Where VIPs Dined, Seniors Now Shine: D.C. Landmark Reimagined
By • May 14, 2025 0 549
Inspir Embassy Row Hotel Reborn for Luxury Senior Living
Ask Georgetowners who have resided here since the 1960s and they’ll remember the classic Fairfax Hotel at 2100 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Most often missed: the famed Jockey Club with its dark paneled walls, rich leather chairs, oil paintings of racehorses and a wealth of stories about regulars Nancy Reagan, Jackie Kennedy and, even earlier, Bing Crosby.
Those are all memories now. The Fairfax has been transformed into a new option for high-end senior living: Inspir, a Maplewood Senior Living brand. The $200-million, 215,000-square-foot complex next to Dupont Circle opened in April. Reflecting the 1927 hotel’s rich history, Inspir offers 174 studios, one- and two-bedroom and penthouse apartments for independent or assisted living starting at $4,275 a month.
On the ground floor, the bright and welcoming entrance lounge, where coffee is served upon request, leads to a series of luxuriously furnished social gathering areas for residents: a library, a coffee bar, an art workshop with digital accessories, a large ballroom and a cozy bar and lounge open almost every evening.
To the side is a theater with couches and lounge chairs and a stage for lectures, movies, TED Talks and the like. “Regular and special almost daily events will be suggested and organized by community members and staff,” said GM Ted Cox, a longtime D.C. resident.
“Wellness living, we believe, entails the chance for residents to be physically active and to socialize while living in their own luxurious residence. Those are important goals of Inspir,” Cox said, acknowledging that loneliness and lack of exercise have become top health concerns for Americans of all ages. He eagerly showed off the just-completed wellness center, which takes up an entire floor.
Inspir’s cozy library. Photo by Joseph Romeo.
A beautiful, aqua blue, four-foot-deep saltwater swimming and exercise pool — not too big, not too small — is available most of the day to residents. Adjacent to the pool is a small supervised gym and exercise room.
Across the hall are three sauna-type rooms: one tiled for steam baths, one lined in wood as a hot dry sauna and a third with walls made of amber bricks that turn out to be salt. The air of this salt room was comfortably warm; breathing seemed easier in that unusual space. A number of counselors and exercise coaches have been hired to help and ensure safety for residents, Cox noted.
As for sociability, it’s one thing to have brochures and for staff members to say that it’s a mission and goal of the community. But one gets the impression at Inspir that the sentiment is genuine. Every floor, hallway and amenity seems designed for easy access, mobility and sociability. The cafe bar and boutique dining area of the old Jockey Club and the large formal dining areas are open seating, for instance.
Inspir’s gathering room, which is perfect for fostering a sense of community. Photo by Joseph Romeo.
Each residence floor has its own unique lounges for reading, cards or small gatherings. But the favorite gathering area undoubtedly will be the rooftop “playroom” — appealingly furnished with game tables, a full snack and juice bar and full-time staff to assist with activities. Best of all, the rooftop playroom opens to outdoor patios with views of Dupont Circle mansions and the towers of Washington National Cathedral. One outdoor lounge area offers couches and chairs that face a soothing wall of falling water. Another has planter boxes and equipment for residents to grow their own vegetables.
“We intend to know all our residents here to answer their needs and check in if they haven’t been seen for a while, to encourage everyone to engage in activities and to suggest group excursions to cultural events we can reserve for our special groups,” said Cox, “but mainly to engage in the many social opportunities available here at Inspir in a luxurious setting.”
Inspir’s on-site pool. Photo by Joseph Romeo.
