hotel | ARLnow.com

New Hotel Breaks Ground in Ballston

Published October 19, 2011 at 9:15AM

The project held its official groun dbreaking ceremony yesterday. The hotel, which is expected to open mid-2013, will feature 11 floors and 183 all-suite rooms.

The Residence Inn is part of the Founders Square development, which by fall 2014 is expected to consist of two high-rise office buildings, one high-rise 257-unit apartment building, and a smaller building reserved for retailers — in addition to the hotel. All told, the complex will feature 775,000 square feet of office space and 28,000 square feet of retail space.

News

Fire at Key Bridge Marriott

By ARLnow.com

Published September 20, 2011 at 1:32PM

Firefighters responded to the hotel just after 1:00 p.m. after a 911 caller reported smoke on the 9th floor. Upon arrival, they found a fire — in a 9th floor room — that had been extinguished by the building’s sprinkler system.

Some smoke and water damage was reported as a result of the fire. Nobody was hurt.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published August 24, 2011 at 8:54AM

Apparent earthquake damage (photo courtesy Divaknevil)

Post-Earthquake Safety Tips — Arlington County is advising residents to call a structural engineer if they find cracks in their brick facades or chimneys following yesterday’s earthquake. [Arlington County]

Favola/Areizaga-Soto Primary By the Numbers — Just over 10,000 people voted in yesterday’s 31st District state Senate primary between Barbara Favola and Jaime Areizaga-Soto, out of 133,577 active registered voters in the district. More than $538,500 had been spent on the race as of Aug. 10. In other words, candidates ended up spending more than $53 for every resident who bothered to cast a vote in the race.

Around Town

Crystal City Claims Bathroom Bragging Rights

By ARLnow.com

Published August 2, 2011 at 8:54AM

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City has one of the best bathrooms in the country, according to a contest sponsored by restroom management and maintenance provider Cintas.

The hotel’s ground floor restroom is one of 10 swanky bathrooms from around the country selected for the tenth-annual America’s Best Restroom contest. This year’s contest includes loos from restaurants in New York City, a casino in Las Vegas, a museum in Chicago and a mobile trailer used by President Obama.

News

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

Published July 7, 2011 at 8:31AM

Local Real Estate Market Lags — While the average home sales price in Arlington was up 4.6 percent for the first half of 2011, the total volume of sales was down 19 percent compared to 2010. [Sun Gazette]

Garvey ‘Home’ in Alexandria, Arlington — State Senate candidate and Arlington School Board member Libby Garvey is trying to play up her local chops to both Arlington and Alexandria Democrats. “Garvey, a resident of Fairlington, considers Alexandria to be her neighborhood,” the Huntington-Belle Haven Patch reported yesterday. Meanwhile, Garvey told the Arlington County Democratic Committee last night that after debates in Fairfax and Alexandria, “it’s really nice to be home tonight.”

News

BREAKING NEWS — Firefighters Battle Ballston Garage Blaze

By ARLnow.com

Published June 29, 2011 at 8:44AM | Updated June 29, 2011 at 2:37PM

(Update at 2:35 p.m.) An elderly woman is dead following a car fire in the parking garage below the Ballston Hilton (950 N. Stafford Street).

Homicide detectives were called to investigate the woman’s death, but according to police spokeswoman Det. Crystal Nosal the death is now being investigated as a probable accident.

Events

Crystal City Hotel to Host Angry Birds Tournament

By ARLnow.com

Published June 28, 2011 at 2:13PM | Updated June 28, 2011 at 2:29PM

The new Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel in Crystal City (2800 S. Potomac Avenue) will be hosting “Angry Hours” — a weekly series of live Angry Bird tournaments — every Thursday from July 14 to Aug. 25.

The tournament will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m. at SOCCi, the hotel’s modern Italian restaurant and bar. Players will compete for prizes including hotel stays, free dinners and an iPad. The tournament will also feature its own menu of signature cocktails, with names like “Mighty Eagle,” the “Rio” and the “Golden Egg.”

News

Police Investigate Death at the Days Inn

By ARLnow.com

Published June 3, 2011 at 2:02PM

More than a half dozen police cars are on the scene, but so far we’re told that there’s no indication of foul play.

The deceased was found in a room that faces the parking lot in the rear of the hotel

Around Town

Moon-Linked Sheraton National Hotel Sold

By ARLnow.com

Published May 27, 2011 at 7:30AM | Updated May 27, 2011 at 8:57AM

The hotel, located just off of Columbia Pike at 900 S. Orme Street, had been owned by National Hospitality Corporation, a company linked to Sun Myung Moon’s Unification Church.

HEI Hotels and Resorts purchased an ownership interest in the hotel for an undisclosed sum. The company owns 39 hotels in 16 states, including the Sheraton Crystal City.

News

Colony House Furniture to Become Hotel

By ARLnow.com

Published May 26, 2011 at 9:36AM | Updated May 26, 2011 at 10:18AM

The recognizable building has been sold to the B.F. Saul Company, the Bethesda-based developer behind the recent Clarendon Center project. Last week representatives from Saul presented their redevelopment plan to the North Rosslyn Civic Association. Under the plan, an eight story extended stay hotel will be built on the 1.2 acre site at the corner of Lee Highway and N. Quinn Street. The hotel will include eight stories of guest rooms on top of two stories of above-ground parking.

(The parking must be built above ground since the site sits on solid rock. The building will technically be ten stories high from the Lee Highway side, but will only be considered eight stories due to the steep elevation near the rear of the site.)

Around Town

Renaissance Hotel Holds Grand Opening in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published May 20, 2011 at 2:10PM | Updated May 20, 2011 at 2:26PM

The Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel (2800 S. Potomac Avenue) in Crystal City held a swank grand opening celebration last night.

The NYC-based musical duo of electric violinist Caitlin Moe and DJ Mia Moretti performed for a stylishly-attired crowd. Waiters and waitresses dressed as fashionable flight attendants served signature cocktails and international hors d’oeuvres, in keeping with the party’s “jet set” theme.

Around Town

Bell 20 Tavern Opens in Crystal City

By ARLnow.com

Published May 2, 2011 at 10:50AM

Bell 20 Tavern features a full bar with a selection of 10 beers on draft and numerous beers by the bottle. Happy hour drink specials start at $3.20.

The restaurant’s food selection is still being worked out, but the initial happy hour bar menu includes fried chicken tenders, a cheeseburger, spicy meatballs and a bowl of turkey chili — all $6.20 from 3:20 to 7:20 p.m. Happy hour appetizers include chips and salsa, pretzel rolls, garlic fried and a half-dozen wings — all for $3.20.