Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C.’s Presidential Suite
Photo Courtesy of Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C.
Though Super Tuesday is upon us, we’re still quite uncertain about who will be residing in the White House come 2017. While the candidates work themselves out, we made the executive decision to round up Forbes Travel Guide-approved presidential suites that you can stay in after a long day on the campaign trail (or in Smithsonian lines). These sweet units, all walking distance from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, offer Commander-in-Chief-level perks ranging from bulletproof glass and private entrances to historic bedfellows.
The Hay-Adams
The closest luxury hotel to the White House proper, Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star The Hay-Adams boasts views of the president’s official residence and St. John’s Church (dubbed “the church of the Presidents”) from many of its guest rooms. Named for John Milton Hay, Abraham Lincoln’s Secretary of State (and personal assistant) and Henry Brooks Adams, a descendant of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, this property is a prime destination for politicians and guests longing to sleep like one. President Obama and his family stayed in the posh Presidential Suite pre-inauguration, where they enjoyed a separate living room, two bathrooms, a dining room, a gas-lit corner fireplace and a master bedroom that overlooked their future home.
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., Photo Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels Limited
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.
The nation’s capital’s only Five-Star hotel boasts Presidential Suites in both its East and West Wings, but true A-listers go one level above to book the Royal Suite, a POTUS-pleasing space of nearly 2,000 square feet consisting of a private terrace, 1.5 baths overlooking the C&O canal and an elegant dining room. This suite gets our vote because of its popularity with VIPs and because of added bonuses like a private entrance and bulletproof window glass. After all, if it’s good enough for the Salman of Saudi Arabia, who booked the suite (and the entire hotel) for his entourage this past October, we’re pretty sure it will work for your next vacation.
The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection
Often called “Washington’s Second Best Address,” the historic Mayflower Hotel on Connecticut Avenue is fresh from a $20 million, top-to-bottom renovation and a transition to Marriott’s more boutique-minded Autograph Collection. Since its opening in 1925, when it played host to President Calvin Coolidge’s inaugural ball, nearly every president has stayed here. Rooms now boast updated furniture and wallpaper with blown-up signatures of famous guests — think Walt Disney and former FBI head J. Edgar Hoover, for whom the hotel’s restaurant, Edgar, is named — and hallways showcase new carpeting and marble flooring. The 2,400-square-foot Presidential Suite offers a living room, dining room, conference room, library, study and a foyer, which has a backlit presidential seal on the marble floor and a stained-glass ceiling with images of the original 13 colonies. This is the room where president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote his “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” address.
Willard InterContinental’s Suite View, Photo Courtesy of InterContinental Hotels Group
Willard InterContinental
Just blocks from the White House sits another of D.C.’s grande dames — the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended beaux-arts wonder, Willard InterContinental. Plenty a historic moment have taken place here, from Mark Twain penning two books to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. finishing his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. It’s even rumored that the term “lobbying” was coined between these walls. Book the 3,000-square-foot Thomas Jefferson Suite and bask in views of Pennsylvania Avenue, the Capitol, Washington Monument and Smithsonian museums. A stay here also comes with a dining room for 10 and access to the Round Robin bar, a power-player hangout that focuses on classic cocktails that both parties can toast to.
Trump International Hotel, Washington D.C.
When this opulent Trump outpost, located in D.C.’s Old Post Office on Pennsylvania Avenue, opens in September, nearly two years ahead of schedule, we can only imagine that it will have the verve of its presidential hopeful namesake. The hotel plans to have not one but three presidential suites as part of its 263-room layout, each ranging from 2,500 to 6,300 square feet. The largest, aptly dubbed Trump Townhouse, will include a private entrance and start at $25,000 per night, making it the most expensive suite in D.C. Apart from its size, guests can expect a 20-seat formal dining room, a living room — at 600 square feet, the space is almost big enough to hold a supreme court hearing — and a master bath with an oversized steam shower and freestanding tub.
