I never expected checking into a hotel to make me feel like I was late for class. My room had once been part of a junior high school, and an original chalkboard still stretched across the wall like a reminder to finish my homework.
The building dates to 1931, and its Art Deco bones still shape the entire experience. Old hallways, classroom details, and schoolhouse touches appear around nearly every corner. Instead of feeling gimmicky, the history gives the place a personality that ordinary hotels rarely manage.
I arrived on a whim and immediately started wandering this Washington gem. One former classroom had become a guest room, while other parts of the old campus had been turned into restaurants, gathering spaces, and entertainment areas…