Editorial score of 9.4 of 10, the composite average of the three factors above (Rooms, Service, Location). Method at our methodology page. Affiliate disclosure: booking links may earn us a commission at no extra cost to you, and never change our verdict.
Why is Four Seasons Washington DC ranked so highly?
Four Seasons Washington DC is our number two hotel in the city because it pairs the deepest institutional service in Washington with the credentials no rival can claim: it is the capital's only Five-Star, Five-Diamond hotel. The property opened in September 1979 as the first Four Seasons in the United States, and it has functioned ever since as the address the business and diplomatic communities return to when the occasion or the meeting genuinely matters. The contemporary Georgetown brick building sits on Pennsylvania Avenue where the neighbourhood meets the West End, overlooking the C and O Canal, and it holds a 1,650-piece private art collection that gives the public rooms the feel of a residence rather than a chain flagship.
The service is the reason it sits this high, and it is the thing that cannot be renovated in. Staff carry an institutional memory of returning guests that a newer hotel simply cannot manufacture, and the concierge team's reach across Washington's restaurant, event and cultural calendar is as wide as any in the city. Add a genuinely strong dining line-up led by Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, a full-service spa and a tri-level fitness floor with a lap pool over the canal, and you have a hotel that operates as a permanent fixture of the capital rather than a place to sleep. The one reason it trails our number one on location is Georgetown itself, which is residential and beautiful but has no Metro station.
What are the best rooms to request?
Request a suite or a canal-facing category and prioritise the outlook toward Rock Creek and the C and O Canal, because that is the quiet, green side of the building. The 212 rooms and suites, including 63 suites, are chic and understated rather than showy, dressed in a warm contemporary palette of buttery neutrals with pieces from the hotel's own art collection, and they have been kept current through repeated renovations, so the dated-room caveat that dogs some grande dames does not really apply here. Entry categories are generous by Washington standards, and the higher categories step up through sitting areas to suites with full living rooms. At the very top sit six presidential suites and the Royal Suite, which the hotel describes as the only bullet-resistant suite in Washington, a detail that says a great deal about who has stayed here.
One honest note: this is a discreet, grown-up hotel rather than a trend-driven one, so travellers chasing a scene or a rooftop view will find the mood polished and calm rather than buzzy, and the rooms trade drama for comfort and consistency. That is a feature for the hotel's core business and diplomatic audience and less so for a first-timer who wants the postcard skyline. Book a suite or a canal-facing room for a celebration and there is very little to fault.
Ask for a higher-floor room on the canal side for the quietest outlook over Rock Creek, and book a morning lap in the saltwater pool before the fitness floor fills up. For a celebration, the concierge team can arrange a table at Bourbon Steak and the spa's couples treatments, so give them your dates a day or two ahead.
What is the dining like at Bourbon Steak and Seasons?
Dining is a genuine reason to book, not an afterthought. The headline is Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, a David Rockwell-designed room that is among the best restaurants in Washington by any measure, hotel or otherwise. It was named to OpenTable's 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in the US, the only DC hotel restaurant on that list, and it holds a 2026 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence. The kitchen is known for wood-fired, dry-aged prime and Wagyu cuts, a lobster pot pie and a lively bar-and-patio scene, and The Lounge at Bourbon Steak pours a serious cocktail list from a vintage cart. Alongside it, Seasons is the all-day and breakfast room, a long-running Washington power-breakfast address with floor-to-ceiling windows and a covered terrace. Between the two, you can run a full day of entertaining without leaving the building.
Does it have a spa and pool?
Yes, and the wellness offer is one of the strongest in the city. The spa runs about 3,500 square feet across nine treatment rooms, with a eucalyptus-scented steam room, a dry sauna and a relaxation area, and a signature treatment the hotel wryly calls the Political Detox. The fitness and recreation floor is tri-level and roughly 12,500 square feet, with floor-to-ceiling windows over the C and O Canal and exercise paths along the canal and the Potomac. The centrepiece is a two-lane saltwater lap pool, long enough for real laps and unusual for a downtown hotel of this scale. It is a wellness floor that earns its place on any itinerary rather than a token facility.
Signature amenities
At the gateway to Georgetown
Georgetown, where it meets the West End, overlooking the C and O Canal
What's nearby
- C and O Canal towpath
Historic waterway1 min walk - M Street shops
Georgetown retail4 min walk - Georgetown Waterfront
Potomac riverfront8 min walk - Kennedy Center
Performing arts14 min walk - The White House
About 12 blocks east22 min walk
The hotel, the rooms, the canal-side pool
Exterior
Guest room
Lobby
Lap poolHow does Four Seasons Washington DC compare with the capital's other five-star hotels?
Against the field, Four Seasons is the Georgetown grande dame, the full-service, dining-and-spa benchmark, and the choice comes down to what you want your days to look like. The Hay-Adams is the Lafayette Square landmark with direct White House views and the city's most storied power-dining scene. Rosewood is the Georgetown neighbour, smaller and more private, run around canal-side townhouses and a rooftop pool. The Jefferson is the intimate downtown Beaux-Arts boutique four blocks from the White House. The Four Seasons trade-off is the one shared by all of Georgetown: it is residential and quiet, but there is no Metro station in the neighbourhood.
| Hotel | Style | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four Seasons Washington DC | Georgetown grande dame | Service, dining, spa, high-stakes stays | Top-of-market rates; no Metro in Georgetown |
| The Hay-Adams | Lafayette Square landmark | White House views, power dining | No spa or pool; smaller rooms |
| Rosewood Washington DC | Georgetown canal boutique | Privacy, townhouses, rooftop pool | Small scale; top-of-market rates |
| The Jefferson Washington DC | Downtown Beaux-Arts boutique | Intimacy, 16th Street address | No pool or full destination spa |
Frequently asked questions
When did Four Seasons Washington DC open and how many rooms does it have?
The hotel opened in September 1979 as the first hotel in the United States to carry the Four Seasons name. It has 212 rooms and suites, including 63 suites, in a contemporary brick building at the gateway to Georgetown on Pennsylvania Avenue, overlooking the C and O Canal.
What is the restaurant at Four Seasons Washington DC?
The signature restaurant is Bourbon Steak by Michael Mina, named to OpenTable's 2026 Top 100 Hotel Restaurants in the US, the only DC hotel restaurant on the list, and a 2026 Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner. Alongside it are Seasons, the all-day and breakfast room, and The Lounge at Bourbon Steak.
Does Four Seasons Washington DC have a spa and pool?
Yes. The spa runs about 3,500 square feet with nine treatment rooms, a eucalyptus steam room and a dry sauna, and the tri-level fitness centre over the C and O Canal holds a two-lane saltwater lap pool with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Where is Four Seasons Washington DC located?
At 2800 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, where Georgetown meets the West End, steps from the C and O Canal towpath, M Street's shops and the Georgetown waterfront. Georgetown has no Metro station, so reaching the monuments and Capitol Hill means a taxi, ride-share or a walk to the nearest line.
Is Four Seasons Washington DC worth it?
For a stay that has to go right, yes. It is the capital's only Five-Star, Five-Diamond hotel, with deep institutional service built up since 1979, strong dining and a full wellness floor. The trade-offs are top-of-market pricing and Georgetown's lack of a Metro station.
Other luxury stays in Washington DC
#1 · Lafayette SquareThe Hay-Adams
#3 · GeorgetownRosewood Washington DC
#4 · Downtown