The Fairfax at Embassy Row
A historic luxury hotel on Massachusetts Avenue in Washington, D.C.'s Embassy Row that operated under several names before closing permanently in 2021.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
The Fairfax at Embassy Row was a historic luxury hotel at 2100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The property opened in 1927 as The Fairfax Hotel and became one of the capital's notable residential and transient hotels. Its location in the Embassy Row area, combined with residential suites and kitchens, made it particularly attractive to diplomats, government officials, politically connected families, and visitors requiring extended accommodation. The building is recognized as a contributing property to both the Dupont Circle Historic District and the Massachusetts Avenue Historic District. The hotel's early history was closely connected with Washington's political and diplomatic life. In 1932, Colonel H. Grady Gore and his wife, Jamie, acquired the property. During their ownership, the Fairfax housed numerous public figures, including Senator John L. McClellan, Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and his wife, and Mrs. Henry Cabot Lodge. George H. W. Bush and his parents, Senator Prescott Bush and Mrs. Bush, lived at the hotel while in Washington. Al Gore's family occupied a three-bedroom top-floor suite for approximately two decades during his youth. The hotel's kitchens were also important to Foreign Service families because the property fit within the State Department's limits for temporary-housing allowances. In January 1953, the hotel hosted the first inaugural breakfast for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. The property underwent a series of ownership, management, and identity changes from the late twentieth century onward. The Gores sold it to John B. Coleman in 1977. Coleman funded a major renovation and changed its name in 1982 to The Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C., under a licensed arrangement. After the modern Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company assumed management, the hotel entered bankruptcy proceedings from 1986 to 1988. Al Anwa USA, controlled by Saudi Arabian businessman Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim al-Ibrahim, acquired the property in 1989 and carried out another substantial renovation. A dispute over management fees between Al Anwa and Ritz-Carlton contributed to the end of their relationship in 1997. Following the termination of the Ritz-Carlton management contract, the property passed through several confusing brand transitions. It was briefly associated with the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection, was considered for a St. Regis identity that was never implemented, and became The Westin Fairfax in 1998. In 2002, Starwood renamed it The Westin Embassy Row because of concern that the Fairfax name could lead travelers to associate the hotel with Fairfax County, Virginia. Pyramid Advisors acquired the hotel in 2006 and closed it for a major renovation. It reopened in November 2008 as The Fairfax at Embassy Row within Starwood's Luxury Collection division. Westbrook Partners acquired the property at a foreclosure auction in 2011. In 2015, the hotel ended its Starwood affiliation and partnered with Preferred Hotels & Resorts. The Fairfax permanently ceased hotel operations on September 7, 2021, after Westbrook sold the property to Maplewood Senior Living and Omega Healthcare Investors. The building was converted into a 174-unit senior-living community, which opened in February 2025 under the name Inspir Embassy Row, styled as Inspīr Embassy Row. That later use is separate from the defunct Fairfax hotel brand. The hotel's best-known dining venue was The Jockey Club, which opened in 1961 and became a prominent gathering place for Washington's political, business, and cultural elite. Although the hotel received a four-diamond AAA rating in several periods, including 2009 and 2016, its final hotel operation ended in 2021.
History
The Fairfax Hotel opened in 1927 at 2100 Massachusetts Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. The building was designed by architect B. Stanley Simmons on the site of a house associated with Brainard Warner, a Washington financier and real-estate developer. From its beginning, the property operated as a combination transient and residential hotel, a format that suited Washington's government-centered economy and its large population of diplomats, legislators, civil servants, and visiting families. Colonel H. Grady Gore and his wife, Jamie, purchased the hotel in 1932. Under their ownership, it developed a reputation as a politically connected residence. Its occupants included government and military figures such as Senator John L. McClellan and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz. George H. W. Bush and his parents, Senator Prescott Bush and Mrs. Bush, stayed at the hotel while in Washington. Al Gore's family lived in a three-bedroom suite on the top floor for roughly twenty years during his childhood, reflecting the property's role as a long-term residential address as well as a conventional hotel. Kitchens in the suites were especially valuable to Foreign Service families because the accommodation could fall within State Department temporary-housing limits. The property hosted President Dwight Eisenhower's first inaugural breakfast in January 1953. A major ownership transition occurred in 1977, when the Gores sold the hotel to John B. Coleman. Coleman invested approximately $10 million in renovation work and rebranded the property as The Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C. in 1982. The name was initially licensed from the owner of the Ritz-Carlton in Boston, with the Washington property paying a percentage of annual gross revenue. When the modern Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company was formed in the mid-1980s, it assumed management. The hotel subsequently entered bankruptcy proceedings that lasted from 1986 through 1988. Al Anwa USA, controlled by Saudi Arabian Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Ibrahim al-Ibrahim, acquired the hotel in 1989 and spent approximately $15 million renovating it. Relations between Al Anwa and Ritz-Carlton later deteriorated over management fees. Ritz-Carlton ended its management contract on August 2, 1997. The Washington property and three other Al Anwa hotels dropped the Ritz-Carlton name on August 14, 1997. ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection then managed the group, and the Washington hotel temporarily operated under an unwieldy shared name. Starwood acquired ITT Sheraton in October 1997 and purchased the four hotels from Al Anwa in January 1998. Starwood announced that the Washington property would become a St. Regis hotel, but that plan was not implemented. The hotel operated without a settled brand identity until October 1998, when it became The Westin Fairfax. In April 2002, Starwood changed the name to The Westin Embassy Row, reportedly because the Fairfax name could cause confusion with Fairfax County, Virginia. Pyramid Advisors acquired the hotel in January 2006 as part of a package of three Starwood properties. The company closed the hotel in 2007 and undertook a renovation reported at approximately $27.1 million. The property reopened in November 2008 as The Fairfax at Embassy Row, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection. Westbrook Partners later acquired it at a foreclosure auction in April 2011. On November 5, 2015, the hotel ended its Starwood affiliation and moved to a partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts. The hotel's dining history was also significant. The Jockey Club opened in 1961, created by Louise Gore and inspired by continental restaurants she encountered during work with UNESCO in Paris. It became a well-known venue for Washington's wealthy and politically influential circles, attracting members of the Kennedy family, Nancy Reagan, Vernon Jordan, and entertainers such as Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando. The restaurant closed in 2001, returned in 2008, and closed again in 2011 after failing to achieve financial success. It was followed by 2100 Prime and later by a breakfast room called The Capitol Room. The Fairfax ended hotel operations permanently on September 7, 2021. Westbrook Partners sold the property for approximately $58.1 million to Maplewood Senior Living and Omega Healthcare Investors, which converted the building into a 174-unit retirement community. The resulting community opened on February 13, 2025, as Inspir Embassy Row. The former hotel building remains historically significant, but The Fairfax at Embassy Row is now a defunct hotel brand.
- 2025
Property reopens as Inspir Embassy Row
[1]The converted building opens as a 174-unit retirement community on February 13, 2025.
- 2021
Hotel closes permanently
[1]The Fairfax ends hotel operations on September 7, 2021.
- 2015
Preferred Hotels affiliation begins
[1]The hotel leaves Starwood and begins a partnership with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
- 2011
Westbrook Partners acquires the hotel
[1]Westbrook Partners purchases the property at a foreclosure auction.
- 2008
Reopens as The Fairfax at Embassy Row
[1]Following a major renovation, the hotel reopens under its Fairfax at Embassy Row name as part of Starwood's Luxury Collection.
- 2006
Pyramid Advisors acquires the property
[1]Pyramid Advisors purchases the hotel as part of a package of three Starwood properties.
- 2002
Name changes to The Westin Embassy Row
[1]Starwood changes the name to emphasize the property's Washington, D.C., location and avoid confusion with Fairfax County.
- 1998
The Westin Fairfax launches
[1]After a period without a settled name and an unrealized St. Regis plan, the hotel becomes The Westin Fairfax.
- 1997
Ritz-Carlton management ends
[1]Ritz-Carlton terminates its management contract, and the property drops the Ritz-Carlton name.
- 1989
Al Anwa USA acquisition
[1]Al Anwa USA acquires the property and carries out another major renovation.
Products and positioning
Historic luxury hotel with a strong political, diplomatic, and residential identity in Washington, D.C.'s Embassy Row district.
Accommodation · 1927
Hotel rooms and suites
The Fairfax operated as both a transient hotel and a residential property. Its accommodation included conventional guest rooms and larger suites suited to extended stays. Kitchens in some units helped attract diplomatic and government families whose temporary housing arrangements required residential amenities.
Restaurant · 1961
The Jockey Club
Opened in 1961, The Jockey Club was the hotel's best-known dining venue. Designed around a continental restaurant concept, it became a celebrated meeting place for political figures, business leaders, socialites, and entertainers. It closed in 2001, was revived in 2008, and closed again in 2011.
Restaurant · 2001
Cabo
Cabo replaced The Jockey Club after its first closure in 2001. The available reference material identifies it as a subsequent hotel restaurant but does not provide a detailed account of its cuisine, operating period, or commercial positioning.
Restaurant · 2011
2100 Prime
2100 Prime followed the second closure of The Jockey Club in 2011. It operated in the former restaurant space but closed soon afterward. Detailed information about its menu and operating history is not established in the reference material.
Breakfast and events
The Capitol Room
After 2100 Prime closed, the space was used as The Capitol Room, a breakfast room and hospitality area that continued until the hotel's permanent closure in 2021.
Brand decisions
2021
Convert the hotel into a retirement communityStrategyBackground
The hotel closed permanently after Westbrook Partners sold the property to Maplewood Senior Living and Omega Healthcare Investors.
Action taken
The new owners converted the former hotel into a 174-unit senior-living community.
Aftermath
The building reopened in February 2025 as Inspir Embassy Row, ending the Fairfax brand's operation as a hotel.
Property sale price. $58.1 million (2021 sale)
2015
Change hotel affiliation to Preferred Hotels & ResortsStrategyBackground
The property was owned by Westbrook Partners after its 2011 foreclosure-auction acquisition.
Action taken
The Fairfax dropped its Starwood affiliation and partnered with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
Aftermath
The hotel continued independently under The Fairfax at Embassy Row identity until its permanent closure in 2021.
2008
Reposition as The Fairfax at Embassy RowStrategyBackground
Pyramid Advisors closed the hotel for a substantial renovation after acquiring it in 2006.
Action taken
The renovated property reopened under the Fairfax at Embassy Row name as part of Starwood's Luxury Collection.
Aftermath
The hotel operated under the Fairfax at Embassy Row identity until its Starwood affiliation ended in 2015.
2002
Replace Fairfax with Embassy Row in the Westin nameStrategyBackground
Starwood was concerned that travelers might mistake Fairfax for the nearby suburban jurisdiction of Fairfax County, Virginia.
Action taken
The Westin Fairfax was renamed The Westin Embassy Row.
Aftermath
The property later returned to the Fairfax name when it reopened as The Fairfax at Embassy Row in 2008.
1982
Adopt the Ritz-Carlton nameStrategyBackground
Following a major renovation under John B. Coleman's ownership, the property sought a luxury-brand identity through a licensed Ritz-Carlton arrangement.
Action taken
The hotel was renamed The Ritz-Carlton Washington, D.C., with the name licensed under a revenue-based agreement.
Aftermath
The modern Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company later assumed management, but the property entered bankruptcy proceedings from 1986 to 1988 and ultimately lost the Ritz-Carlton identity in 1997.
Sources1 sources
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