Old Washington Hotel Favorite Will Reemerge as Boutique Property

WASHINGTON, DC-The 36-year-old One Washington Circle Hotel is in the process of getting a major facelift and will be upgraded to a “metropolitan sanctuary” by April 1, 2002. Owner George Washington University is in line with the area’s emerging trend of creating boutique-style hotels.

The 151-room all suite-hotel in Washington’s historic Foggy Bottom district is once again under the management of Potomac Hospitality Services after a four-year absence. PHS managed the hotel from 1976 to 1997, when Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide acquired the property for a reported $19 million. The university purchased One Washington Circle for $21.5 million for investment purposes early last year, and called on PHS to supervise the property again.

“GW gave us back the management, so it was like coming home,” says PHC executive vice president Don Minkler. “In order to be competitive, you need a first-class product, and they are renovating it so it will be a first class property.” PHS has not revealed the cost of the upgrade.