Pick a hotel by the streets you will walk most. For the fashion houses and jewelers on Palmer Alley, stay downtown near CityCenterDC; Penn Quarter, with the museum stores and F Street, shares its Metro station. Georgetown is for brand stores and design showrooms, Dupont Circle for books and designer consignment, and the Wharf puts you on the water.
Every hotel below is in the MICHELIN Guide's Washington selection. We cover 15, including all seven Key holders, sorted by base. We don't print rates.
The MICHELIN Key hotels
The Key is MICHELIN's hotel distinction, and the 2026 selection was published on Sept. 18, 2026. In Washington, three hotels hold two Keys and four hold one. None holds three.
Two Keys
Rosewood Washington, D.C. in Georgetown, The Jefferson on 16th Street and The Hay-Adams on Lafayette Square.
One Key
Fairmont Washington DC Gold Experience in the West End, new this year; Eaton DC downtown; Pendry Washington DC – The Wharf; and Riggs Washington DC in Penn Quarter.
No hotel in Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Tysons or Chevy Chase holds a Key. The Dupont Circle Hotel held one in earlier selections and is now listed without one.
Downtown: CityCenterDC and Penn Quarter
The Hay-Adams (800 16th Street NW, two Keys) faces Lafayette Square, two blocks from CityCenterDC, with 145 rooms and the basement bar Off the Record. Eaton DC (1201 K St NW, one Key), a few blocks north, has 209 rooms with Bluetooth record players and the Wild Days rooftop. Conrad Washington DC (950 New York Ave NW), at CityCenterDC and listed without a Key, has 360 rooms in a Herzog & de Meuron building and the Summit rooftop bar. Riggs Washington DC (900 F St NW, one Key) fills a 19th-century Romanesque Revival bank in Penn Quarter, with 181 rooms and the Silver Lyan bar.
What's walkable: On CityCenterDC's Palmer Alley, Hermès (1054 Palmer Alley NW) is closed Sundays and Louis Vuitton (983 Palmer Alley NW) does collect-in-store pickup. Bulgari (960 I St NW) is the jeweler's only DC boutique, and Tiffany & Co. (960 New York Ave NW) engraves and repairs jewelry. Riggs shares the F Street blocks of Penn Quarter with Alden Shoe Company (921 F St NW), and Fahrney's Pens (1317 F St NW) repairs fountain pens in house. For breakfast, Piccolina da Centrolina (963 Palmer Alley NW) opens at 9am daily.
Georgetown
Rosewood Washington, D.C. (1050 31st Street NW, two Keys) sits by the C&O Canal with 57 keys, including eight townhouses, plus Wolfgang Puck's CUT and the CUT Above rooftop bar. Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC (2800 Pennsylvania Ave NW), listed without a Key, has 212 rooms at the east edge of Georgetown. The Ritz-Carlton Georgetown, Washington, D.C. (3100 South Street NW), also without a Key, has 86 rooms a block below M Street, on the site of the Georgetown Incinerator, whose 130-foot chimney still stands.
What's walkable: All of Georgetown. On the Rosewood's street, Current Boutique Georgetown (1068 31st St NW) sells designer consignment. Tuckernuck (1267 Wisconsin Ave NW) is the DC-founded label's flagship, and Uniqlo Georgetown (3262 M St NW) has a RE.UNIQLO repair and embroidery studio. At the Key Bridge end, Thos. Moser (3334 Cady's Alley NW) and Blu Dot (3333 M St NW) show furniture. Baked & Wired (1052 Thomas Jefferson St NW) bakes daily from 8am.
Dupont Circle, the West End and 16th Street
The Jefferson (1200 16th Street NW, two Keys) is a 99-room 1923 building four blocks from the White House, with the skylit Greenhouse restaurant. Fairmont Washington DC Gold Experience (2401 M Street NW, one Key) is a 43-room Gold floor in the West End Fairmont, a walk from Georgetown, with a 50-foot saltwater pool. The Dupont Circle Hotel (1500 New Hampshire Avenue NW), listed without a Key, is the only hotel on the circle itself, with 327 rooms.
What's walkable: In Dupont Circle, Second Story Books (2000 P St NW) sells used and rare books until 10pm daily, and Secondi (1702 Connecticut Ave NW, 2nd Floor) sells consigned Chanel, Hermès and Prada. From The Jefferson, 14th Street is the nearest of our districts; Salt & Sundry (1625 14th St NW) sells kitchen tools and ceramics.
The Wharf and Navy Yard
Pendry Washington DC – The Wharf (655 Water Street SW, one Key) has 131 rooms, a heated outdoor pool, a spa and the Moonraker rooftop. Thompson Washington D.C. (221 Tingey St SE), listed without a Key, has 225 rooms at Navy Yard and the Anchovy Social rooftop bar.
What's walkable: At the Wharf, Politics and Prose at The Wharf (610 Water St SW) sells books and gifts, and Shop Made in DC (10 District Square SW) sells only DC-made goods. Jessie Taylor Seafood (1100 Maine Ave SW) will steam the live crabs you buy. The Thompson shares Tingey Street with the Navy Yard Boilermaker Shops, including Steadfast Supply (301 Tingey St SE) for local makers.
Union Market, Adams Morgan and Old Town
Hotel Nell – Union Market (411 New York Avenue NE) has 106 rooms in the former Bolgiano Seed Company factory. The LINE DC (1770 Euclid St NW) has 220 rooms in a century-old church building in Adams Morgan. Archer Hotel Old Town Alexandria (1600 King Street, Alexandria, VA) has 107 rooms about two blocks from the King Street Metro; MICHELIN says it has the only hotel spa in Alexandria. All three are listed without a Key.
What's walkable: At Union Market, District Cutlery (1309 5th St NE) sharpens knives and Le Labo Union Market (1260 4th St NE) sells fragrance. In Adams Morgan, Because Science (1759 Columbia Rd NW) sells science-themed gifts. From the Archer, walk down King Street to Lowery's Dial (1225 King St) for antiques and Penny Post (1201 King St) for cards and pens.
How to book
A Key is not a price tier. A hotel without a Key here is still a MICHELIN selection. Compare rates for your dates.
Plan around shop hours. Most CityCenterDC boutiques open at 11am, Hermès is closed Sundays, and the National Building Museum Shop opens Thursday to Monday only.
Getting around. Georgetown has no Metro station; Foggy Bottom-GWU is roughly a 15-minute walk from M Street. The DC Circulator stopped running after Dec 31, 2024. Water taxis link the Wharf with Georgetown and Old Town Alexandria.
Confirm the details. Amenities come from MICHELIN's hotel pages; check anything important with the hotel.