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Enjoy the sounds of the season at the Willard InterContinental hotel, where choral groups from across the region — including the Washington Chorus, the Children’s Chorus of Washington and the Vienna Falls Chorus — perform in the lobby from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every night from Nov. 29 to Dec. 23.
Willard Hotel Located two blocks from the White House, the Willard Hotel has been a witness to history for 200 years. We visited to learn about Its guests, including Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, World War II soldiers and the first Japanese delegation to the United States in 1860. Our tour included a stop in the Round Robin Bar to hear about Henry Clay and the origin of the mint julep. (VIDEO)
#Ohmijosh, something special must have been in the air on the night Joshua Willis and Michael Paskow decided to meet at the D.C. restaurant Circa after chatting online. After grabbing a bite to eat and some wine, the two moved to Halo on P Street (now Number Nine), where they danced for hours. It felt like they were the only two in the room, Joshua and Michael say, a feeling that simply still hasn’t gone away. In September, the pair married at The Willard.
Washington goes all out for the holiday season, with festive pop-up bars, atmospheric ice rinks, elaborate light displays, concerts, shows, and so much more. Here’s your guide to merrymaking all winter long.
While rum is typically associated with daiquiris and piña coladas, it’s actually just as good by the fire as it is by the beach. Mixed into warm cocktails like hot toddies, mulled cider, and hot buttered rum, it’s just what you need to heat things up on a cold winter night. Whether you’re in the mood for salsa dancing, live jazz, or talking politics, head to one of the below bars, order a hot rum cocktail, and look forward to a fiery night on the town.
Whether it happens during a meal, in a taxi, through art, or over a cocktail, connecting with new people, places, and ideas is one of the most enlightening experiences we have as humans. In this episode, we travel to Washington, DC to meet three people whose stories reveal the power and importance of connection: an Ethiopian restaurant owner who brings people together over communal dining, a Mexican-born artist whose work reflects an intimate relationship with the city, and a veteran bartender at a historic DC establishment.
"I love hotel bars. With most of the bars and restaurants I go into in town, I see friends, which is great, but I’m recharging. So I’m going to a hotel bar where I don’t know many people. I would definitely do The Willard’s Round Robin Bar to have a martini. Just a little bit dirty — and it’s always gin. I really appreciate their bar nuts selection. Hotel bars can be counted on for this. My first adult experiences drinking were when I studied in Spain, and that’s part of the tapas culture: Every drink you have with food. So now I always eat when I’m drinking."
You would've been hard pressed to find a reservation for Thanksgiving brunch, especially in Washington, D.C. at the Willard InterContinental, which makes you feel like you've been transported to a grand European hotel. A girlfriend treated me with friends and family to a feast inside Peacock Alley. We indulged in bloody mary's, all kinds of meat and shellfish and plates of mini desserts — all while being entranced by a live pianist in one room and a harpist in another.
It's become part of the annual tradition of the White House Thanksgiving turkey ritual: voting to see which of the two official birds will be pardoned, and which will be the alternate. This year's winner is "Drumstick," who garnered 60% support over rival "Wishbone," who earned 40%.
The two turkeys appear to be living a life of luxury as they await the ceremony in the capital. Photos of both birds posted on the White House’s Twitter and Instagram accounts showed them staying at the Willard InterContinental Hotel, a five-star hotel just blocks away from the White House.
For the 70th year in a row, the National Turkey Federation have chosen two turkeys to be pardoned by the U.S. president as part of a Thanksgiving tradition. Video provided by Reuters Newslook.
A pair of Thanksgiving turkeys that @POTUS will pardon are living in luxury this morning. The National Turkey Federation is footing the bill for their stay at Willard Intercontinental Hotel:
Wishbone and Drumstick checked into DC’s Willard InterContinental Hotel in advance of their audience with President Trump, who is scheduled to pardon them Tuesday. We caught up with the travelers from Minnesota, who are scheduled to retire to Virginia after the event.
Short video on the National Thanksgiving turkeys at the Willard InterContinental ahead of their pardoning at The White House.
Before President Donald Trump can begin his Thanksgiving holiday, he'll have one last duty to complete: the presidential turkey pardon. Trump is scheduled to carry on the White House's time-honored tradition Tuesday by pardoning a special turkey during a ceremony in the Rose Garden. But before the two turkeys selected for this year's presidential pardon have their moment in spotlight, they're enjoying a taste of the good life with a stay at a luxury four-star hotel.
Following tradition, the birds are being housed at the Willard Hotel in Washington, the luxury Beaux-Arts beauty located just a block down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House.
The fourth week of November is usually a tough time to be a turkey. Unless, of course, you're one of the two lucky turkeys selected for the ceremonial presidential pardoning, who will be spending the week living in luxury at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, D.C.
Two Minnesota turkeys look to be enjoying their Washington, D.C. visit ahead of their planned pardon by President Trump. On Sunday, social media gobbled up the news that the pampered fowl were staying at the swanky Willard InterContinental Hotel -- where rooms can range from $200 to $700.
These free birds are celebrating in style. Wishbone and Drumstick — the two lucky Turkeys chosen to be pardoned by President Trump — arrived at a luxury Washington D.C. hotel Monday to relax before their big public appearance. The birds were lounging on their beds and watching football in their two-bedroom suite at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in downtown Washington.
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the National Turkey Presentation—a Thanksgiving tradition that started when Harry Truman accepted a live gobbler as a gift from the National Turkey Federation during a ceremony in the Rose Garden.
Events taking place in Washington, DC, November 13 - 16th.
"Today, Im happy to present you without the hesitation the best hotel I have ever stayed so far – the iconic Willard InterContinental Washington D.C. Our short weekend stay at The Willard InterContinental brought to us only the best memories and hotel’s prime location gave us the opportunity to see all at glance. This legendary hotel is surrounded by historical monuments, museums and galleries and is proudly standing just steps away from the White House. Our stay was splendid in every way possible and Willard InterContinental Washington D.C. proudly proved that it is the brightest star in IHG constellation!"
Becoming the GM of a historic hotel is always an exciting accomplishment for a manager—but when that hotel is heading toward its second century and it’s a manager’s first property in the U.S., it's worthy of attention. Markus Platzer, who has spent nearly three decades overseeing properties around the world, was tapped to lead the 200-year-old Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. in August.
The first impression when you enter someone’s home is the living room. The first glimpse of whether a store’s collection looks promising is through its window displays. And for hotels, the lobby is the heart and soul of a property. It is a beating nerve center where guests are welcomed, business is conducted, visitors can unwind and people get an overall feel for the place and its personality.
Located in diverse destinations around the globe (including two dozen in the U.S.), InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has been offering its guests distinctive style and modern luxury since the first property opened in 1949. Iconic properties include The Willard in Washington, D.C. and the Amstel Amsterdam.
Stale bowls of peanuts and bottles of wine that have been open way too long? As if. These hotel bars are destination drinking spots, with sumptuous spaces and well-crafted libations. Check them out after you check in.
The Willard InterContinental Washington D.C.’s Kids Concierge was introduced in 2016 for the 12,000 young guests that the hotel welcomes annually. The Children’s Library is fittingly themed “America” with the help of local bookseller Politics and Prose, introducing future Presidents to the people and events that have shaped the nation’s history.
Washington DC's food scene is on a roll right now and not just because its restaurants are the place to see senators, congressmen and even presidents chewing the far, closing deals and doing business. (Article on page 64)
During a recent conversation with Successful Meetings, Mike Schugt, President of Teneo Hospitality Group, shared advice for how meeting planners can exploit historic hotels' strengths and overcome their weaknesses.
Rosé wine has exploded in DC, with local restaurants and bars launching pop-up rosé gardens, rosé-heavy menus and their own creative spins on the classic pink wine. Its popularity is no surprise: rosé is crisp, refreshing, extremely versatile (the perfect complement to either a chic seafood dinner or a casual backyard barbecue) and, if we’re honest, looks pretty great on Instagram–so we’ve rounded up the most scenic spots to enjoy the pink drink in the city.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted a CEO roundtable in the Ballroom of the Willard InterContinental with twenty-one leaders of America’s top companies.
Nine top tropical desserts with a Caribbean vibe to help you celebrate the arrival of summer.
Diahann Carroll, who turned 82 on Monday, welcomed a visitor to her “fabulous” suite at Washington’s Willard Intercontinental Hotel — marble bathroom, dining table for eight, stunning views of the city. After a busy day, she had dressed down for company, in a plush bathrobe, gold slippers and round sunglasses.
Golf Channel host Bailey Mosier checks out the sites, sounds, and golf in and around Washington, D.C. One stop on her Avis road trip, the historic Willard InterContinental!
In an event at the Willard Hotel in Washington, where Alexander Graham Bell demonstrated a coast-to-coast telephone call a century ago, Microsoft plans to say that it will soon start a white-spaces broadband service in 12 states including Arizona, Kansas, New York and Virginia to connect two million rural Americans in the next five years who have limited or no access to high-speed internet.
There's certain obvious benefits to staying in a hotel — the daily turndown service, the posh robes — but some hotels do one better with their perks. From grill space to on-site vespas to the world's largest climbing wall, here are the stays with the best benefits.
When one thinks of hotels, usually the first things that come to mind are how comfortable the beds are, how varied the amenities are, and how close the location is to touristy sites. Not often is the lobby the star of the hotel, but it should be—and now with this map it can be.
Enjoy a history lesson with your meeting group--without even leaving the hotel.
Not everyone has a corner butcher they can count on. But thanks to the Internet, you don't need a local meat market to get the best cuts of beef, pork or even chicken. But where in the world-wide-web are the best slabs of meat to be found? Here are nine excellent places to start, according to the chefs who use these sites themselves.
Jim Hewes and Chef Jason Jimenez of "The Willard Hotel" joined Good Morning Washington to dish on where the bowties, bonnets and mint juleps came into play plus shared a new way for us to enjoy the Mint Julep!
As the warm breezes of summer slowly creep upon us, it can only mean one thing: it’s nearly road trip season. Hitting the open road is almost as American as apple pie, especially during the summer months. While cruising down Route 66 is always an iconic drive, why not give your trip just a little dose of American history? These seven hotels offer a chance to see the sights, indulge in good times, and learn a little something while you're at it.
Are you headed to the nation's capital to celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump? Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on Washington, D.C., next week to experience the festivities, and the district's luxury hotels are offering some decadent deals to attract guests.
The presidential inauguration is coming up quickly, and you know what that means—a mad dash to secure a spot at one of the city's best hotels. Whether you're looking for historic charm or modern sophistication in Washington, D.C., check out what our readers voted as their favorite hotels in the nation's capital in the 2016 Readers' Choice Awards.
Washington, D.C. may not have the Super Bowl this year, but it does have one other event that is sure to bring in plenty of crowds: The Inauguration.
Known as The Residence of Presidents because it has played host to every sitting U.S. President dating back to President John Tyler (1841-1845), the Willard InterContinental is offering its “Live Like a President” package.
Best Historic Hotel: The Willard InterContinental celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2006 as the “new” 12-story Willard, replacing the original, smaller “City Hotel” that existed here between 1816 and 1906. Whether known as the City or the Willard, the hotel has hosted nearly every U.S. president since Franklin Pierce in 1853.
View Washington from the Water: Rent a paddle boat to skim the surface of the Tidal Basin for an hour, or cruise the Potomac River aboard one of several sightseeing vessels. The paddle boats give you a remarkable view of the Jefferson Memorial; river cruises offer a pleasant interval for catching a second wind, as they treat you to a marvelous perspective of the city.
FBN's Adam Shapiro and InterContinental Hotels Executive Assistant Manager Jason DeVille on the luxury packages offered at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.
"I’M sorry, sir – while I can assure you that President Obama did stay here once and had a drink in this bar, I can’t tell you any more than that." Well, considering the name above the door was Off The Record, I was hoping the bartender would give me a little more than that.
Visitors to the capital may not glimpse the chief executive himself, except perhaps on Inauguration Day or through the window of his black sedan, aka “The Beast.” But there are plenty of ways to “encounter” presidents, especially those of the past. Follow our lead as we go beyond the more obvious monuments and memorials on a citywide quest for POTUS.
As águas do Potomac estão revoltas. É o último dia de Dezembro e sopra um vento gelado que parece vir da nascente do rio, 280 quilómetros a Oeste, e contraria o curso do caudal que segue para a grande baía de Chesapeake, a Sul de Baltimore, no estado vizinho do Maryland.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stayed up until 4 a.m. the morning of Aug. 28, 1963. He had returned to his room at the historic Willard Hotel, a stone’s throw from the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C., around midnight, and labored over his speech for four more hours.
“I’M sorry, sir – while I can assure you that President Obama did stay here once and had a drink in this bar, I can’t tell you any more than that.” Well, considering the name above the door was Off The Record, I was hoping the bartender would give me a little more than that.
The massive Willard sits at the heart of everything D.C.; the National Mall and all the most recognizable monuments are within walking distance. And recent guests say The Willard InterContinental's inside is just as impressive as its surroundings, particularly the massive marble columns and intricate chandeliers in the lobby.
The Willard InterContinental Washington, DC inaugurates a new tradition along side the city’s stunning cherry blossoms. The hotel has partnered with Chateau D’Esclans Estate and Winery. Guests are invited to dress in their most festive rose attire while they experience rose wines including Chateau d'Esclans Whispering Angel Rose, seasonal local beers, and more.
While many of the former so-called summer and winter White Houses have been turned into museums—like Harry S. Truman's Little White House in Key West, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Little White House in Georgia, or Thomas Jefferson's Monticello in Virginia—a slew of presidential playgrounds exist where the public can actually stay.
After a night of bar hopping and drinking far too much champagne, the bride-to-be deserves a fluffy, 800 thread-count pillow to lay her tired head on. Sure, going home is always an option, but what’s the fun in that? Not only does a hotel give you more freedom to stay out later, it also makes the weekend that much more special.
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue might be home base for the POTUS, but when you’re the leader of the free world, you’re bound to spend a lot of time traveling, too. And while the commander in chief and those before him have laid their head in many a hotel during their journeys, there are a select few properties that have earned multiple U.S. president visits (or hosted more than one POTUS).
The presidential inauguration is coming up quickly, and you know what that means—a mad dash to secure a spot at one of the city's best hotels. Whether you're looking for historic charm or modern sophistication in Washington, D.C., check out what our readers voted as their favorite hotels in the nation's capital in the 2016 Readers' Choice Awards.
Visitors to the capital may not glimpse the chief executive himself, except perhaps on Inauguration Day or through the window of his black sedan, aka “The Beast.” But there are plenty of ways to “encounter” presidents, especially those of the past.
FBN's Adam Shapiro and InterContinental Hotels Executive Assistant Manager Jason DeVille on the luxury packages offered at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C., for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.