Business Ins & Outs: José Andrés Hotel, Call Your Mother, Housebar, Creme
By • September 30, 2024 0 9
Coming: José Andrés to Open First Hotel at 30th & M
More confirmation that Georgetown is the hot destination.
José Andrés’s hospitality company announced that it will bring a luxury hotel called the Bazaar House by José Andrés to Georgetown in 2027.
Chef José Andrés plans to open, with partner Thor Equities Group, his first hotel ever at 3000 M St. NW in 2027, said the José Andrés Group, which operates 40 restaurants. It will be called the Bazaar House, occupying the corner property once held by the Latham Hotel and Michel Richard’s Citronelle.
The hotel will feature 67 rooms, a private membership club, an events space, an expansive wellness center, and multiple bars and restaurants from José Andrés Group, according to a press release.
“Although specific food and beverage concepts have yet to be announced, a penthouse club dubbed the Bazaar Club will have ‘exclusive’ benefits and venues for members, plus a signature restaurant with views of Georgetown,” according to Washingtonian.
Chef José Andrés. Courtesy the José Andrés Group.
“Thirty years ago, when I came to Washington, D.C., as a young chef, I knew that this city was a perfect place to bring people together over food,” José Andrés said in a statement. “It’s one of the beating hearts of our country, a place where I knew I could meet anyone and do anything, starting with a great meal. Well, today I’m so happy to start a new chapter with The Bazaar House in Georgetown, an amazing opportunity to welcome people to my city in an entirely new way.”
“Like restaurants, hotels have a remarkable ability to transport us, provide a welcome retreat and become a unifying anchor in our community. Opening our first hotel in Georgetown holds a special place for us as a D.C.-born company where we have grown now for three decades and will now start an exciting new chapter with the launch of our first-ever hotel and membership club,” said Sam Bakhshandehpour, global CEO, José Andrés Group.
In: RM Wellness at Hamilton Court
RM Wellness is a new mini-spa specializing in massage therapy services and manual lymphatic drainage and plans to open on Saturday, Oct. 19, at 1228 1/2 31st St. NW.
The company tells us: “RM Wellness will be the first woman-owned mini-spa of its kind in D.C., offering traditional massages such as deep tissue, Swedish, and prenatal, and manual lymphatic drainage services in Georgetown. RM Wellness’s mission is to bring intentional care to delivering relaxation, comfort, and a deeper connection with one’s mind and body, whilst relieving stress and the painful symptoms of injury and illness. … Founder Regina McLinden, a seasoned massage therapist and esthetician with extensive international training, brings a wealth of expertise to RM Wellness. Trained in diverse modalities such as Shiatsu, Lomi Lomi, Thai, and Maya Abdominal massage, McLinden has developed a unique, blended technique that is then tailored to fit specific client needs.”
Still Serving: Call Your Mother at 35th & O
Oy vey! Last week, after yet another zoning hearing, a vote on the bagel shop’s future is expected on Oct. 23.
The dispute about the continuance of a popular bagel shop in the famous bright pink building on the corner of O and 35th Streets NW, just two blocks from the main gate of Georgetown University, drags on. Call Your Mother is “a Jew-ish deli” and bagel retail store that puts together and serves take-out customers dozens of fresh bagels on the edge of a mixed retail-restaurant and high-end residential neighborhood. “Put together” is the definitive word here — at least, in terms of zoning. The business is seeking a special exception to it zoning designation and could lose its right to do business there.
The Board of Zoning Adjustment decided to revisit the topic in late September after an hours-long meeting in June. “I think we can work on a good neighbor policy,” said board member Anthony Hood told Axios at the time.
Still, the BZA punted its decision, which is scheduled for Oct. 23.
Renamed: Housebar Replaces Georgetown Wine & Spirits
In 1934, Georgetown Wine & Spirits at 2701 P St. NW opened as a neighborhood market and has been run as a liquor store since the 1950s. Nate Smith purchased the business in 2022 for about $400,000 from the Kapoor family. The property is owned by Bob Enzel, native Washingtonian and Georgetowner, who lives nearby, and also owns the Streets Market building.
Smith, who lives near the Navy Yard, has renamed the liquor store “Housebar,” after renovations over the summer. He has another one by that name on First Street Southeast. Some old-timers expressed confusion at the new name, but the business assures that it is “The bottle shop remixed for adventurous drinkers, foodies & home entertainers.”
The P Street store manager Pascal Valadier will remain.
Coming: Creme Tavern on 33rd
A tavern — to be named Creme — is slated for 1660 33rd St. NW, near the spot where 33rd enters Wisconsin Avenue. Neighbors Micheline Klagsburn, Samuel Freeman, and Dawn Crafton protested the arrival of the drinking establishment, along with the Citizens Association of Georgetown and others.
Reported Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner Topher Mathews: “I’m happy to report that over the last month, we reached an agreement between the parties. The protests were dropped, and the license was issued.
“I certainly understand that many neighbors still have anxiety about this establishment opening. It is a new and higher intensity use for a building that backs up to a lot of residential properties. But the property is zoned commercial, and the ABC Board has developed a permissive reputation in recent years. So, having this establishment open with a long list of conditions designed to make them be good neighbors is the best we could hope for.”
The business did not provide an opening date.
