Kimpton Celebrates Opening Of Renovated Glover Park Hotel
Glover Park residents celebrated the opening of the renovated Kimpton Glover Park Hotel at 2505 Wisconsin Ave this morning.
The 154-room hotel, formerly Savoy Suites, had been under renovations since last summer after Kimpton won the operating contract from owner Foxhall Partners in April 2015.
Foxhall tapped famous artist Michele Oka Doner to design the hotel. Mostly known for creating sculptures and public art exhibitions, Michele has designed two hotels, with her first being Kimpton’s Carlyle Dupont Circle, also owned by Foxhall.
“This was a wonderful opportunity to embrace something that is so transcendent,” Michele said. “Glover Park is making me so happy and so proud for a generation that really brought it home.”
Kimpton regional VP Ben Timashenka said the firm wanted the redesigned hotel to tie into the surrounding Glover Park neighborhood and nearby Rock Creek Park.
“We want to have a local neighborhood feel to it, a residential feel,” Ben said. “We’re definitely in a DC neighborhood, we want to have hints of that in all the guest rooms and the lobby.”
The most noticeable neighborhood inspiration is the eight-story black-and-white mural of Rock Creek Park on the wall facing Wisconsin Avenue.
The guest rooms were designed with hints of brown and green and nature-inspired patterns.
Twenty-five of the hotel’s rooms have views of downtown DC and the Washington Monument.
Foxhall and Iron Point Partners brought in Michael Schlow to open the hotel’s signature restaurant, Casolare. The restaurant will have a coastal Italian inspiration featuring wood stove-fired pizza. The restaurant is under construction and will open in July.
In the basement of the hotel, Kimpton opened a 24/7 Urban Athletic Club gym (pictured), which will be open to the public.
More than 50 guests from the surrounding neighborhood joined Kimpton at today’s ribbon-cutting.
Kimpton, founded 35 years ago, has its largest presence in DC, with 950 employees in the district.
"This hotel has meant so much to the community over the years. I’m delighted that the new operation will continue that tradition and enrich it,” Ward 3 council member Mary Cheh said.
