The Hotel George
15 E. St. NW (North Capitol St. NM)
202-347-4200
www.hotelgeorge.com

A fashionable boutique hotel, this location is close enough to Washington 's seats of power so that guests can easily walk to Capitol Hill, and then can just as easily leave town by train from nearby Union Station. Although the exterior fits into its historic surroundings, the interior is pure 21st century: Chrome, glass and granite are spiced up with bright Warhol-style silk screens of Washington and Lincoln. The 139 guestrooms and suites are tastefully done in a warm mix of beige and white. All rooms include convenient amenities like T1 lines for high-speed Internet access, cordless phones and CD players, but business rooms, located on the upper levels, come with complimentary fax machines and VCRs. With its zinc bar, tile floor and innovative cuisine, the hotel's famous restaurant Bistro Bis is a favorite power spot for breakfast, lunch and dinner—especially when Congress is in session.

Hotel Tabard Inn
1739 N St., NW
Washington, D.C.
202-785-1277
www.tabardinn.com

With its quiet air of reserved gentility, the Tabard Inn remains one of the city's most sought-after yet barely discovered destinations. Just far enough away from downtown, the inn, nonetheless, is in the very busy Dupont Circle area, and close enough to the heart of commerce, the government, and D.C.'s new Convention Center. It creaks with history and is filled with character and charm, and offers private dining and meeting rooms for commercial gatherings. Its restaurant features eclectic American cuisine, and its breakfast doughnuts are legendary. What the inn lacks in luxury it more than makes up for in convenience.

Latham Hotel
3000 M St., NW
Washington, DC
888-587-2377
www.thelatham.com

Quietly elegant, the boutique Latham Hotel is located in the heart of Georgetown near a metro stop and within easy walking distance of Georgetown University and George Washington University. It's also a healthy distance from the State Department, the White House and most of the federal office buildings. It's convenient to professional offices, upscale retail locations and several fine-dining establishments, including Citronelle Michel Richard in its own lobby. The restaurant is perhaps the most famous in town and easily one of the best. For extra convenience, the hotel provides guests with IbHan wireless Internet access in all guest rooms and suites. For business events there are nine function rooms and a ballroom for large receptions with catering and AV services on hand.

Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC
Washington, D.C.
1330 Maryland Avenue, SW
202-787 6140
www.mandarinoriental.com/washington

Near the Jefferson Memorial, the National Mall, and the Washington Monument, The Mandarin Oriental enjoys a prime location while being just far enough from congested downtown areas to provide its guests with a respite from the city's rush. The hotel's generously proportioned guest rooms and suites—a marriage of Asian elegance and traditional touches—have been designed in keeping with the principles of Feng Shui to create sanctuaries of calm for high-powered guests. Rooms come with countless amenities, such as imported linens and flat screen TVs with DVDs. With onsite CityZen restaurant and Café MoZu, both featuring Asian-fusion cuisine, your palate will be spoiled. Business amenities include a fully equipped Business Center and individual communications facilities in every room, as well as wireless Internet access in all hotel function areas. Be sure and book a table at the hotel's CityZen restaurant, helmed by the celebrated Eric Ziebold.

Willard InterContinental Washington
1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW (14th St. NW)
202-637-7318
www.washington.intercontinental.com

This upscale landmark was extensively renovated at the turn of the millennium. The lobby, with marble and wood furnishings, is manned by an attentive reception staff, ready to treat their guests like visiting royalty—and many are royalty. Guestrooms include 42 suites and are done in a combination of Victorian and Federal styles to reflect the hotel's surroundings. Designed with business in mind, each room comes with high-speed Internet access, a CD player and printer/fax machine. Drinking and dining facilities include the Café du Parc, Round Robin Bar, where legend has it the mint julep was introduced to D.C., and the Willard Room, with one of the grandest dining rooms in Washington. For the business traveler, the hotel's location, within walking distance of government and commercial centers, makes it one of the most convenient guest destinations in town.

With its rustic yet stately décor and wide, open kitchen, Blue Duck beckons guests to relax and converse in peace—and enjoy contemporary American cooking made from first-class ingredients. Chef Brian McBride masterminds a menu constructed of American classics—think country venison sausage or wood-fired steak and roasted garlic—and everything comes at a leisurely pace. Located in the booming West End, the restaurant is especially convenient for hotel guests who want to entertain in style without the inconvenience of going across town.

Hot, hip and happening, Brassier Beck is chef Robert Wiedmaier's Belgian fantasy with superlative mostly Belgian food and more than 100 Belgian beers to pair with each course. If you like the night scene and want to impress business pals, reserve ahead or cozy up to the bar and wait for your table. But for serious talk—the acoustics aren't conversation-friendly—plan a business lunch here. You will miss the nighttime hubbub, but you will still get the same steamed mussels, hot breads and pear tarte tatin with caramel sauce. With such culinary pampering, you can seal just about any deal.

Chef Michel Richard has made Citronelle—and we are weighing our words carefully—one of the best restaurants in America. From the multi-tiered dining room to Richard's exhibition kitchen sparkling with immaculate glass, steel and copper pots, it's clear that this is more than a restaurant. It's also a theater. Prepare yourself to savor Richard's ever changing and evolving creations: perhaps the caviar Penguin, a voluptuous combination of caviar and potato purée, or the rouget with endive and calamari sauce. Don't be shy about asking the master to custom-design a meal for you. Richard is an artist, so his palette will please your palate, although not necessarily your wallet. For the most impressive meal, reserve the chef's table right in the kitchen and wait for the glories to begin.

This famous restaurant with its oyster bar and dark-woods and velvet trim is one of D.C.'s most popular venues, noted as the place for lawyers, politicos and journalists to drop by and swap stories. Steps away from the White House and with the State Department within walking distance—Capitol Hill is a short taxi ride away—the Ebbitt draws folks not only for its convenient location but also because the food is hearty mainstream American fare. Like oysters? Don't miss the Oyster Bar in the back room. Super busy all the time.

Located just a stroll away from The Oval Room in the White House, this classy restaurant provides an elegant setting for businessmen and visitors alike. Because it enjoys the reputation of being a "power place" where VIPs frequently lunch or dine, you will surely appreciate both the food by chef Tony Conte and the convenience of being in the thick of D.C.'s political hub. The Oval Room also offers three private dining rooms for cocktail parties or other business functions.