It’s hard denying that the Hotel Helix is a special place for me and one which bring back fond memories in many different aspects of my life. But I also had the great fortune to return to it last week as my lodging choice in Washington while I conducted several very important appointments. They treated me like a king, with a one bedroom suite on the hotel’s top floor – facing the very apartment building I called home for eight years ending last November.
Hotel Helix was my place of residence another time in my life – the first forty days that I lived in Washington, DC in 2003, including the time when the city was hit by Hurricane Isabel, the Helix was my dwelling. It has also played host to my family on a number of occasions, including in July of 2005 when I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I had my office there in the former home of a second floor housekeeping closet during my last two years of employment to anyone other than myself. I also hosted my 30th, my 31st, and my 32nd birthday parties there as well as a casual gathering of friends and family the night before our wedding this past July. To say that I’ve developed a level of affinity for the Helix is probably an understatement.
But the Helix remains a sturdy, reliable, midscale Kimpton boutique hotel that caters to innovative businesses and leisure travelers alike. It’s bright, pop-culture theme is a stark contrast to the otherwise conservative stylings in Washington, DC, and hit amongst locals in its trendy Logan Circle neighborhood. As a boutique hotel, it’s on the larger side but it still can only host small meetings with few breakout needs. The lobby is intimate and the lobby bar makes up the lion’s share of the public space on the first floor. Helix Lounge is where breakfast is served, and their evening menu goes beyond that of happy hour. Perhaps its finest attribute is a well sized patio opened seasonally where guests can experience that Logan Circle residential feel, even if they are miles away from where they call home.
Rooms here are quite large as the building was originally built as an apartment building. The one bedroom suites are enormous but standard rooms are also very adequately sized. Some rooms are still equipped with kitchenettes and for those traveling with a family, a select number of rooms treat children to bunk beds.
The Helix is far from ordinary and would be a nice change of pace from the stodgy meeting!
WEB:
PHOTOS:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151232203182674.532338.137517647673&type=3