Review - Rosewood Washington DC

Rosewood Washington DC

March, 2026

Enroute:

“Hi! It’s me! I’m in DC! Again!” was what I texted my friend for the tenth time in the past 6 months. Previously I reviewed the Park Hyatt and the St. Regis. I should have also reviewed the Four Seasons, the Waldorf Astoria (fka Trump) and the Ritz Georgetown, but clearly I’m not the most industrious blogger.

This time we decided to check out the Rosewood, which was at one point the Capella DC. Our rate for the base level superior room was around $760 a night, including taxes and fees. For a weekend in March, I thought the rates were surprisingly reasonable. I booked us via the Rosewood Elite program, which secured a double upgrade to a premier corner king room, along with the usual benefits such as $100 credit and more. If you’re interested, feel free to email me at info@satayaway.blog.

Check-in:

The Rosewood is in Georgetown, right by the canal that they haven’t been able to fix for the past two administrations. It took the Chinese under 5 years to build Beijing Daxing Airport - just the world’s largest single-structure airport terminal, nbd…

Uber from DCA took barely 15 minutes, and the bellman came out immediately to help with my luggage. I only had a light carry-on, so I declined. He still walked me to the reception and asked about my travel, though.

There’s a new epidemic in Washington, and no, it’s not men with mustaches. It’s these tacky fake cherry blossom decorations at virtually every hotel. Who on earth is taking pictures in front of these? This isn’t a Women’s History Month brunch?

The lobby at the Rosewood reflects its boutique nature, consisting of just two desks. In total, there are 55 keys at this property.

Upstairs from the reception was a concierge desk, as well some seating.

Unpack:

As mentioned earlier, we were upgraded to a premium corner king room, marketed as 504 sqft.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Foyer

There were closets along the wall of the entryway.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Closet

I found the positioning of the desk to be a bit weird, as it faces the rather dim entryway and not the rest of the room.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room

The canopy bed is not a common sight in hotel design these days, but I liked it.

Standard Nespresso machine and pods were on offer.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Coffee Setup

A fully stocked minibar can be found underneath.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Minibar

The windows in the room could definitely use a wash. One side of our room looked onto 31st street, while the other looked onto a hobo alley. Like we were literally woken up one morning because some hobo was screaming bloody murder.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room View

Last in the room was the bathroom, featuring a free-standing tub, a single sink, a shower and a toilet/bidet combo.

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Bathroom

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Vanity

The soft leather amenity kit with the newly updated Rosewood logo was a nice touch in the bathroom. On a side note, am I the only one who thinks Diptyque amenities are overrated?

Rosewood Washington DC Premier Corner King Room Amenity Kit

Nightly turndown service was of course provided, so was complimentary shoe shine.

Rosewood Washington DC Shoe Shine Service

Overall, I thought the room was nice enough for DC. The rebranding from Capella to Rosewood happened in 2016, so I think it’s fair to say that the rooms could undergo some refresh.

Unwind:

On the rooftop of the hotel was a small gym with a yoga terrace.

For a boutique hotel, I was delighted to see a rooftop pool. You can take a gay out of DC, but you can’t take DC out of a gay, iykyk😉.

Even better, the pool was somewhat heated.

From the pool deck you could see partial views of the surrounding landmarks like the Washington Monument and the Kennedy Center. I’d imagine it gets popular in the warmer months.

Refuel:

Just on the other side of the pool was the rooftop bar. I don’t really get why the hotel went with Wolfgang Puck for all of its food and beverage programs. I had no clue he still had restaurants that weren’t in airports…

Rosewood Washington DC Cut Above Rooftop

I’ve had drinks here plenty of times in the past. It’s very mediocre. The drinks were not particularly well made, and the view was just okay. The rooftop at the Watergate is way better.

In addition to the rooftop bar, there were the CUT Bar and Lounge and the CUT D.C. by Wolfgang Puck. We did not visit either. DC is a steakhouse town. I don’t see why I’d wanna eat here over Joe’s, Bourbon Steak, the Prime Rib, Bobby Van’s… You get the point. The little terrace bar by the canal was quite charming in the summer when the canal had water, but that was many years ago.

Rosewood Washington DC CUT Bar and Lounge

DC also has no shortage of hotel bars, so tell me why I’d wanna drink here over Off the Record, the Round Robin, the Tabard Inn, Quill at the Jefferson…

Rosewood Washington DC CUT D.C. by Wolfgang Puck

Needless to say I’m not that impressed by the Rosewood DC’s f&b offerings. And I’m saying this with love - I could not care less what kind of restaurants the Park Hyatt or the St. Regis have. However, Rosewood usually has f&b outlets that even the locals would seek out, so this property was not that.

I did have room service, though. I tried to text the front desk via this link, but nobody responded.

Also, can I just comment on how funny it is that somebody at the Rosewood thought their guests would enjoy shopping at the Pentagon City Mall?

Rosewood Washington DC Concierge Recommendation

As a benefit of booking through the Rosewood Elite program, you can enjoy free in-room breakfast. You get a daily breakfast credit of $70 per room. The room service menu can be found here.

We only had breakfast once. My partner and I shared a yoghurt parfait and a breakfast sandwich. Both were good.

Rosewood Washington DC Room Service Breakfast

I had room service lunch one day. The food came from the Wolfgang Puck steakhouse, so I figured I’d survey the quality of the steak. It’s only in the interest of research, I swear!

Rosewood Washington DC Room Service Lunch

They were fine. Like I said, I can think of ten other steakhouses in DC I’d rather go to.

Depart:

I enjoyed our stay at the Rosewood DC. Unfortunately, DC as a hotel market just isn’t all that exciting. I’m waiting to review the Hay-Adams and the Jefferson, then I will have stayed at every single top hotel in DC and will have a comparison review on all of them. The Rosewood is a nice boutique option with decent room and amenities. Staff were all competent. I’d choose it over the Ritz Georgetown in a heartbeat if you’re looking to stay in the area.

Review - Rosewood Washington DC

Rosewood Washington DC

March, 2026

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