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Enjoy the holiday spirit of Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. one more time with the Jazz and a pop-up Champagne Cart this New Year’s Eve.
Gingerbread houses are synonymous with the winter months, and we couldn't think of a better way to celebrate National Gingerbread Day than finding some of the most spectacular displays in the South. From whole gingerbread villages to riverboat designs, these put major time and talent into their creations. The best part is that some of the displays raise donations for nonprofit organizations in their local areas.
Your favorite holiday events are back: A day-by-day guide to the most festive time of year.
The festive weeks of December make for one of the best times to travel to a new destination, with city squares and charming towns pulling out all the stops to make visitors feel extra merry and bright. Lights hang from every storefront and lamppost, hotel lobbies get decked out with perfectly trimmed trees, and parks turn into makeshift ice skating rinks—all set to the backdrop of snowy mountains and iconic skylines. So you could stay home for the holidays, why would you?
These classic, historic Southern hotels go all-out for the holidays and offer no shortage of good cheer and extravagant decor. Feast your eyes (and ears, and taste buds) on towering Christmas trees, gingerbread villages, pop-up cocktail bars, live music, and more! Whether or not you’ve got a room key, these decked-out hotels are worthy of your holiday travel bucket list.
These hotels know how to celebrate, with holiday cheer in the form of elaborate decorations, on-site activities, and special touches that are sure to delight. For ultimate flexibility, they also offer celebrations all month long so you can travel when it’s most convenient for you, just in case the big days are already booked with other commitments. All of these hotels can be booked with credit card reward points but if you don’t have enough rewards (or the right type of rewards), don’t despair. Staying on a paid rate will earn you points toward next year’s celebrations.
Twinkling lights, glitter, Champagne, and petit fours. We could all use a little holiday glamor right about now. Hotels serve up a low-hassle way to brighten up the festive season, whether for a couple of nights or an elegant afternoon tea. While many would-be jet-setters are sticking closer to home this year, these spots are worth bookmarking for a look at their stunning holiday decorations, a spur-of-the-moment escape, or a future Christmas splurge.
In today’s competitive travel landscape, there is something to be said for brands that hold a rich history. To withstand the tests of time signifies you must be doing something right: acting as a pioneer and a trailblazer, and committing to constant reinvention while honoring the past. For the past 75 years, InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has done just that. As the first global luxury hotel brand, InterContinental was at the forefront of culture-expanding international travel and continues to lead the way today.
Lose the booze, keep the spirit: Why Blake Lively and more are making nonalcoholic drinks Nonalcoholic drinks can come in very handy both for nondrinkers and for bartenders who are supposed to avoid over-serving their guests. "When you're standing there with a very elegant-looking cocktail in your hand and people are assuming you're doing what everyone else is doing and you're being social and civilized and polite, the conversation doesn't need to be fueled by (Bacardi) 151 rum and a couple of Jägermeisters," said cocktail historian and bartender Jim Hewes. Hewes has worked at the Round Robin Bar at InterContinental The Willard, just down the street from the White House, for 35 years. At the so-called "Oval Office of bars," he has waited on every living president.
Historic Washington, D.C. hotel partners with American Experience Foundation (AEF, the 501(c)(3) charity affiliated with Destination DC) and DC NAF Academies of Culinary Arts to support the efforts needed to enrich the lives of students through educational opportunities to cultivate the next generation of hospitality industry professionals.
We've gathered up some live virtual events and other fun things to do that are going on this weekend. You can also read the latest info regarding what's open and reopening in the District, as well as things to do during the week and throughout the month.
On the menu: an open-air night market, DMV Black Restaurant Week, Fall Whiskey Dinner, and disco brunch.
This weekend, we’ve got a Czech Christmas market on tap for all your holiday gift-giving needs as well as Esprit de Noel at Visitation Prep. There’s also a whiskey dinner at the Willard, DC Beer Fest, a celebration of in-person programming with the Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, and DMV Black Restaurant Week beginning this Sunday. Have a great weekend!
Historic Hotels of America® and Historic Hotels Worldwide® are pleased to announce the nominee finalists for the 2021 Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence. The Historic Hotels Awards of Excellence recognize and celebrate the finest historic hotels and hoteliers from across the United States of America and from around the world.
Can’t decide between your favorite holiday traditions at home or heading out for a well-deserved holiday? Now you don’t have to. Forbes rounded up their favorite properties to celebrate all season long, including our own Willard InterContinetal Washington, D.C.
Cafe du Parc and Round Robin Bar invite you to an exclusive event celebrating the bounty of the season accompanied by the best of scotch whiskey. Join us and Moët Hennessy on November 5 and enjoy the best of two worlds: French cuisine and world-renowned whiskey.
Cafe du Parc at Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. introduces an exciting addition to its wine list and invites you to enjoy the first Wine Dinner of 2021. Join us on October 21 for a very special Wine Dinner with Bouchard Père et Fils to celebrate Fall Season.
“Willard InterContinental is a perfect setting for extraordinary DC weddings and social events, and I am thrilled to have Michael – the Wedding Guru – back by my side,” – said Ernie Arias, director of sales and marketing at Willard InterContinental. “Michael is a celebrated event expert, and we look forward to all the innovation he will bring to our historic landmark hotel.”
Café du Parc is pleased to unveil a selection of new fall dishes to celebrate the season. Guests are welcome to enjoy fall- and harvest-inspired creations by chef Gyo Santa and Luca de Marchis. The additions to the fall menu incorporate the freshest ingredients and available daily during the all-day dining hours.
This year, readers voted in equal measure for newer hotels and classics. The latter group includes the 200-year-old icon Willard InterContinental Washington D.C., which claimed the No. 5 spot this year. Readers touted the "very comfortable beds," "history," and "the history gallery and the gingerbread exhibit."
From a lounge at Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C., a group of men and women mobilized a global network to conduct a two-week military-style rescue operation
Selected as the first Japanese delegation site in 1860, a meeting at Willard Hotel led to Japan gifting cherry blossom trees. News4’s Tommy McFly reports.
The historic Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. proudly announces the appointment of Julia H. Rapley as director of catering and conference services.
Willard InterContinental Washington, D.C. proudly announces the appointment of Sherian Boyd Patterson as director of business travel and luxury sales
History buffs will be delighted that Abraham Lincoln made this his temporary home before his presidential inauguration. Ulysses S. Grant is said to have coined the term ‘lobbyists’, referring to solicitors who pestered him while he was trying to relax with his cigar and brandy in the hotel’s lobby. Martin Luther King allegedly made final edits to his speech, “I Have a Dream” here.
Only two blocks from the White House, The Willard InterContinental Washington is Washington’s gathering place, where from the 1850s the world’s elite, politicians, bankers, industrialists, and socialites would meet and exchange ideas in one of the hotel’s famous restaurants or the even more famous Round Robin Bar.
Last Friday, Prime Minister Suga met with President Joe Biden for nearly three hours. The following day, in an exclusive interview, he spoke to Newsweek Global Editor-in-Chief Nancy Cooper and Chief Washington Correspondent Bill Powell.
Even with all that advance planning, 12 hours before the speech, King still wasn’t sure what he would say, as he sat in the lobby of D.C.’s Willard Hotel with his team. “Everyone, it seemed, had a different take,” Jones wrote, saying that some felt it should have an ideological and political reform take, while others felt it should lean more toward a church sermon.
Having hosted Japan’s first delegation to the United States in 1860, the Willard leans into its unique history with cherry trees that fill the grand lobby, and Japanese-inspired afternoon tea served in the elegant, cherry tree–lined Peacock Alley hallway. Or order a specialty cocktail with ingredients such as sake, yuzu, and cherry bitters from the Round Robin Bar.
The best places to see D.C.'s cherry blossoms
One of the best-known speeches is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream,” delivered on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial. The speech that changed the world was edited and fine-tuned by King and his advisors in the lobby of The Willard.