Well-heeled guests converge under the gold-capped dome in the lobby, from corporate travelers to celebrities to couples attending a performance at the Kennedy Center, 6 blocks away. Lofty ceilings, large mirrors, and contemporary furniture convey an aura of relaxed elegance. In the upstairs halls, there are bowls of fruit for guests.

This eight-story hotel has 263 guestrooms. All feature the Westin Heavenly Bed, which consists of custom-designed, foot-thick, pillowtop mattresses with all-white bedding, triple sheeting, down blankets, comforters and duvets, and five pillows (two down/feather, two hypo-allergenic, and a decorative neck roll pillow). Honey-wood headboards match desks and armoires. Tied-back drapes reveal large windows overlooking the city. In marble bathrooms, Westin's Heavenly Baths have dual showerheads with multiple spray options; curved shower rods for extra room; white-on-white shower curtains; velour, waffle-weave bathrobes; oversize Brazilian combed-cotton bath towels; and citrus-scented Molton Brown English toiletries. Handheld showers are in the soaking tubs. High-speed Internet access is available (surcharge).

Dining: M Street Grill - Guests can order breakfast from the menu or enjoy the buffet overlooking the patio in this lofty dining room interspersed with thick, gray columns.
Café on M - Traditional American fare, such as steak and salmon, is on the menu in this dark, paneled restaurant with white banquettes. Open for lunch and dinner.

The Hotel has an outdoor splash pool as well as a fitness center, which offers exercycles, treadmills, free weights, weight machines, and resistance balls. Guests can relax in a paneled lounge with wingchairs and a fireplace. All public spaces have high-speed, wireless Internet access (surcharge). Breakfast is served in the M Street Grille, where guests can dine indoors or, weather permitting, on a slate patio. For lunch and dinner, the Café on M serves traditional American fare in a paneled room lined with white banquettes. The hotel also offers a complimentary Love That Dog (LTD) program, which includes a dog bed and bowls. Kids can hear prerecorded children’s stories by calling the hotel’s “story line.”

Guests can exercise in the hotel’s fitness center and use the outdoor splash pool in summer.
A block west of the hotel is Rock Creek Park, a 1,750-acre forest with numerous paths for hiking, running, biking, and horseback riding. Mountain bikers enjoy pedaling along the C&O Canal towpath that begins five blocks west of the hotel in Georgetown. Public tennis courts are located 2 blocks north.

The nearest golf course is 18-hole Hains Point, about 3 miles away on the banks of the Potomac River. The locale includes a miniature golf course listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and a two-tier driving range.