Fodor's Expert Review Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

This cozy, intimate Ritz–Carlton incorporates a turn-of-the-20th-century, brick-walled incinerator in historic Georgetown, and it doesn’t skip a beat by utilizing the industrial, masculine lines in a tastefully modern and upscale way. The fireplace-centric lobby is called the Living Room, the rooms are large and elegant, and the recently renovated boutique spa is quiet and refreshing. The smallest of D.C.’s four Ritz properties, it’s the place to stay if you want privacy, quietude, and top-notch service from check-in to check-out (hello, celebrities avoiding the paparazzi).

YOU SHOULD KNOW For anyone interested in Georgetown's history, check out the display at the entrance to the hotel; it has arrowheads, perfume bottles, clay pipe bowls, and other historic items discovered during excavation of the site.

room

Luxurious guest rooms have clean, crisp lines, with a pleasing neutral palette, dark wood trim, and accents of blue and/or rust. Beds are all white with down duvets, feather pillows, and Frette linens, and all rooms include a work table, club chair or sofa, and large windows looking out on the courtyard, Wisconsin Avenue, or old Georgetown. Among the variety of rooms and suites offered, the most unique option is the spa level room; aiming to ensure a wellness stay, it includes a Vitamin C aromatherapy showerhead, upgraded linens, and towels, a purifier, a wellness ball, a sleeping sound machine, great natural light--and a rubber ducky in the bathtub.

bathroom

The bathrooms are everything a Ritz bathroom should be, sparkly bright and clean with a marble counter and dual sinks, wood fixtures, fluffy bathrobes, Asprey bath products, and separate showers and toilet areas.

lobby

The Living Room, as it’s called, is aptly named, with exposed-brick walls, plush armchairs and sofas, and a beckoning fireplace. The art on the walls is curated by a local Georgetown gallery--and all of it’s for sale. In the mornings, sip housemade coffee with your choice of more than 12 different newspapers; in the evenings, it's time for craft cocktails or a glass of wine at happy hour prices.

spa

The newly renovated spa is a quiet retreat with five treatment rooms, including one for couples. Spas by definition are quiet and calming, but this one is especially so.

gym

The small fitness center has top-of-the-line equipment, including a couple Peloton bikes, treadmills, elliptical machines, and weights.

Here's a different take on your workout. The hotel has bikes that all guests are welcome to use; hop on one and head out on the nearby C&O Canal (which runs 184.5 miles along the Potomac River) or down to the National Mall to view the monuments.

dining

Degrees Bistro serves New American regional cuisine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner in an upscale industrial setting.

The incinerator’s original chimney stack may not look like much on the outside, but on the inside it’s been transformed into an intimate, circular, private dining room that can be rented for special dinners.

drinking

Enjoy cocktails in the Living Room. In the warmer months, the alfresco Yard is a hidden neighborhood spot to enjoy creative cocktails, snacks, and live music.