhood restaurant, the Blue Duck Tavern where Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary in 2009. Serving carefully crafted seasonal American cuisine with a fresh flavour attitude, this Michelin-starred restaurant has a warm, contemporary feel with an open concept kitchen, a wood-burning oven and an impressive wine cellar. There is also a Chef’s Table seating up to twenty guests and a seasonal outdoor terrace. Locals crave the famous apple pie and it is rumoured that the 44th US President still pops in from time to time, unable to resist the award-winning cuisine. Brunch is served over the weekend. 

If you cannot bear to leave the sanctuary of your guest room, there is no need to panic as the 24-hour room service is catered by the Blue Duck Tavern too.

The adjacent Blue Duck Lounge serves delicious cocktails, a mean martini, an extensive wine list and small bites menu. With comfortable seating and “Capitol Hill” glass enclosed booths (to keep those Washington secrets safe) flanking the stylish marble and glass bar, the Lounge serves a nightly cheese presentation showcasing artisanal cheese and charcuterie, available by the ounce. The resident Cheese & Charcuterie Specialist will prepare a custom cheese board, paired with homemade charcuterie, seasonal chutney & jam with fermented vegetables.

There are more than 30 rare, single-estate teas from remote regions of China, Japan, Sri Lanka and the Himalayas on offer at the hotel’s exclusive Tea Cellar. Locals and guests alike love learning about the importance of water temperature and steeping time and introducing their palates to the subtle nuances of flavour and taste. The Tea Cellar features a glass humidor to store, display and age tea.

Sustainability

Hyatt Hotels Corporation is committed to environmental stewardship with a specific focus on energy, waste and water reduction which has also made them an industry leader for tracking comprehensive global energy and water data since 2006.

Hyatt is in the process of setting a 2030 science-based target to significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions from Hyatt hotels. In order to build on past achievements and accelerate progress, Hyatt is working with 3Degrees, a B Corp that helps organisations around the world achieve renewable energy and decarbonisation goals. Additionally, Hyatt and its hotels are contributing toward the 12.3 target of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by working towards a 50% global reduction per square metre in food waste sent to landfill or incineration by 2030 compared to a 2019 baseline. 

The group has removed all plastic straws at hotels globally offering eco-friendly alternatives where possible, approximately 90% of liquid and shell eggs at managed hotels in the US and Canada are cage free, are committed to sourcing food thoughtfully and have donated over 40,823 kilograms of toiletries. Through Clean the World, their largest partner, they enabled the distribution of nearly 190,000 soap bars and over 60,000 hygiene kits to people in need.

Hyatt was one of the first multinational hotel chains to make a commitment to increasing sustainable seafood sourcing as a long-term partner of World Wildlife Fund.

What We Love

  • Dependable Luxury: Whether it be in Paris, Tokyo or indeed Washington DC, a Park Hyatt property promises much. From fabulous design, delicious cuisine, genuine and delightful service and wonderful guestrooms – a Park Hyatt delivers every time. Park Hyatt is dependable luxury.

  • The Blue Duck Tavern: This one of those places in the US capital to see and be seen. The fact that the cuisine that smashes it out of the park helps. The pan fried Artic charr – from Iceland (sustainable of course) – with succotash, washed down with a glass of a 2016 Opus One is a triumph.

  • The indoor saltwater swimming pool: The indoor saltwater swimming pool. What a delightful location to destress, unwind and relax after a day pounding the streets of Washington!

    Varun Sharma
    Editor-In-Chief
    BusinessClass.com

What They Love

  • World Class Architecture and Large Residential Suites: World-class contemporary architecture is matched by luxurious residential interiors, expertly curated contemporary art and earthy details. Find serenity in one of our residential suites that all include a Spa-inspired, walk-in stone rain shower with a separate deep soaking tub.

  • Masters of Food and Wine: Savor Michelin distinguished food in Blue Duck Tavern while sipping exceptional wines, as you watch a dramatic culinary presentation in the open kitchen and wood-burning Molteni oven. Discover more than 30 rare, single-estate teas from remote regions of China, Japan, Sri Lanka, and the Himalayas at our exclusive Tea Cellar.

  • Service at the highest standard: We lead with empathy in our highly personalized, intuitive and fully engaged service. Caring for others is our passion and we look forward to welcoming you. 

    Terry Dunbar
    General Manager
    The Park Hyatt Washington

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About the author
Varun Sharma
Editor-in-Chief
With over 25 years of experience in luxury travel journalism, Varun is responsible for all the content you see on BusinessClass.com. He works closely with all the hotel and airline brands that appear on the website. BBC-trained, Varun has appeared in print, on radio, television, and now online media - having worked for outlets including the BBC, Telegraph (UK), MSNBC, Travel Channel and Cond...
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