Henley Park Hotel

Unexpected, to say the least, the Henley Park Hotel is an English country retreat in the heart of the city. Built as an apartment building in 1918 in the Tudor style (with art deco touches), it was a place for politicians, which may explain its genteel manor feel. The fireplace-warmed Wilkes Room, skylight-covered restaurant and botanical accents throughout give it a home away from home feel. It’s hard to believe Massachusetts Avenue is just outside the door.

YOU SHOULD KNOW The hotel is not ADA compliant.

room

The smallish guest rooms in this boutique hotel are different shapes and sizes due to the historic nature of the building, but they all are decorated in warm colors, dark-wood antique furniture reproductions, plush beds with Frette linens, plaid bed skirts, floor-length floral drapes, and gold-framed botanicals hanging on the wall. You have your choice of a standard room, deluxe room, and junior suite.

The rooms can be noisy; request a room at the back of the hotel, away from the streets.

bathroom

The bathrooms are cute but small, thanks to the hotel’s historic nature, with tub/shower combos; some bathrooms have windows. All rooms come with fluffy robes and slippers.

lobby

You enter into the stone and Mercer-tile foyer of an apparent English castle, with leaded glass windows, graceful archways, a tapestry, and a sky-blue ceiling. But the place to be is the sitting room to the right, called the Wilkes Room, with its antique furnishings (from the owner’s personal collection), big windows, warming fireplace, and lived-in feel. High tea is offered here daily (for a fee).

gym

The fitness room, on the second floor, is tiny, dark, and stuffy. There are two treadmills, a bike, and no weights.

dining

The Tavern at Henley Park Hotel features a New American menu in a warm, cozy room with a skylight atrium, brick walls, big mirrors, and ornate chandelier. The gargoyles came from the Commodore Hotel in NYC. Afternoon tea is served daily (for a fee) in the adjacent room, called the front parlor.

drinking

Lovely with its architectural details and tulip lights hanging over the bar, the Blue Bar is a popular hangout for happy hour and the perfect place to sip a hot toddy nightcap; the adjoining lounge provides more space, where live jazz sometimes plays.