Coming to visit DC? Great! You’re gonna love it!

You need a reliable DC car service? Great! I’m your man. Parking is a hassle in DC anyway, so enlisting a car service is a good way to go. Just hop right in my limo and tell me which DC hotel you’re staying at.

a DC Limo Driver

. . . What do you mean, “You don’t know”?

Okay, there are a lot of hotels in DC—having a lot of choices is the American way, right? But it can make decisions difficult.
My limo clients stay in hotels all over DC. I don’t mean to brag (this time), but I know my hotels. So without further ado . . .

A DC car service driver’s top five hotels in the city.

These are great for business trips, trips with friends, and weekend getaways.

1. Four Seasons

If you’re looking to impress someone, stay at the Four Seasons. It’s the most expensive hotel in DC. That combined with the sleek limo you’ll no doubt be riding around in should make an impression on even the most reluctant clients.

The Four Seasons is elegant, but not ostentatious. You’re not going to find mermaids swimming in in-wall fish tanks or anything. It’s understated elegance, with spacious rooms. They also go out of their way with service, so if you’re hosting a business function here, everything should run smoothly. It’s also in a great location in Georgetown, close to DC sights and shops.

2. Carlyle Suites

I’m following up the most expensive hotel in DC with one of the most affordable (without venturing into franchise-chain territory). The Carlyle Suites are within walking distance of great restaurants, but you can also stock up on chips and stir fry ingredients, because each room includes a kitchenette (the building used to be an apartment complex). That’s one way the Carlyle Suites help you save without sacrificing swank.

Dupont Circle Metro Station isn’t far, but if you’d rather take a DC car service around town, the wide, tree-lined streets leave plenty of room for my limo to pull up outside the hotel.
Don’t head out too early on Sunday—Carlyle Suites has a Sunday brunch the locals love.

3. Park Hyatt

The Park Hyatt is affordable and hip, with spacious modern rooms equipped with sexy slate showers. One of DC’s best restaurants, the Blue Duck, is on site. Some room packages include meals there, so be sure to ask about that. The hotel bar has seating areas enclosed by glass, so you can get a sense of privacy without having to shut out the world.

The rooms are sophisticated, but laid out in a lot of different styles—the “Made in the USA” suite is decorated in folksy Americana. If you want a quieter stay, ask for a room that doesn’t face M Street (it’s a busy street). If you haven’t enlisted a DC car service or a limo, the Park Hyatt is within walking distance of Georgetown and Metro.

4. Hotel Palomar

It feels a little odd for a DC car service driver to talk up the Hotel Palomar, because the hotel is within walking distance to so many points of interest in the city. It’s central location puts you within 20 walking minutes to the White House and most of the monuments, 20 minutes from Georgetown, and less than five minutes to great dining and attractions.

It’s expensive and modern, full of art that’s contemporary without that confusing “I don’t get it” element. The Palomar isn’t the only pet-friendly hotel on my list, but in my experience, it’s one of pet lovers’ favorites.

5. The Hay-Adams

Old-school elegance is the order of the day at the Hay-Adams hotel. I’m talking beds with damask curtains flanking the headboards, and light fixtures that look like hanging lanterns. Staying in the Hay-Adams feels a little like staying in a Colonial mansion with modern amenities.

It’s located near Lafayette Park and the White House, so ask for a room on one of the upper floors that faces that direction. If you can’t get one of those rooms, just have dinner in the roof-top restaurant. The view of the White House there is as excellent as the food.

If you’re not sure where to stay, ask your friendly DC car service driver.