Business Ins & Outs: Four Seasons, Grace Street Coffee, Poliform, Raising Cane’s
By • May 28, 2024 0 808
In: Grace Street Coffee on K St.
Grace Street Coffee has reopened its flagship at 3299 K Street NW — or Water Street, if you like, just down the lane from its original Grace Street spot.
“Grace Street Coffee Roasters is an independent, locally owned coffee company that roasts its beans onsite and sources them from tiny, freshly harvested lots all over the world,” we’re told. “They offer an impressive selection of coffees, hot and cold drinks, and if you arrive early enough, pastries from Fresh Baguette.” There’s indoor and outdoor seating.
In: HRC Cafe by Emissary
Now open at 3210 Grace St. NW, HRC by Emissary updates the High Road Cycling store and cafe, which offers salads, sandwiches, drinks and desserts. The initials supposedly stand for “Haute Revolutionary Cuisine.”
In: Poliform to Celebrate Grand Opening June 5
Poliform, a leading Italian company for contemporary and modern furniture, will celebrate the opening of its new flagship store in Washington, D.C., on June 5 at 3304 M St. NW. Located near Lake Como, Poliform was founded in 1970.
“Poliform’s Georgetown showroom will offer shoppers complete home furnishings ranging from kitchens, closets, and bookcases to living room furniture and more,” the company says. “In the Poliform showroom, experience and style take center stage to express the essence of products made in Italy. Cabinetry systems and furnishing accessories flow through the space with a wide array of material and color combinations to create a coherent philosophy and unique interpretation of contemporary interiors.”
Renovation: $20-Million Refresh at Four Seasons
The Four Seasons Hotel Washington has kicked off a roughly $20-million renovation of its rooms and common areas, with plans to wrap up in time for festivities tied to the presidential inauguration in January, according to the Washington Business Journal.
The 222-room hotel in Georgetown retained Forrest Perkins and Humphrey Rich Construction to design and renovate the 45-year-old property. The Four Seasons was one of the only hotels in the D.C. area to earn a five-star ranking on the Forbes Travel Guide in 2022, and it retained the designation this year to become the only five-star Forbes hotel within the District.
It’s not that the Four Seasons at 2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW was looking shabby, Marc Bromley, the hotel’s general manager, told the Journal. “We try to do it before it’s needed, before our guests are telling us that rooms are tired or dated,” he said. “Before it was past its prime, we started taking about it, put a model room together and the plan was let’s be ready for inauguration, because inauguration years tend to be big years for the city.”
It’s the first time since 2008 that the hotel has undergone such a public-facing remake, according to the WBJ. The hotel is owned by Strategic Hotels & Resorts, which was acquired in 2016 by Chinese holding company Anbang Insurance Group Co. for $6.5 billion.
The hotel’s room count will actually go down with the work, as 10 rooms will be converted into five higher-end suites, leaving the hotel with a total of 212 rooms — 149 standard rooms and 63 suites.
Coming: Raising Cane’s to Replace Havana Smoke Shop
Be on the lookout for fried chicken fingers, Texas toast, crispy fries and coleslaw. Replacing Havana Smoke Shop, the Louisiana chicken restaurant Raising Cane’s plans to open at 3249 M St. NW, next to Sephora. Its other D.C. location is at Union Station. The company will present its design plans for the M Street store next week to the Old Georgetown Board.
