Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

July 30, 2025

HOTEL GUIDE: Historic Boutique Hotel in Washington DC - The Phoenix Park Hotel

      Last year when I was working as a hotel front desk agent, I won a great raffle prize at the annual staff Christmas party. There were several hotel stays at other properties in driving distance to Virginia Beach that were being raffled off. I ended up winning a free weekend stay at the Phoenix Park Hotel in Washington DC. I was excited to use it, and decided to book it for late March, guessing that might be a good timeframe for the cherry blossoms. (Since I moved to Virginia in 2018, it's been a big item off of my travel bucket list to see the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in DC at peak bloom!) Not only did I correctly predict peak bloom weekend and finally get to see it, but Ryan and I also had the most wonderful stay at the Phoenix Park Hotel, which I'm excited to review today! 




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      The Phoenix Park Hotel is a historic and boutique property that's located right in the heart of Washington DC. It's been around for just shy of 100 years (formerly called The Commodore Hotel). It is located directly across the street from Union Station and the US Postal Museum. Capitol Hill is less than a mile away, and most other famous Washington DC attractions are also within walking distance to the hotel! I truly think you can't get a better location when it comes to lodging in DC.

      Ryan and I had something happen to us for the first time ever at a hotel: we were the recipients of a surprise room upgrade! We were moved from a Standard King room into one of the Bi-Level Suites. The suite was incredible. There was a separate living room area and half bathroom below, and then the King bedroom, closet space and full bathroom were accessible via the most stunning spiral staircase. We couldn't believe that we were so lucky to be upgraded to this incredible suite! Obviously I would highly recommend this room type, but the standard rooms at the Phoenix Park Hotel still looked lovely as well. I know we would've had a great stay in one of those rooms as well. 
     




      While Washington DC has no shortage of great food options, there is an on-site restaurant at hotel. The Dubliner is an Irish pub that's located right off of  the lobby at the Phoenix Park Hotel. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. All hotel guests receive complimentary drink tickets for the Dubliner bar! Ryan and I enjoyed pre-dinner drinks and appetizers and loved everything. Having been to Ireland before, I thought this Irish pub was super authentic, and reminded me a lot of pubs I visited when I went to Ireland! 



       The one con I can think of with the Phoenix Park Hotel is that they don't have their own garage or parking lot for self-parking. We opted to use their valet service for our car. It is expensive, but most hotels in DC are charging a pretty penny for valet, so it's not too different from what is standard in the area. (The front desk staff was so kind to comp our valet parking though, since I'd won this trip as a free stay! So kind of them!)




      Ryan and I both enjoyed the historic charm and convenient location of the Phoenix Park Hotel for our DC weekend trip this spring. The front desk staff was truly phenomenal- so kind and helpful!

     This trip meant so much to me, not just because it was Ryan and I's first time visiting DC together, but also because of the timing of it. I was deep in the thick of job hunting in late March, and it was a pretty discouraging month on that front. We were trying to save as much money as we could and cut back on travel until I had a new job offer, but because I'd won this free hotel stay we decided to still use it. The special touches like the surprise room upgrade and free drinks at the Dubliner meant even more to me because of how stressful life had been that month. 😊


      I'd highly recommend the Phoenix Park Hotel for your next trip to Washington DC! 



Past Virginia Hotel Reviews Blog Posts: 







     God Bless,




     xoxo Annaliese


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