The Archer Hotel and the Watermark Hotel are both sleek, stylish hotels that opened in McLean last fall with plenty of trendy amenities. They are located opposite each other on Dolley Madison Blvd. and are both walkable from the McLean Silver Line Metro Station – literally steps from each hotel, making sightseeing in DC easy.
Here’s a quick rundown of each hotel.
Archer Hotel
Available rooms: King, double king, king suite, den with balcony suite, Archer king, Archer den.
Room amenities: The Archer Hotel tries to make each guest feel special with bottled water, handmade salted caramels in each room upon arrival, and daily turndown “treats,” Frette brand bathrobes, and slippers. Also provided are Malin+Goetz shampoo, conditioner, body wash and soap, ionic hair dryers, and Nespresso coffee machines, as well as a laptop-size safe and a wireless charging clock with Bluetooth capabilities.
Fitness center: Matrix fitness equipment including a Matrix 300 Functional Trainer, Isawall training wall, TRX systems, one Peleton bike and free weights, plus disposable headphones are provided.
Restaurants/Bars: The Market at the Archer Hotel is available for anything you may have forgotten (Advil, deodorant, etc.) as well as any snack you might like, including candy bars, chips/pretzels, mints, and soda. The AKB Hotel Bar is a stylish bar in the middle of the hotel with a sleek, square bar top and modern lighting fixtures that you can see from the street through the windows.
What’s available on this side of Dolley Madison Blvd.: It’s a long-ish walk or a short drive to a Safeway for any items you might have forgotten, along with Lost Dog Cafe, Bento Sushi, and Starbucks.
Instagram-worthy? Yes – besides the sleek bar and lobby, even the rooms are Instagrammable, with some having cute sayings like “Sweet as a Peach” painted on the walls.
Watermark Hotel
Available rooms: King studios, king junior suite, double queen suite, king one-bed suite, two-bedroom king suite.
Room amenities: A Frette custom bed – made exclusively for the hotel – and Frette bath towels, Roam shampoo, conditioner and body wash, in-room Keurig machines, and safes.
Fitness center: Two Peleton bikes, FORME interactive fitness mirror, aerobic equipment, free weights/benches, medicine balls, and mats.
Restaurants/Bars: The Aviary serves complimentary breakfast (eggs, yogurt, fruit, granola, smoked salmon, baked goods, and coffee) to guests, and Wren is a Japanese gastro-restaurant open for dinner. The Perch, a big outdoor area 11 stories above the street that includes Starr Hill Biergarten, an interactive sculpture garden, and an area with lawn games.
What’s available on this side of Dolley Madison Blvd.: The grocery store Wegmans and the Capital One Hall, which offers several different types of shows/entertainment, are in the same building as the Watermark.
Instagram-worthy? Yes – in addition to the hip restaurants, bars, outdoor areas, views from the room and concert halls you can post, there’s cute wallpaper and modern art in the rooms to post, too.
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