Marriott Hotels has opened the Marriott Marquis Washington, DC-the company’s 4,000th hotel.
Designed by Washington, DC-based HOK Design, the fifteen-story Marriott Marquis Washington, DC by architects Cooper Carry and tvsdesign is planned to be one of the country’s largest LEED Silver certified hotels. The opening of the capitol’s largest hotel also marks 87 years since founders J. Willard Marriott and Alice S. Marriott opened a nine-seat root beer stand in the city.


The hotel’s lobby houses the largest artwork piece in any Marriott hotel. The 44,000-square-foot glass ceiling highlights this 56-foot high, 27,000-pound sculpture, Birth of the American Flag by Baltimore-based sculptor Rodney Carroll. Two dramatic 54- and 52-foot bronze and silver walls, America and Flag, frame the open-air grand staircase to the lobby’s terrace. A cherry blossom branch runs the length of the white marble lobby floor alongside a glass-enclosed firepit and two other sculptures with water features.
The Marriott Marquis Washington, DC incorporates the site’s historic Samuel Gompers AFL-CIO building, which includes an upscale lounge, bi-level fitness center, and suites. The hotel’s elegant glass and masonry exterior envelops the historic building with a glass atrium rooftop tying the buildings together.
The hotel offers more than 105,000 square feet of meeting space including 83 meeting rooms, a 31,000-square-foot Marquis Ballroom, two 11,000-square-foot ballrooms, an 18,000-square-foot indoor event terrace, and a 5,200-square-foot outdoor event terrace. It also introduces five dining outlets to downtown Washington, DC, including Anthem, a vibrant casual dining restaurant with a nod to the original 1927 Marriott Hot Shoppe; The Dignitary, an upscale lounge including a 40-seat outdoor patio; High Velocity, a high-tech sports bar with 48-beers on tap; and a lobby bar.
