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Sofitel Lafayette Square Washington, D.C.

• World's Best Winner
• T+L 500 Winner

COST: $$$$

In some way, every Sofitel is a Parisian hotel, and despite the inescapable fact of its location in downtown Washington, the Lafayette is no exception. Francophone staff click-clack over shiny black marble floors as jazz floats overhead; chic young things lounge artfully in the dramatic wine-and-gray halls of Le Bar, sipping champagne. The 237 Art Deco-inspired rooms, buff and brown with red-velvet accents, are creatively lit, and hung with original paintings, black-and-white architectural photos of Washington, and—la surprise—Paris. Corner rooms 14 and 26 have windows on two sides flooding the space with light.

Tip: "Deluxe" suites (bedroom and living room) nearly double your space for just $100 more than a standard room.

Room to Book: Suite 1114 has Japanese-inspired, red-lacquer wall panels, sexy crushed-velour daybed, and over-the-top leopard-print armchairs.

From the T+L 500

Limestone 12-story building with striking Pierre-Yves Rochon-designed interiors, 1 block from the Metro.

Stats:

237 rooms; 2 restaurants; 1 bar.

Competitive Edge:

A sophisticated and savvy staff.

Rooms to Book:

Those on the 2nd and 3rd floors facing 15th Street have floor-to-ceiling windows.

Don't Miss:

The hotel's collection of black-and-white photos of Paris and D.C.

Last updated January 2008 lastArticle = and lastAward = 01/2008