Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Georgetown
An all-suite Embassy Suites hotel in Washington, D.C.'s West End, known for its large skylit tropical atrium.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Georgetown is an all-suite hotel at 1250 22nd Street NW in Washington, D.C.'s West End neighborhood. It belongs to Hilton's Embassy Suites Hotels chain, an upscale extended-stay-oriented hotel brand built around suite accommodations and services for both leisure and business travelers. The property is particularly noted for its eight-story interior atrium, a prominent architectural and hospitality feature containing tropical plants, a waterfall, and a lagoon. The hotel was developed during a period of major change in the West End. In the 1960s, the area included deteriorating Victorian townhouses and former light-industrial sites. Washington, D.C.'s 1974 zoning revisions treated hotels similarly to residential housing in relevant development rules, helping stimulate a wave of new hotel construction. In June 1986, the Oliver Carr Company sold a tract at 2200 N Street NW to Chicago-based Charles H. Shaw Co. and Holiday Corp., the company associated with the Holiday Inn chain, for $11.4 million. The resulting 318-room, all-suite hotel opened in October 1987. Its design was organized around a skylit, eight-story atrium intended to evoke a tropical rainforest. The original interior included palm trees, a two-story terraced waterfall, and a lagoon populated by ducks and koi. Paper lanterns provided an Asian-inspired visual effect after dark. Guest suites faced either the atrium or surrounding city streets, while larger corner units were marketed as executive suites. The nine-story building also offered views toward nearby Georgetown from upper floors. Reported facilities included a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, whirlpool, and sauna, in addition to lodging and meeting-related services. The property became unionized soon after opening. Contemporary accounts described it as one of only two unionized hotels in Washington, D.C. during the following decades, the other being the Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. Its ownership history reflects the broader corporate consolidation of the American hotel industry. In December 1989, Holiday Corp. separated Embassy Suites and related hotel interests into the independent Promus Companies. Promus later divided its gaming activities from its tourist and business-travel hotel operations, and in 1995 Embassy Suites and other hotel brands were separated into Promus Hotel Corporation. Hilton Hotels Corporation acquired Promus Hotel Corporation for approximately $3.1 billion in September 1999, bringing Embassy Suites into the Hilton family. The Washington property underwent a renovation of guest rooms and public areas beginning in November 2012. The work included the addition of free Internet kiosks in the lobby. The hotel's positioning is therefore based on recognizable Embassy Suites characteristics—suite-style accommodation, a distinctive common area, and facilities serving visitors to central Washington—combined with its location near Georgetown, Georgetown University, downtown business districts, and federal and cultural destinations. The available reference material does not establish the current real-estate owner, current general manager, exact present room inventory, or a standalone property website.
History
Embassy Suites by Hilton Washington DC Georgetown was developed in Washington, D.C.'s West End during the hotel-building expansion that followed the District's 1974 zoning changes. Before redevelopment, the neighborhood had suffered from disinvestment, with deteriorating Victorian residences and abandoned light-industrial properties. The revised regulatory framework treated hotels similarly to residential housing in important respects and helped make hotel construction more feasible. In June 1986, the Oliver Carr Company sold a parcel at 2200 N Street NW to the Chicago development firm Charles H. Shaw Co. and Holiday Corp., the owner of the Holiday Inn chain. The reported transaction value was $11.4 million. Construction produced a nine-story, 318-room hotel in which every guest accommodation was a suite. The property opened in October 1987 under the Embassy Suites name. The building's defining architectural feature was its interior atrium. Rising eight stories beneath a skylight, the space was designed to suggest a tropical rainforest and included palm trees, a two-story terraced waterfall, and a lagoon with ducks and koi. At night, paper lanterns contributed an Asian-inspired atmosphere. Suites looked either onto the atrium or onto city streets. Larger corner units were described as executive suites, and rooms on the upper floors offered views toward Georgetown. The original amenity package included a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, whirlpool, and sauna. Labor organization became part of the property's early history. The hotel was unionized soon after opening. Accounts cited in the property history identify it as one of only two unionized Washington hotels over the next two decades, alongside the Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C. The property's corporate history followed changes in the ownership and organization of major American hotel businesses. In December 1989, Holiday Corp. spun off Embassy Suites and its other hotels into the Promus Companies. Promus subsequently separated its gambling interests from its tourist and business-travel hotel chains. In 1995, Embassy Suites and other hotel operations were placed in the independent Promus Hotel Corporation. Hilton Hotels Corporation bought Promus Hotel Corporation for approximately $3.1 billion in September 1999, making Embassy Suites part of the Hilton portfolio. A substantial renovation of guest rooms and public spaces began in November 2012. The project included free Internet kiosks in the lobby. The available source material does not provide a complete account of subsequent renovations, present ownership, management personnel, or current operating statistics. The hotel's enduring identity rests on its all-suite format, central Washington location, and unusually prominent atrium rather than on a separate corporate identity apart from Embassy Suites and Hilton.
- 2012
Renovation begins
[1]Renovation work on guest rooms and public areas began in November and included free Internet kiosks in the lobby.
- 1999
Hilton acquires Promus
[1]Hilton Hotels Corporation acquired Promus Hotel Corporation in September for approximately $3.1 billion, bringing Embassy Suites into the Hilton family.
- 1995
Promus Hotel Corporation is established
[1]Embassy Suites and related tourist and business-travel hotel chains were separated into the stand-alone Promus Hotel Corporation.
- 1989
Embassy Suites enters the Promus structure
[1]Holiday Corp. spun off Embassy Suites and other hotel operations as the Promus Companies.
- 1988
Shuwa Investments buys a minority interest
[1]Shuwa Investments Corp. acquired a 50 percent interest in April for $21.5 million.
- 1987
Hotel opens
[1]The 318-room all-suite hotel opened in October in Washington, D.C.'s West End.
- 1986
Development site is sold
[1]Oliver Carr Company sold the 2200 N Street NW tract to Charles H. Shaw Co. and Holiday Corp. for a reported $11.4 million.
- 1974
Washington, D.C. revises zoning rules
[1]Changes to District zoning helped stimulate a hotel-construction boom, contributing to redevelopment in areas such as the West End.
Products and positioning
Upscale all-suite hotel serving leisure, business, and extended-stay travelers in Washington, D.C.'s West End and Georgetown area.
Hotel accommodation · 1987
All-suite guest rooms
The property opened with 318 rooms configured as suites rather than conventional single-room hotel units. Suites faced either the central atrium or surrounding streets, giving the hotel a consistent all-suite identity within the Embassy Suites system.
Premium hotel accommodation · 1987
Executive suites
The larger corner suites were identified as executive suites in descriptions of the original property. They represented the hotel's more spacious accommodation option within its all-suite layout.
Hospitality services · 1987
Meetings and events
The hotel provides meeting-oriented hospitality services associated with an upscale urban all-suite property. The available source material confirms meeting facilities but does not specify their current capacity, room inventory, or event packages.
Hotel amenities · 1987
Atrium leisure amenities
The original amenity set included a restaurant, bar, swimming pool, attached whirlpool, and sauna. The eight-story atrium, tropical planting, waterfall, and lagoon formed the property's principal experiential feature.
Brand decisions
2012
Guest-room and public-area renovationOtherBackground
The hotel undertook an update of its physical facilities after operating for approximately twenty-five years.
Action taken
Renovation work began in November 2012, covering guest rooms and public spaces and adding free Internet kiosks in the lobby.
Aftermath
The project modernized selected guest-facing facilities, although the available source does not quantify its cost or describe all resulting changes.
1999
Hilton acquires Promus Hotel CorporationM&ABackground
Promus had become the separate company holding Embassy Suites and other hotel brands.
Action taken
Hilton Hotels Corporation purchased Promus Hotel Corporation for approximately $3.1 billion in September 1999.
Aftermath
Embassy Suites became part of Hilton's hotel portfolio, the corporate relationship that underlies the property's current Embassy Suites by Hilton identity.
Acquisition price. $3.1 billion (September 1999)
1989
Holiday Corp. spins off Embassy Suites into PromusM&ABackground
Holiday Corp. reorganized its hotel interests and separated Embassy Suites and other hotel operations into the Promus Companies.
Action taken
The Embassy Suites business was placed within a new stand-alone corporate structure rather than remaining directly within Holiday Corp.
Aftermath
The reorganization preceded the later creation of Promus Hotel Corporation and Hilton's acquisition of Promus in 1999.
Sources1 sources
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