What's New

The spectacular view that greets visitors arriving in Washington, D.C., from Virginia and points south is three silver spires soaring to a height of 270 feet, the new U.S. Air Force Memorial. The memorial is part of the Naval Annex of Arlington, located near the Pentagon on a three-acre, elevated ridge. Decades of planning and years of construction went into the $30 million project, which officially opened in October 2006.

The new Washington Convention Center is another example of outstanding architecture. Soon a much-needed partner will arise, a 1,434-room Convention Center Marriott headquarters hotel, connected by a pedestrian walkway. Last June, Mayor Anthony A. Williams signed the final piece of legislation needed before construction on the convention center hotel. It's expected to be complete in 2010, and will have 50,000 square feet of meeting space.

In downtown D.C., the Harman Center for the Arts is slated for an October opening. The facility will consist of two midsize theaters in the booming Penn Quarter: the new 776-seat Sidney Harman Hall and the 451-seat Lansburgh Theatre.

The next major cultural project in D.C., will be a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Construction began in November on the National Mall. The centerpiece of the $100 million memorial, the “Stone of Hope,” will be a 30-foot likeness of Dr. King, which is scheduled to be complete in fall 2008.

The National Museum of American History closed in September to shore up its infrastructure and put on some new paint and finery. The 43-year-old museum is expected to reopen in summer 2008.

Facilities Update

The District

• Virginia

  The St. Regis Hotel closed in September for a renovation that will add 15 suites and reduce total guest rooms from 193 to 178. All guest rooms, public areas, and meeting rooms are being renewed, and a Reméde spa will be added. The 80-year-old hotel will reopen in July.

• Ask the CVB

  At the Bolger Center in Potomac, Md., your group is so close to the District that the hotel hosts a permanent Smithsonian exhibit on the premises. Managed by Dolce International, there are 477 guest rooms and 75 meeting rooms to accommodate groups of five to 500 in conference rooms, boardrooms, and computer labs. They all meet IACC standards.

Virginia

• The new 319-room Westin Alexandria is scheduled to open in October with 18,000 square feet of meeting space. The Westin will include 79 condominiums and restaurant and retail space next to the new 2.5 million-square-foot U.S. Patent and Trademark Office headquarters.

• Phantom Planner

  Work is under way at the former Holiday Inn Select to transform it into Hotel Monaco, Alexandria. It will be managed by Kimpton and have 8,000 square feet of meeting space. Work is expected to be completed by fall.

• Special Venues

  The Westin Arlington Gateway opened in February 2006. The $60 million, 336-room hotel features three concierge floors with a private lounge; 10,000 square feet of meeting and function space; and wireless Internet access.

• Hotel Palomar, Arlington will be a 29-story hotel/condo tower with 154 rooms and 10,500 square feet of meeting space. Opening is planned for 2008.

• The Westfields Marriott, just outside the District in Chantilly, is offering special advantages for planners who commit to multiyear contracts for meeting space. These include a set price for one to three years, food and beverage prices locked in for one to three years, and an attrition percentage (5 percent to 10 percent).

Washington, D.C. Convention and Tourism Corp.
(202) 789-7023; www.washington.org
Hotel Tax: 14.5%

Alexandria Convention & Visitors Association
(800) 388-9119; www.FunSide.com
Hotel Tax: 10% plus $1 per room

Arlington Convention and Visitors Service
(703) 228-0888, (800) 296-7996
www.stayarlington.com
Hotel Tax: 11.75%

• All of D.C.'s famous monuments are free, as are the 12 museums in the Smithsonian system and the National Gallery of Art. Take a free tour of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing and watch money roll off the presses (no samples). And there is a daily free 6 p.m. performance on the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

• Segway Safaris and rentals from Segs in the City or City Segway Tours offer a fun way to get around D.C. Safari and rental prices for the self-balancing, battery-powered devices start at $45.

• Don't forget to check out all three airports that serve the nation's capital: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, and Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.

• In Washington, public transportation beats piling attendees into private vans or buses and sitting in traffic. The newest option, the DC Circulator, connects Georgetown, Union Station, the Washington Convention Center, the Southwest Waterfront, and the National Mall for $1 per ride. A Metrorail one-day pass costs $6.50 for unlimited rides.

• The renovated Top of the Town event facility at 1400 North 14th St. in Arlington, Va., can host events and meetings for up to 180 people. Washingtonian magazine calls it the best view in town, for its 12-foot-tall windows looking across the Potomac River toward D.C. (703) 387-0000; www.topofthetown.net

• Event planners looking for function space in Arlington will soon have more options to choose from. The popular Signature Theatre moved into its new home in the Shirlington neighborhood in January. With two flexible black box spaces — one holding 299 seats and the other 99 seats — the theater is now able to host functions. www.sig-online.org.

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