Choice Hotels Expands Cambria Brand to Washington, DC's Capitol Riverfront
by: Bryce Meyers | CoStar News
Choice Hotels International is working on a new Cambria hotel in greater Washington, D.C., part of a push to expand an upscale brand that has already undergone a spate of openings nationwide this year. |
The Rockville, Maryland-based lodging company, together with Donohoe Development Co. and Koucar Management, officially started construction on the Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Capital Riverfront, a nine-story project going up across the Anacostia River from Amazon's future second headquarters in the booming Capitol Riverfront area of Southwest Washington.
The hotel is being developed at 69 Q St. SW within walking distance of Nationals Park, home of the MLB's Washington Nationals, and the 20,000-seat Audi Field D.C. United soccer stadium that opened last year in Buzzard Point.
The development is the latest hotel project in Capitol Riverfront, where the arrival of Nationals Park in 2008 served as the spark that ignited development across Southwest Washington that has since extended into Buzzard Point, with the pinnacle being the development of Audi Field.
The arrival of office, mixed-use space and entertainment areas has driven several hotel projects in recent years, with the 225-room Thompson Hotel at the Yards also scheduled to open next year as part of Brookfield's The Yards mixed-use project next to Nats Park.
Over the next decade, that development is expected to bring an additional 2 million square feet of offices, 400,000 square feet of retail space and more than 3,000 apartments to Southwest Washington.
The Cambria hotel is positioned to sit within three miles of The Wharf and the National Mall, and a short walk from the Navy Yard Metro station.
Choice Hotels has been ramping up its Cambria line with eight hotels totaling more than 1,100 rooms opening across the country this year alone, and another four hotels are expected to open by year's end. The company operates more than 45 Cambria locations across the United States, including four in the D.C. area.
Designed by local firm BBGM Architects, the Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Capital Riverfront is expected to include 154 hotel rooms and feature a rooftop lounge with 3,500-square-foot terrace, a ground level restaurant and 2,500 square feet of multi-function meeting space. The original cornice from the 19th century townhome that sat on the site is also expected to be salvaged and installed above the reception desk.
Choice Hotels International franchises more than 6,800 hotels worldwide including brands such as Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, EconoLodge, Sleep Inn and Ascend. The company delivered its first Cambria hotel, the Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Convention Center, at 899 O St. NW in the city's East End, in 2014.
The company's latest hotel is being developed "just blocks from bustling development projects that are sure to appeal to business and leisure guests alike," Janis Cannon, senior vice president of upscale brands for Choice Hotels, said in a statement.
The Cambria Hotel Washington D.C. Capitol Riverfront is expected to open in early 2021.
Choice Hotels did not immediately return a call for comment.
For the Record: Donohoe Hospitality Services has been selected to manage the new hotel.