The Watergate Hotel Washington, D.C.

Living in the Washington, D.C. area has its perks. We have access to incredible monuments and museums, a ridiculous list of restaurants, an endless parade of well-known people from all walks of life, and no shortage of events to attend… every night of the week. Yes, while we’re not New York, L.A., or Miami, we’re still able to hold our own in a way none of those cities can - namely through the power (and scandal) that this 64 square-mile city will undoubtedly always play host to. Cue the Watergate Hotel.

For those that don’t know the history of this infamous hotel, on June 17, 1972, several men of the Nixon campaign were arrested for wiretapping phones and stealing documents from the Democratic National Committee, which upon hearing the news of the arrests, Nixon unfortunately decided to cover up, leading to his resignation two years later. While the hotel was not at fault for this, nor was any murder committed, it still greatly suffered for the next 44 years in the form of low clientele, numerous re-selling deals of the property, horrible disrepair, and eventually, a closing until 2016.

I’ve been to The Watergate numerous times over the last two years, including the grand re-opening, and the $1B renovation that took place, continues to have me in awe. The modern, yet mod feel that was created in such an odd space is beautifully intertwined to create a luxe yet hip experience. Every time I visit the rooftop, which arguably has one of the best rooftop views of the city on that side of the Potomac, I know I’ll come back again and again. BUT… out of all the times I’ve been there, I never knew they preserved much of Room 214 (aka “The Scandal Room), or that you could take a tour of it… and that you don’t even have to be a guest to get a tour (though if you want to stay in the room, it’s $1200 a night).

The tour starts when he takes you up to the room’s door. Standing in front of it for close to five minutes, he paints the picture of what happened inside of the room the day the arrests happened. He then opens the door and lets you in, and it’s like traveling in a time warp when you step over the threshold.

(If you turn on the audio, you’ll be able to hear some of his tour). It’s absolutely incredible to walk around the room, see the original artifacts from that day, and be able to stand in the exact place of where this all went down.

But, we didn’t just get a tour of this room - we also got a tour of the infamous balcony that allowed the criminals to work together until that day.

The DNC was located in the building behind the tour guide, which gave the criminals direct access to the hotel room, that served both as the wiretapping listening station, as well as the look out station. They also had a look out station in Rosslyn (picture to the left). It was fascinating to picture all of this happening, right at our feet, as he’s telling the story.

When our tour was complete, we were allowed to stay a few more minutes and take pictures, though the group of us was quite large, so I snagged one final one that I found incredibly impactful:

I highly recommend calling ahead to see if you can take the tour to make sure the room isn’t already booked.

Thinking of Staying at The Watergate?

The Watergate is humming a bit again, though I see far more events (conferences, weddings, etc.) happening and nighttime revelers passing through than I see actual guests.

The customer service is great, and from what I understand, so are the rooms (it’s even super dog-friendly). Where it falls flat is their dining. While Kingbird is visually stunning, it’s not a night spot, nor somewhere you’d go for an upscale lunch. If you choose to eat elsewhere, note that you will have to take a Lyft/Uber/taxi to Georgetown (short, five-minute ride) to do so, as there is nothing within walking distance (almost all the store fronts are still empty).

My suggestion is to stay there and take the ride to eat elsewhere, then head to the rooftop during sunset, for a drink. You don’t want to miss the view below:

Fun Tip: Call the front desk and ask to be put on hold to hear Nixon’s voice and his final speech. They are used to it.