W Hotel

The venerable old Hotel Washington has had the W treatment, and it’s every bit as fabulous as you might imagine. Key historical fittings remain in the lobby, like the old check-in/cash desk, original stucco and chandeliers, incorporated into a reborn and slightly fantastical "living room". There’s a touch of Alice in Wonderland in the check-in desks that are upside-down tables and the big chairs on small rugs. There’s a riff on buttoned-down DC masculine power going on, too, with clubby pinstriped chairs meeting their match in hot-red vinyl couches, while big black lamps drip with crystal drops. Upstairs, rooms and suites have all the style and comfort you would expect. For something truly spectacular, the Extreme Wow Suite channels the Oval Office with curved walls and strong, masculine colors, while the Marvelous Suite has an ethereal palette of pales. All rooms have waterfall showers, and iPod docks are among the amenities. The Bliss spa is, well, blissful, and Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s J&G Steakhouse, with chef Philippe Reininger at the helm, delivers a melding of classic steak and fish and clean, modish flavors in surroundings of simple elegance. (Michelle Obama has eaten here with friends.)