Description:

Immediately after its opening in 1925, the Mayflower Hotel was known as the "Grande Dame of Washington, D.C.," boasting more gold than any other building in the country except for the Library of Congress. Just four blocks from the White House, this grand, historic hotel remains not only a place to make history but to absorb it; throughout the last 80 years the hotel has hosted events that have changed the course of human affairs.

An "inaugural address" in the truest sense of the term, the hotel has hosted every U.S. Presidential inaugural ball since Calvin Coolidge. FDR used the Mayflower as a retreat to work on his 1933 inaugural address, Harry Truman resided here for the first 90 days of his presidential term and FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover lunched at the Mayflower nearly every day he was in town. A long list of celebrities and international royalty have also made the Mayflower their DC home, but the true star of the hotel is the building itself. Renovation work in the early 1990s led to the discovery of a 25-foot skylight blacked out at the beginning of World War II and two large murals by artist Edward Lanning were uncovered—but such historic detailing should cast the impression that the property itself is antiquated.

The Mayflower has seamlessly evolved over the years, offering all the modern amenities expected by any worldly traveler, along with a revered DC address at the true heart of the nation’s capital.

The Mayflower has hosted every inaugural ball since Calvin Coolidge—rest assured, they know what they’re doing. The hotel has an impressive total of 19 meeting and banquet rooms, most on the second floor or branching off the central hallway beyond the lobby, offering a grand total of 38,820 square feet. The Magnificent Grand Ballroom, site of the U.S. President inaugural balls, can accommodate up to 1,000 guests, while 12 other smaller meeting rooms can handle sessions that stretch from 15 to 75 people. Skilled, seasoned meeting professionals will help plan and execute every detail, inspired menus will assure the best cuisine and an in-house A/V department will attend to all the technical details.

The Mayflower is centrally located in Washington, DC, just four blocks north of the White House, on Connecticut Avenue between L and M streets. Several Metrorail stops, fine dining and shopping are all within easy walking distance. It’s a 15-minute drive to Reagan National Airport and Dulles lies 30 miles to the east.

The Mayflower boasts an impressive 660 guest rooms within its towering façade, including 78 suites. All rooms include cable access on two TVs, Sony Playstation Entertainment, pay-per-view movies, three phones with voicemail, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, minibar, two bathrobes, Bath & Body Works toiletries and complimentary coffee and newspaper delivery with your morning wake up call. Romantic and historic packages are also available.

Old-World charm pervades The Café Promenade, offering a delectable array of classical Mediterranean cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Or head to The Town and Country Bar and Lounge, adjacent to the main lobby. The gentile, dark English Club atmosphere has long been a Washington institution, serving lunch, dinner and some of the city’s best cocktails alongside nightly entertainment. The Lobby Court also serves refreshments and cocktails overlooking Connecticut Avenue.

Outdoor enthusiasts can go jogging along Rock Creek National Park or hiking in Great Falls National Park. Golfers can head to the courses of Maryland and Virginia. History enthusiasts can head to Mt. Vernon or further afield into the myriad Civil War sites surrounding the city. The National Zoo, art galleries, DC Convention Center, the Kennedy Center, MCI Center and Georgetown are all within a mile of the hotel.

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