Twin Bridges Motor Hotel

The Twin Bridges Motor Hotel was a major mid-century motor hotel in Arlington County, Virginia, operated by Marriott and regarded as the first lodging facility in the company’s hotel business. It stood at 333 Jefferson Davis Highway, near the 14th Street Bridge approaches and across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Its location placed it close to the Pentagon, Washington National Airport, and prominent views of the Jefferson Memorial, the U.S. Capitol, and the Washington Monument. The property opened on January 16, 1957, shortly before President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second inauguration. It was designed around the automobile, with six two-story guestroom buildings, a five-story central tower, exterior room entrances, a drive-in registration desk, and bicycle escorts for arriving guests. The initial 360 rooms offered air conditioning, soundproofing, king-size beds, radio, and black-and-white television. The hotel’s original nightly pricing was positioned for the postwar roadside-travel market, with a base room rate plus an additional charge for each person and a stated maximum. The complex extended beyond guestrooms. It included a 335-seat Hot Shoppes restaurant, a gift shop, barber and beauty shops, a gas station, laundromat, and an outdoor pool that could be converted into an ice rink during winter. Marriott promoted the location’s proximity to the airport and Pentagon, and the property became an early example of an airport-oriented hotel. After Marriott opened the Key Bridge Motor Hotel in nearby Rosslyn in 1960, the original property was renamed the Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridges. Convention facilities became increasingly important. A 950-seat Persian Room was added in 1962, followed by two 700-seat banquet rooms in 1963. By 1968, the property had grown to 454 rooms. In 1978, Marriott sold the hotel and four other properties to The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States for $92 million, while retaining the operating relationship through a management agreement involving fees and a share of gross operating profits. The property was then known as the Twin Bridges Marriott Hotel. The hotel closed permanently on December 18, 1988, and was demolished in 1990. Subsequent proposals for office development and a military history museum did not produce a lasting redevelopment. In 2005, Arlington County rejected a proposal for two seven-story office buildings and arranged a land exchange that secured the former hotel site for public purposes. The location later became part of Long Bridge Park, a public recreation area. The hotel is therefore significant both as an early Marriott lodging venture and as a highly visible example of the automobile-oriented hotel architecture and hospitality infrastructure of postwar Northern Virginia.

The Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridges began as a pioneering Marriott lodging project in Arlington County, Virginia. It opened on January 16, 1957, at 333 Jefferson Davis Highway, close to the 14th Street Bridge approaches and across the Potomac from Washington, D.C. The site was strategically placed near the Pentagon and Washington National Airport, while also offering views toward major national landmarks. Its opening came shortly before Dwight D. Eisenhower’s second presidential inauguration, giving the new property an immediate connection to Washington’s political and travel economy. The hotel was conceived as a motor hotel rather than a conventional urban lodging tower. Its initial arrangement comprised six two-story buildings and a five-story central tower, with 360 guestrooms accessible from the exterior. Rooms featured air conditioning, soundproofing, king-size beds, radio, and black-and-white television. Guests registered from their cars at a drive-in desk, and staff escorted them to their rooms by bicycle. These features reflected the rapid expansion of automobile travel and the expectation that many guests would arrive with private vehicles. The property’s service offer extended beyond rooms. It had a 335-seat Hot Shoppes restaurant, retail and personal-service facilities, a gas station, a laundromat, and an outdoor swimming pool. The pool could be converted into an ice rink in winter, allowing the complex to offer a seasonal recreational feature. Marriott later described the property as one of the country’s earliest airport hotels, emphasizing the commercial value of its position between the airport, the Pentagon, and Washington’s visitor destinations. In 1960, Marriott opened the Key Bridge Motor Hotel in nearby Rosslyn. To distinguish the original location, it was renamed the Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridges. The hotel subsequently evolved from a roadside lodging facility into a substantial convention property. In 1962, Marriott added the 950-seat Persian Room. Two further banquet rooms, each capable of seating 700 people, followed in 1963. By 1968, the hotel had expanded to 454 rooms, demonstrating the growing importance of meetings, banquets, and group travel alongside individual overnight stays. Ownership changed in 1978, when Marriott sold the hotel together with four other properties to The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States for $92 million. Marriott continued to operate the hotels under its name through a management arrangement that provided operating fees and a percentage of gross operating profits. During this period, the property was generally identified as the Twin Bridges Marriott Hotel. A notable event occurred on June 29, 1979, when musician Lowell George suffered a fatal heart attack while staying there. The hotel closed permanently on December 18, 1988, and the buildings were demolished in 1990. Arlington County considered several possible reuses for the prominent waterfront-adjacent site. A 1991 office redevelopment proposal was rejected, while a later office-and-hotel plan approved in 1994 was never built. In 1993, the Department of the Army sought the land for a proposed military history museum, but that concept also did not become the site’s permanent use. In 2005, the County Board rejected a proposal for two seven-story office buildings on the hotel parcel and an adjacent property. Through a parcel exchange, the county moved private development closer to Crystal City and retained the former Twin Bridges land for public purposes. The site was ultimately incorporated into Long Bridge Park, preserving it as part of a public recreation area rather than redeveloping it as another hotel or office complex.

• 2005

  Site reserved for public use

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  Arlington County secures the former hotel parcel through a land exchange for public uses, later associated with Long Bridge Park.

• 1990

  Demolition

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  The former hotel buildings are demolished.

• 1988

  Permanent closure

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  The Twin Bridges Marriott closes on December 18.

• 1978

  Sale to Equitable

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  Marriott sells the property as part of a five-hotel transaction but remains its operator.

• 1968

  Expansion reaches 454 rooms

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  The expanded hotel is reported to contain 454 rooms.

• 1963

  Additional banquet rooms added

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  Two more 700-seat banquet rooms expand the hotel’s convention capacity.

• 1962

  Persian Room added

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  A 950-seat banquet and convention room is added to strengthen the property’s group-business offering.

• 1960

  Twin Bridges name introduced

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  The original Marriott motor hotel is renamed after Marriott opens a second nearby motor hotel in Rosslyn.

• 1957

  Hotel opens

  [1]Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org

  The 360-room Marriott Motor Hotel opens in Arlington on January 16, near the Pentagon, Washington National Airport, and the 14th Street Bridge.

A highly visible, automobile-oriented full-service motor hotel serving travelers to Washington, D.C., airport passengers, Pentagon-related business, and convention guests.

• Hotel accommodation · 1957

  Guest rooms

  The property opened with 360 soundproofed, air-conditioned rooms equipped with king-size beds, radio, and black-and-white television. The rooms were distributed across low-rise buildings and a central tower, with exterior entrances characteristic of a motor hotel. Expansion later increased total capacity to 454 rooms by 1968.

• Restaurant · 1957

  Hot Shoppes restaurant

  A 335-seat Hot Shoppes restaurant formed part of the hotel complex, providing on-site dining for overnight guests, motorists, and convention visitors. It reflected the broader Marriott and Hot Shoppes model of combining lodging with accessible food service.

• Meetings and events · 1962

  Convention and banquet facilities

  The hotel developed a substantial meetings business through the 950-seat Persian Room, added in 1962, and two further 700-seat banquet rooms added in 1963. These facilities helped shift the property beyond roadside lodging toward large-scale banquets, conventions, and group events.

• Guest amenities · 1957

  Recreational and motoring services

  The complex included an outdoor swimming pool convertible to a winter ice rink, a gas station, laundromat, gift shop, barber shop, beauty shop, drive-in registration, and bicycle room escorts. Together these services made the property a self-contained automobile-oriented destination.

• 2005

  Former hotel site shifted to public useStrategy

  Background

  Arlington County considered office development for the former hotel parcel but regarded the prominent site as better suited to public purposes.

  Action taken

  The county rejected a proposal for two seven-story office buildings and arranged a parcel exchange that retained the Twin Bridges property for public use.

  Aftermath

  The former hotel site became part of the public recreation area developed as Long Bridge Park.

  Source

• 1978

  Sale with continued Marriott managementM&A

  Background

  Marriott sold Twin Bridges and four other hotels to The Equitable Life Assurance Society while preserving the Marriott operating presence.

  Action taken

  The properties changed ownership in a reported $92 million transaction, with Marriott continuing to operate them for management fees and a share of gross operating profits.

  Aftermath

  The hotel continued under the Marriott name and was subsequently known as the Twin Bridges Marriott Hotel.

  Transaction value. $92 million (1978)

  Source

1. 1Marriott Motor Hotel Twin Bridgesen.wikipedia.org