They’re two hotels with separate identities and philosophies, but they share a building, an owner and a sleek, modern aesthetic.
The new 300-room Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel and 325-suite Residence Inn Arlington Capital View will open to the public on Wednesday, but public relations staffers have been busy showing off the properties over the past week. Located on the south end of Crystal City, the hotels offer rooms with expansive views of Reagan National Airport and the Potomac River.
We’ll talk about what each hotel offers guests in a minute, but first let’s discuss the stuff that locals can take advantage of.
The Renaissance is home to an airy, 96-seat restaurant and bar called SOCCi (pronounced so-chee). The eatery, which is accessible from Crystal Drive, features modern Italian cuisine, a “pet-friendly outdoor seating area” and a chef’s tasting room.
The Renaissance is also home to one of the few Espressamente Illy coffee bars in the United States. The cafe has an outdoor patio and offers espresso beverages, sandwiches and lite fare. Your coffee can be enjoyed in the cafe or in the adjacent lobby area, which has WiFi and plenty of places to plug in laptops. The cafe will compete with a Starbucks that does brisk business just a block away on Crystal Drive.
For guests, the upscale Renaissance will offer rooms with high-speed internet, high-def TVs, iPod docking stations and “spa-like bathrooms.” The extended-stay Residence Inn will offer rooms wiht free WiFi, kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances and complementary grocery delivery.
The hotels will share a well-equipped fitness area and a small pool. The Renaissance offers 17,354 square feet of multi-use event space and various outdoor lounge areas, while the Residence Inn has a “lobby with a stylish clubhouse environment, library, urban fireplace and outdoor fire pit.” Residence Inn guests will be free to wander the public areas of the Renaissance, and vice versa.
Management expects the building to be LEED Silver certified, thanks to energy efficient lighting, green roofs and other environmental features.
The hotels, owned by local developer JBG and managed by Marriott International, are estimated to have cost some $129 million. The properties will employ about 250 people, according to a press release.
