Award of Excellence
Best Hospitality Project

Project Team

JW Capital & Geolo Capital - (Owner + Developer)
STUDIOS Architecture - (Architect)
John Moriarty & Associates of Virginia - (General Contractor)
Bohler - (Engineer)
M Paul Friedberg & Partners - (Landscape)
SK&A - (Engineer)
Consentini - (Engineer)
Regional Electrical Manager - (Electrical)
WSP - (Facade)
Parts & Labor Design (Interiors)

Project Description

The Thompson Hotel D.C., located at the intersection of where naval history meets industrial architecture in DC’s Navy Yard neighborhood, is a new landmark positioned to re-energize the surrounding area while promoting a luxurious hospitality experience for guests.

The Thompson is part of a larger, single-zoned development in a neighborhood with a rich history. This vibrant community and its mix of parks, residential, office, cultural, and entertainment venues lacked hotels within walking distance. The design of the Thompson Hotel and resulting development serves to seamlessly integrate the significant history and community spaces of Navy Yard with a rich guest experience.

The Thompson Hotel pays homage to the surrounding historic substation, foundry, lumbershed, and boilermaker building, despite a challenging entitlements process due to the history of the site. The industrial-inspired design of the interiors and exterior celebrates the site’s former home of Navy Yard Building 151, where Navy destroyer ships were constructed during World War II. In addition to enabling unobstructed views of these surrounding historic buildings, the design connects hotel guests to the many other neighborhood attractions through views of Nationals Park and the Anacostia River, activation of the green space at Tingey Square, and the creation of a highly walkable adjacent streetscape.

A single shared area for parking, loading, and stormwater management was designed to maximize the quality of this pedestrian experience. The lobby entry, lounge, and restaurant are strategically located on the ground floor with connection to the new Tingey Square park, becoming a destination for the hotel and neighborhood. Cobblestone paving and rich landscaping creates a continuous park-like connection that links The Thompson Hotel to Yards Park and the Anacostia River.

Upon entry, the interiors, designed by Parts and Labor, encourage hotel guests to experience the luxury associated with the Thompson brand. The lobby’s raw materiality and simplicity of design draws on the continuation of Tingey Square. A timeliness, integrated design of the hotel restaurant, Maialino Mare, further elevates the guest experience. Serving as a neighborhood gateway, the Thompson Hotel contributes to the evolving history of Navy Yard while becoming the pinnacle of hospitality in the area.