A top hotel for those wanting to experience the residential, non-governmental DC — a Forbes-recommended property on the Dupont Circle itself with views of the park, The Pembroke restaurant and Doyle bar both worth a reservation independent of staying here, and the neighborhood's Embassy Row, Phillips Collection, and Sunday farmers market all immediately outside the door.
Why We Chose It
The Dupont Circle Hotel sits directly on the circle that gives the neighborhood its name — a position that provides both the visual pleasure of a hotel room overlooking a Victorian park and the practical advantage of the Red Line Metro immediately below. The Pembroke restaurant serves good modern American food in a room that earns its own reservations from neighborhood diners, not just hotel guests. The Doyle bar occupies a similar position — worth a visit on its own terms. The hotel's Forbes-recommended status reflects consistent quality without the historic prestige that commands the rates of the Willard or Hay-Adams. For visitors who plan to spend significant time in Dupont Circle's galleries, bookshops, and restaurants — or who are attending events in Embassy Row's diplomatic circuit — the Dupont Circle Hotel's combination of location quality and reasonable rates is the most sensible choice in northwest DC.
What Stands Out
- On the Dupont Circle itself: the Red Line Metro below, the Victorian park outside, Embassy Row a five-minute walk
- Forbes-recommended: the quality recognition without the historic-hotel rates of the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor
- The Pembroke restaurant: worth a separate reservation from non-hotel guests — the best hotel restaurant in northwest DC
- Doyle bar: independently popular with Dupont Circle regulars, not just hotel guests
- Walking distance to the Phillips Collection, Sunday farmers market, and the city's best independent bookshops