The Hay-Adams

Historic/Heritage  ·  Lafayette Square, Washington DC Anniversary Business
#2
Washington DC · Historic/Heritage
The White House is directly across the street. Every President since Coolidge has had guests stay here. The view is not a metaphor.
9.3Room & Design
9.3Service
9.5Location

The Hotel

The Hay-Adams Hotel has occupied its position on Lafayette Square since 1928 — built on the site of the homes of John Hay (Lincoln's personal secretary and Secretary of State) and Henry Adams (the historian and great-grandson of John Adams) — and faces the White House directly from across the square. The upper-floor rooms on the south side of the building have the most politically significant hotel view in the United States: the North Lawn, the portico, and the flag above.

The 145 rooms are finished in a warm, traditional Washington palette that reflects the building's Federal-era neighbourhood and the political character of its clientele. The Lafayette Room, the hotel's signature restaurant, serves a contemporary American menu from a room whose south-facing windows overlook the White House grounds. Off The Record, the subterranean bar, is decorated with caricatures of DC political figures and is used as a meeting point for journalists, lobbyists, and staffers who want to be seen being discreet.

The Hay-Adams has hosted every form of DC political entertainment — inaugural balls, lobbying dinners, foreign dignitary stays, and the kind of off-the-record meetings that produce the city's actual decisions — and the hotel's staff has maintained the discretion that the clientele requires across multiple administrations.

Best for Anniversary

An anniversary at the Hay-Adams with a White House-facing room produces the most politically charged hotel stay in America — whether that's romantic depends on the couple. The Lafayette Room's private dining room, with its White House view, handles anniversary dinners for guests who want the view as part of the occasion. The Off The Record bar is the most atmospheric post-dinner drink in DC. See all anniversary hotels →

Best for Business

The Hay-Adams is where Washington DC business gets done when the business is political. The Lafayette Room breakfast, the Off The Record bar, and the White House across the street create a context that every other DC hotel references but none occupies. The concierge team's relationships span both the government and the private sector that lobbies it. See all business hotels →

Practical Details

Address800 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20006
NeighbourhoodLafayette Square
Star Rating5-Star
Price RangeFrom $500/night
Total Rooms145 Rooms
WiFiComplimentary high-speed throughout
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From $500/night. Check availability.

Occasion Tags

Anniversary Business

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