The Dupont Circle will open its doors to guests on September 9 following a largescale, top-to-bottom renovation including a new bar and restaurant designed by Martin Brudnizki, a new lobby and penthouse suite designed by Clodagh, and completely updated rooms and suites throughout the hotel. As part of The Doyle Collection, an Irish luxury hotel group, the hotel exudes a unique warmth and a pervasive feeling of Irish hospitality that will make guests feel right at home.
The specifics… from the top down
The Penthouse Suite by Clodagh is available in two configurations, with one bedroom or two bedrooms. When expanded into two-bedrooms, the suite is one of the largest in the city at 1,980 square feet. The heated outdoor terrace, which overlooks Dupont Circle and has views of the Washington Monument, adds an additional 590 square feet. One can also book the entire penthouse floor with its 12 bedrooms and private elevator. All of the bedrooms on this floor are suites, many with large heated terraces, and all have been completely redesigned by Bernie Gallagher, the Chairman of the Doyle Collection who is very invested in the design of each property, imbuing them all with a unique sense of style and place.
Gallagher brought Clodagh and Martin together on this project as their styles both embrace the mid-century aesthetic, a nod to the building’s beginnings in the 1950s. Brudnizki focused on bold colors and varying textures in the bar (Doyle) and restaurant (The Pembroke), and Clodagh incorporated holistic touches like live-edge wood and handwoven rugs in the penthouse suite and new lobby. Following suit, all of the guestrooms in the hotel have finished a total redesign to echo the new spaces – think pops of color, geometric headboards, and plush new robes hanging in the bathrooms – and several have been reconfigured, doubling the number of suites in the hotel. Behind the scenes, the air conditioning has been completely replaced, creating optimal airflow in rooms.
Location, location, location
Located on Dupont Circle, the hotel takes advantage of its surroundings with ample outdoor seating with terraces lining the entire length of the building down 19th Street. Its neighbors include embassies housed in 19th century mansions (former homes of D.C.’s Gilded Age elite), America’s first modern art museum (the Phillips Collection), and independent shops and cafes like Kramerbooks with its books and little cafe, Tiny Jewel Box with its vintage baubles, and Eighteenth Street Lounge with its famous reggae nights and live music. The hotel’s bar and restaurant invite everyone from diplomats visiting the nearby embassies to local, well-heeled creatives to enjoy brunch, after-work drinks and date nights indoors or al fresco. Emulating the spirit of The Doyle Collection’s other hotels in London, Dublin and Cork, the Dupont Circle serves as the neighborhood social hub, even more so now with its updated design credentials.
Rates start at $325; up to $20,000 per night for the Penthouse floor buyout option.