7 New Venues in Washington, D.C. for Fall 2020 Meetings and Events

Gypsy Kitchen, a new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant, opened in Logan Circle in August, serving lamb moussaka and tuna crudo in a space filled with eye-catching tapestry rugs and tiling. The 14th Street restaurant from Atlanta's Southern Proper Hospitality tapped Eric Milton, formerly of Think Food Group, as executive chef. RDStudio Inc. renovated the former Masa 14 space, transforming the 1,100-square-foot roof deck into a year-round spot with retractable awning and greenery-covered walls. Gypsy Kitchen D.C.'s capacity is approximately 240 guests for a seated dinner and 350 reception style.

For a getaway from D.C., The Annapolis Waterfront Hotel unveiled a multimillion-dollar renovation in August. The Marriott International’s Autograph Collection property is the only hotel on the Annapolis waterfront. Washington, D.C.-based design firm Baskervill gave the 150 guest rooms and the Waterfront Harbor Suite a new nautical look inspired by elements of a sailboat. The hotel's nine event rooms are newly renovated as well, boasting over 10,000 square feet of meeting space. The 3,850-square-foot Chesapeake Ballroom is divisible into three spaces and walks out to an open-air patio event and dining space overlooking the Annapolis Harbor. The ballroom can accommodate 600 guests for receptions and 350 guests for banquet-style events. Other event spaces include the 1,400-square-foot Harbor View, which can accommodate 100 guests for receptions or 80 for banquet-style events; the 710-square-foot Spa Creek, which can accommodate 60 for receptions or 36 for conference-style events; and the 528-square-foot Severn Room, which can accommodate 40 for receptions or 20 for conference-style events.

The rooftop at Northeast D.C. food hall Union Market is now Hi-Lawn, a space for outdoor dining and drinking with sweeping views of the city. Tiger Fork's Restaurateurs Greg Algie and Nathan Beauchamp teamed up with The Royal's Paul Carlson to offer a menu including picnic baskets, lobster rolls, and steak dinners. With an "urban green space" theme, Hi-Lawn is set up with wood decking, picnic tables and colorful patio umbrellas on artificial turf, and a shipping container bar for draft cocktails, wine, spiked seltzers, alcoholic punch pouches, and craft beers. The space can accommodate 1,040 standing guests.

AC Hotels by Marriott opened its second Washington, D.C. location in October, a 234-room hotel in Mount Vernon Triangle. AC Washington D.C. Convention Center offers several different spaces for events. For small meetings of up to six guests, the Media Lounge overlooks the lobby and includes a 60-inch monitor for presentations and Zoom conferences. Host a reception-style event for as many as 150 guests in the AC Lounge, decorated with earth tones and a fireplace. The indoor-outdoor Estrella Lounge on the rooftop is available for buyouts and can host up to 120 guests for receptions. The rooftop venue, designed by GrizForm Design Architects, is slated to open in late fall.

Yotel Washington DC moved into the former Liaison Washington Capitol Hill and opened in October after a multimillion-dollar full property reconstruction. The remodel boasts a streamlined look and high-tech details like a self-service check-in kiosk. Planners will find over 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space at the 377-room Yotel. The Metropolitan Ballroom spans 4,400 square feet and is divisible into three sections: For receptions, the entire ballroom can accommodate 500 guests or 300 for classroom-style events. The 21,000-square-foot The Hill space can accommodate 150 for receptions or 90 for classroom-style events. Customizable meeting spaces The Grid and The Hub are each 600 square feet, with room for 50 guests for receptions or 30 for classroom-style events. The Grid and The Hub spaces can be combined with The Hill space. Yotel also includes three executive boardrooms with natural light, flat-screen TVs, and private powder rooms. The Bond room seats 10 for conferences, while the Connect and Unite rooms each seat 18. The rooftop bar and pool with room for 250 guests will reopen with a new design and a new name (dubbed Deck 11) in 2021. The hotel's popular Art and Soul restaurant will return with a fresh redesign and a private dining room that seats as many as 50 and can accommodate 80 standing guests.

Chef Ali Mesghali expanded into D.C. for his first opening outside Atlanta, bringing Persian restaurant Rumi's Kitchen to Mount Vernon Triangle in August. Rumi's Kitchen serves dishes like fattoush salad made with heirloom tomatoes, toasted flatbread, and buttermilk dressing, along with entrees like orange-zest accent shrimp kabobs or saffron marinated chicken breast with saffron basmati rice. The restaurant's moody dining room includes wooden beams, exposed brick, and murals. Seating capacity for the main dining room is 130, while the patio seats 26.

D.C.'s first Viceroy Hotels & Resorts property in the Washington area opened in August in Logan Circle. Housed in a former Kimpton property, the 178-room Viceroy Washington DC is now decked out in a colorful mural by artist Brandon Hill. Inside, EDG Interior Architecture + Design created interior spaces layered with art, including a cardboard collage of famous D.C. native Marvin Gaye. The hotel's 5,000 square feet of event space has also been newly renovated, including the 1,695-square-foot Eckstine ballroom. The Eckstine ballroom is divisible into two spaces, and the entire ballroom can accommodate 125 for cocktail receptions or 100 for theater-style events. Other meeting rooms include the 636-square-foot Salon, which accommodates 55 for receptions, and the Horn, Taylor, and Duke rooms, which each accommodate 25 for receptions or 22 for classroom-style events. In 2021, the Viceroy Washington DC plans to open its own restaurant, Dovetail (which will include a 2,100-square-foot patio with room for 180 guests for receptions or 90 for theater-style events) and the 3,960-square-foot seasonal rooftop bar, Hush, which will accommodate as many as 80 guests for receptions.