9 New Hotel Brands Entering The D.C. Market

The hospitality scene in the nation's capital is exploding with a host of new brands courting a variety of different visitor types. The District is welcoming everything from ultra luxury hotels typically reserved for New York and Los Angeles, to European hostel-style offerings making their U.S. debut. From the Conrad to Yotel, here are nine hotel brands preparing to open their first D.C. locations. 

Conrad Hotel

• Address: 950 New York Ave. NW
• Number of rooms: 360
• Property Owner/Developer: Hines, Qatari Diar

The new luxury hotel at CityCenterDC welcomed its first business travelers last week and will officially open to the public March 22, according to a spokesperson. The Conrad Washington D.C. hotel is the first property in the District with Hilton's luxury brand. The hotel features a restaurant from Bryan and Michael Voltaggio, a rooftop bar, two outdoor terraces, two ballrooms and multiple meeting rooms. 

The hotel, built by Hines and Qatari Diar, is the latest piece of the Downtown D.C. megaproject. CityCenterDC already includes a host of residences, offices and upscale retail offerings. The only remaining piece of CityCenterDC yet to deliver is the trophy office building at 900 New York Ave. NW from Gould Property Co. and Oxford Properties. 

SLS Hotel

• Address: 901 Fifth St. NW
• Number of rooms: 176
• Property Owner/Developer: Peebles Corp.

Peebles Corp. in January 2016 signed a deal with SBE, the parent company of SLS Hotels, to open the first D.C. location of the luxury brand at its Fifth and Eye streets NW mixed-use project. The development has been delayed due to issues with its construction financing and has yet to break ground, but the company said last month it lined up financing and expects the deal to close this spring. 

The development will also include a 45-unit condo building, a restaurant from sushi chef Katsuya Uechi and a cocktail bar, and Peebles agreed to build affordable housing off-site as part of the deal. Peebles Corp. founder Don Peebles said the SLS Hotel project represents a new trend of the D.C. hospitality market landing brands typically associated with cities like New York City or Los Angeles. 

"The next wave to D.C. is the high-end, luxury, lifestyle hotels that have the capability of competing for a much broader demographic," Peebles told Bisnow in October. "Business leaders and political leaders will find the luxury lifestyle hotels attractive."

Virgin Hotels

• Address: 411 New York Ave. NE
• Number of rooms: 178 
• Property Owner/Developer: D.B. Lee Development and Construction, Brook Rose Development

Virgin Hotels signed on in October 2017 to open its first D.C. hotel at a new development in the emerging Union Market neighborhood. Sir Richard Branson's company originally said it expected a fall 2019 opening, but the Virgin Hotels website now says the hotel will open in 2021. 

The hotel will feature multiple dining and drinking options, including Virgin's Commons Club. It will also include a coffee shop, a rooftop lounge with a pool and multiple meeting and event spaces. 

The James Hotel

• Address: 1200 Third St. NE
• Number of rooms: 204
• Property Owner/Developer: Trammell Crow

Denihan Hospitality reached a deal in January 2018 to open the first D.C. location of its boutique brand, The James Hotel. The hotel will open at Trammell Crow's Armature Works, a three-building, mixed-use development near the NoMa Metro station. 

The hotel's website says it is opening in 2020. It will feature 10K SF of meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant, and a rooftop bar and lounge. Denihan has opened The James Hotel in New York City's NoMad and SoHo neighborhoods and in Chicago's Magnificent Mile, though the brand parted ways with the Chicago hotel in December after the property was sold. 

Meininger Hotels

• Address: 35 New York Ave. NE
• Number of rooms: 154
• Property Owner/Developer: Altus Realty

Berlin-based Meininger Hotels, a hostel-hotel hybrid concept, signed on last month for its first U.S. location in D.C.'s NoMa neighborhood. The 13-story hotel is expected to open in 2020 with amenities including a bar, a lounge, a kitchen, a breakfast area and a game zone. 

The hotel will offer large shared rooms, with 616 total beds across its 154 rooms. It is the second European hostel concept to announce plans for a D.C. property in the last six months. 

Generator

• Address: 1900 Connecticut Ave. NW
• Number of rooms: 148
• Property Owner/Developer: Generator

In November, European hospitality chain Generator, which also offers hostel-style rooms, announced it would replace the Courtyard by Marriott in Dupont Circle. 

Generator bought the property in October and plans to host a grand opening later this year under the new flag, its second U.S. location after opening in Miami last year. The property will feature a mix of private hotel rooms and shared hostel-style rooms with several beds that can be rented individually.

The new owner will also add a ground-floor restaurant, a lobby café, and a fourth-floor terrace bar and lounge. 

CitizenM

• Address: 555 E St. SW
• Number of rooms: 252
• Property Owner/Developer: CityPartners

The first D.C. hotel for European brand CitizenM is under construction in Southwest. The brand signed on in 2017 as the hotel flag for a mixed-use project at 555 E St. SW that will also include a 194-unit apartment building. The development from CityPartners is expected to deliver in Q3 2020. 

CitizenM earlier this month unveiled plans for its second D.C. location at 1222 First St. NE in NoMa. The 290-room hotel will open in a new development from Altus Realty. The brand describes itself as "low-cost luxury," and the hotels will feature small rooms with larger social spaces. 

Mob Hotel

• Address: 400 Florida Ave. NE
• Number of rooms: 144
• Property Owner/Developer: Mob Hotel

European brand Mob Hotels is planning to open its first U.S. hotel near D.C.'s Union Market. The Paris-based hotel group in 2017 bought the land at Fourth Street and Florida Avenue NE from Edens, at the same time Ranger Properties bought the adjacent parcel that is planned for a 110-unit apartment building. 

With existing hotels in Paris and Lyon, the Mob Hotels brand focuses on art and free expression. Its D.C. hotel will feature 144 rooms, a rooftop with U.S. Capitol views, live music, a movie theater, and a restaurant and bar. It is expected to open in 2020, according to Mob's website. 

Yotel

• Address: 415 New Jersey Ave. NW
• Number of rooms: 343
• Property Owner/Developer: BLDG Management, MetroInvest Equities

United Kingdom-based hotel chain Yotel last week unveiled plans for its first D.C. location and fifth in the U.S. The company will renovate and rebrand the 343-room Liaison Capitol Hill, the Washington Business Journal reports. 

Yotel typically has rooms ranging from 180 SF to 800 SF, with some featuring modular furniture that can be rearranged to create open space. Since the Liaison has roughly equal room sizes averaging 240 SF, the renovation could alter the total room count. It will also upgrade the common areas, add a rooftop food and beverage outlet alongside the existing pool, and renovate the Art & Soul restaurant in the building's ground floor.