Hines, Qatari Diar to Build 370-Room Conrad Hotel

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

Starting in 2018, Washington, D.C., will be the home of a new luxury hotel. The developers of CityCenterDC, privately owned Hines and Qatari Diar, the real estate development entity of the Qatar Investment Authority, recently reached an agreement with D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray to design and build the 370-room Conrad Washington, D.C., the newest property in the Conrad Hotels & Resorts luxury brand portfolio operated by Hilton Worldwide.

The new hotel will be located at CityCenterDC, the 10-acre, landmark, mixed-use development located in the heart of the city. It will be designed by the internationally acclaimed Herzog & de Meuron Architekten, based in Basel, Switzerland, and HKS Architects Inc. of Dallas. The developers did not disclose the cost of the project. However, they did announce a timeline for construction: Work on the new hotel will start in mid-2015, and it is expected to open in early 2018.

The Conrad Washington, D.C., project also calls for the construction of 70,000 square feet of large-format retail space. It will be ready to receive tenants in late fall 2017.

“Adding a world-class luxury hotel caps the transformation CityCenterDC brings to the downtown area of the District of Columbia,” said Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Victor Hoskins in a statement for the press. “This addition will be instrumental in our efforts to attract visitors to the city and to continue to grow and strengthen the city’s economy.”

Besides the luxury hotel, the CityCenterDC project includes more than 260,000 square feet of retail space, 520,000 square feet of office space, 458 rental apartment units, 216 condominium units, parking for 1,550 cars, a public park, a central plaza and pedestrian-oriented streets and alleyways. Work on the project started in March 2011. It was substantially complete in December 2013.

Conrad Hotels & Resorts has a global portfolio of 23 properties. “We are truly excited to join the CityCenterDC development and its highly anticipated quality mix of retail, residential, dining and office tenants. Conrad Washington, D.C., will represent a destination for a new generation of global luxury travelers for whom life, business and pleasure seamlessly intersect,” said John Vanderslice, global head of Conrad Hotels & Resorts.

Conrad Washington, D.C. Preliminary Design by Herzog & de Meuron.