Riggs Washington DC in the Penn Quarter area has reopened.
It’s been a challenging year for the hospitality business, and in a way, more so for Riggs.
Soon after its grand opening in February, the luxury hotel had to close due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Amid the still-lingering fear and the possibility of the second wave, many hotels are slowly reopening. Riggs has made a stylish, albeit cautious, comeback with new features including safety measures.
Rooftop at Riggs at night.
The 181 room hotel is housed in the historic Riggs National Bank, a.k.a. the “Bank of Presidents,” where 23 U.S. presidents, including Abraham Lincoln, had banked. This swanky hotel in the heart of the city exudes European charm — not surprisingly, as the hotel group behind it was also responsible for the acclaimed Pulitzer Amsterdam and Sea Containers London on the River Thames. As well as its central location and proximity to attractions such as the White House and the National Mall, Riggs Washington DC boasts the boldly designed interior by Lore Group’s Creative Director, Jacu Strauss. His signature whimsical design was carefully executed throughout the property, honoring the history of the building.
With the reopening of the hotel, Riggs Washington DC made a number of changes in order to deal with challenges imposed by Covid-19. Most notably, the new Rooftop at Riggs has made its debut, offering panoramic views of the city and a casual menu of Mediterranean-inspired aperitifs and seasonal cocktails.
In an interview, David Taylor, COO of Lore Group, explains how the hotel is adapting to the new normal in response to the pandemic and social challenges.
Riggs is the first property of Lore Group outside of Europe and its opening was highly anticipated before it had to close due to the Covid-19. How do you see the hospitality business changing in these new circumstances and how will Riggs adapt to this new normal?
“We have a long-term commitment to Riggs so we want to ensure that whatever we do in the short term will ensure our future success for this iconic DC landmark. With less international guests and conventions/groups, we have shifted our revenue focus to staycations and near county markets with a tailored re-opening offer that provides some additional value such as complimentary upgrades, a credit to use in Café Riggs — the hotel's ground-level restaurant — and late check-outs.
From an employee and guest safety perspective, we have taken the current DC mandates and then gold-plated them to ensure we are going above and beyond, but at the same time ensuring that as a world-class hospitality business, we don’t lose sight of our role in providing a fantastic guest experience.”
Some hotels are renting out rooms as office spaces in order to survive the crisis. Are you diversifying the offerings at your hotels as a result of the pandemic?
“We are indeed. We can see that our guests are looking for spaces, which combine the ability to work and socialize. We have created a dual functional space on our rooftop. Rooftop at Riggs is an open-air, spacious and sophisticated rooftop bar terrace where views of Penn Quarter are complemented by a bright and breezy menu of Mediterranean inspired aperitifs and small plates. Similarly, the hotel now also offers the new apartment-style Riggs Suite – once the boardroom of the “Bank of Presidents” – which is a spacious entertainment space available for intimate gatherings, meetings, and receptions.
Additionally, we have expanded our ground-floor restaurant, Café Riggs, outside for an alfresco patio dining experience with flexible wall partitions, as well as implemented delivery and takeout service with curbside pickup.”
Riggs Washington DC is offering the new apartment-style "Riggs Suite", once the boardroom of the ... [+]
"Rooftop at Riggs" has made its debut with the re-opening.
The Covid-19 is a global issue that caused the closing of Riggs and Lore’s other properties. But there are also local issues that the hotel cannot ignore. Black Life Matters and the March On Washington which took place in the city on August 28th, for instance. How will Riggs deal with these matters in order to support regional/social issues?
“The Riggs team has been engaged from the ground up through their ongoing partnership with DC Central Kitchen, which, in its core purpose, works to create equal opportunities in DC and alleviate hunger as part of that. The team was also donating food and supplies to protesters in early June. We have also partnered long-term with Horton’s Kids, another local non-profit in which our team members will volunteer their time with underprivileged children that aims to provide a holistic, researched-based continuum of academic, youth development, and basic needs support designed to empower children to succeed.
Months before the March on Washington, we also supported several peaceful protests in partnership with a local non-profit charity: Friends and Family Meal that provided grab and go food stations full of supplies for the marchers, located on the march routes.”
How are you making sure that it’s safe to stay at Riggs during the pandemic?
“To provide an enhanced guest experience and a safe environment for all visitors, hotel staff are adhering to CDC guidelines including the wearing of protective facemasks and more. Contactless payment, check-in/out and menus, along with the frequent deep cleaning and sanitizing of spaces, practicing social distancing, and regular employee health checks are all being enforced.”
(You can find more details here.)
Covid-19 aside, how do you see the future of the hospitality business in Washington D.C.? There have been several openings of stylish hotels in the area. What do you think of this new trend?
“Washington, D.C., recognized this year as the “number-one place to go” by the New York Times, has never had a shortage of excellent hotels, jam-packed with history. However, we see traveler’s needs and expectations changing with design-forward additions such as Riggs which rely less on old-school luxury pretense and hone in on an individualized guest experience given we are all different. The addition of new hotels and restaurants can only help attract domestic and international visitors to DC.”
(Read my previous article to find more about Riggs Washington DC.)
Riggs Washington DC is at 900 F Street NW, Washington D.C. 20004.
(Phone): +1 202-638-1800
