Search Hotels
Welcome
Welcome to the nation's capital. That name neatly sums up Washington's global importance as governmental entity and its enormous appeal as a tourist mecca. There's no denying the city's role in efficiently governing the nation while charming millions of visitors each year.
Downtown Washington D.C. Hotels offers great rates on over 50 hotels in the downtown D.C. area. All of our hotels have been approved by AAA and the Mobile Travel Guide, the authorities in hotel inspection. All hotels offer a generous savings off of regular hotel rack rates. Whether you are coming as a tourist or business traveler, Downtown Washington D.C. Hotels offers great hotels in the city's downtown district!
Downtown Washington D.C. Hotel Map
Featured Hotel:
InterContinental - The Willard
A shining jewel in the heart of Washington DC…more
Additional Hotels:
Hyatt Regency Washington
400 New Jersey Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20001 US
Grand Hyatt Washington
1000 H Street
Washington, DC 20001 US
Doubletree Hotel Washington
1515 Rhode Island Avenue
Washington, DC 20005 US
Sofitel Lafayette Square Washington DC
806 15th Street NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Residence Inn by Marriott Washingon DC Vermont Avenue
1199 Vermont Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20005 US
Hilton Garden Inn Washington DC Downtown
815 14th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20005 US
Crowne Plaza Hotel The Hamilton -Washington DC
14th and K Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Washington Plaza Hotel
10 Thomas Circle Nw
Washington, DC 20005 US
The Madison, A Loews Hotel
15th & M Streets N.W.
Washington, DC 20005 US
Hay Adams Hotel
800 16th Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20006 US
Homewood Suites Washington DC - Downtown
1475 Massachusetts Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Four Points by Sheraton Washington D.C. Downtown
1201 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20005 US
Comfort Inn Downtown Dc/Convention Center
1201 13th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Renaissance Mayflower Hotel
1127 Connecticut Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20036 US
Courtyard by Marriott Washington DC Embassy Row
1600 Rhode Island Avenue Northwest
Washington, DC 20036 US
Hotel Rouge
1315 16th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036 US
Holiday Inn WASHINGTON-CENTRAL/WHITE HOUSE
1501 RHODE ISLAND AVE NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Marriott Washington Metro Center
775 12th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20005 US
Morrison Clark Hotel
1015 L Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20001 US
The District Hotel
1440 Rhode Island Ave NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
Hotel Helix
1430 Rhode Island NW
Washington, DC 20005 US
InterContinental THE WILLARD WASHINGTON D.C.
1401 PENNSYLVANIA AVE NW
Washington, DC 20004 US
Topaz Hotel
1733 N. Street NW
Washington, DC 20036 US
JW Marriott Hotel on Pennsylvania Avenue
1331 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20004 US
Harrington Hotel
11TH & E Streets Northwest
Washington, DC 20004 US
About Washington D.C.
Officially founded on July 16, 1790, Washington, DC is unique among American cities because it was established by the Constitution of the United States to serve as the nation's capital. From the beginning it has been embroiled in political maneuvering, sectional conflicts, issues of race, national identity, compromise and, of course, power.
History
The choice of Washington's site along the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers resulted from a compromise between Alexander Hamilton and northern states who wanted the new Federal government to assume Revolutionary War debts and Thomas Jefferson and southern states who wanted the capital placed in a location friendly to slave-holding agricultural interests.
George Washington, the first president and namesake of the city, chose the site and appointed three commissioners to help prepare for the arrival of the new government in 1800. In 1800 the federal government consisted of 131 employees. Pierre Charles L'Enfant designed the city as a bold new capital with sweeping boulevards and ceremonial spaces reminiscent of Paris of his native France. Benjamin Banneker, a self-taught African-American mathematical genius, provided the astronomical calculations for surveying and laying out the city. The full development of Washington as a monumental city, however, did not come until a hundred years later when the McMillan Commission updated its plan to establish the National Mall and monuments that most visitors to Washington now know.
Washington, DC, was envisioned by its founders as a commercial center as well as the seat of government. The location on the Potomac River was chosen, in part, because it already included two existing port towns of Georgetown, Maryland and Alexandria, Virginia which served as regional shipping centers for tobacco and wheat. When Alexandria returned to Virginia in 1846, residents argued that inclusion within the Federal District of Columbia hurt business and the city of Washington would never need that much room to grow.
But after the Civil War, Washington did grow, eventually absorbing Georgetown and the surrounding farms and rural areas beyond L'Enfant's original plans for the city. The initial boundary of Washington City was Florida Avenue, originally called Boundary Street. The first neighborhoods were those that grew up around the Capitol (Capitol Hill), the Center Market (Downtown), and the White House (Lafayette Square). The expansion of streetcar lines in the mid-19th century spurred creation of new suburbs. Two early suburbs, LeDroit Park and Anacostia, both began as developments that excluded African Americans and later became predominantly African-American communities.
Washington is also a cosmopolitan city. While it has always had foreign delegations from the countries of the world it also boasts an increasingly diverse ethnic population. A growing Latino population represents every Central and South American country with a particularly large community of Salvadorans. A large Ethiopian population has resulted from the political turmoil there. New ethnic groups have brought new restaurants, as well as new residents. While DC lost residents to surrounding suburbs in the 1990s, new housing and urban revitalization is now attracting people back to the city for a downtown renaissance of housing, offices, entertainment and nightlife.
As the capital of the world's most powerful democracy, it is ironic that residents of Washington lack full self government and limited self government was only restored in 1974 after nearly 100 years with an appointed commissioner system. Representation in Congress is limited to a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives and a shadow Senator. 1964 was the first Presidential election in which Washington residents were able to vote.
After 217 years as the nation's capital, Washington is a place brimming with a unique history of its own. It has developed as a complex and layered city with multiple personalities. As home to the federal government, it has attracted a diverse mix of government workers, members of Congress from every state, foreign emissaries, lobbyists, petitioners and protestors. While elected and appointed officials come and go giving the city its reputation as a transient community, many of the city's residents have called Washington home for multiple generations. Their stories give Washington its distinctive character as both a national and local city.