Highlights: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

•The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.’s location on the border of Georgetown makes it easy to head uptown for business and down M Street toward boutiques and cafes

•Friendly and attentive staff delivers first-rate service

•Upscale yet welcoming feel throughout art-filled public spaces, small garden areas, and gracious guest rooms

•Garden Terrace Lounge, well-known for its afternoon tea, provides a pleasant place to relax

•Fitness facility is one of the best-equipped centers in a hotel setting

Amenities: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

• 211 rooms, 6 story. Pets accepted, some restrictions. Check-in 3 pm, check-out 1 pm. High-speed Internet access, wireless Internet access. Two restaurants, bar. Fitness room, fitness classes available, spa. Indoor pool, whirlpool. Airport transportation available. Business center. Credit cards accepted.

General Impressions: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

For those who want Georgetown’s panache without its clamor, the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., is an ideal retreat. Situated at the tip of Georgetown, where Pennsylvania Avenue NW meets M Street NW, the hotel is situated in a somewhat residential section of this trendy neighborhood, close to the banks of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal. The property’s Federal-style red brick façade fits in well with the historic Georgetown buildings.

For business travelers, the White House is just 12 blocks away, and the downtown K Street corridor lies just beyond this landmark. Those in town for fun will also feel at home at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C., with the art galleries, antique shops, boutiques, and cafes that make Georgetown perfect for strolling located just steps from the front door. The hotel is just far enough from the bustling crossroads of M Street and Wisconsin Avenue NW to keep the crowds and clatter in check. For getting around town on the train, the Foggy Bottom Station is a five-block, 12-minute walk from the hotel. When available, a complimentary house car drops off, but does not pick up, guests.

Along with being a good choice for business travelers, the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.’s Georgetown location, décor, and manageable scale appeal to romance seekers and families as well. The hotel welcomes guests with greenery and gardenlike spaces. Stands of leafy, petrified bamboo “grow” from a bed of smooth, gray river stones on either side of the entranceway, green plants line the front of the lobby, and a row of bamboo edges the window-lined Garden Terrace Lounge at the lobby’s far end. This lounge, as well as the other public areas, has wireless Internet capabilities so guests can relax over afternoon tea or evening drinks and still log on. In good weather, guests can enjoy the flower bedecked courtyard, a plus in a city hotel. More than 2,000 pieces of contemporary art add interest to the public spaces.

As part of the Four Seasons’ Very Important Kids’ program, guests ages 2 through 11 can pick a plush animal from a big wicker basket at check-in. In the room, children will find a chocolate chip cookie topped with M&Ms, gummy worms, and his or her name written in chocolate. The treat appears on a Four Seasons Frisbee along with two apple juice boxes, balloons, and copy of the children’s menu. Guests 12 through 16 get popcorn, two sodas, and an array of teen magazines when they arrive. Be sure to inform the reservations agent if you’re arriving with children so these gifts can be ready when you check in.

All guest rooms feature top-quality linens, an abundance of towels, fluffy robes, and luxuriously soft throws. I stayed in a deluxe room, and the hotel also offers premier and the slightly larger grand premier rooms, as well as junior suites, one- or two-bedroom suites, and five presidential suites ranging in size from 1,300 square feet to 3,525 square feet. Guests have complimentary access to the three-level fitness center that offers cardio and strength-training equipment and a lap pool. The top-notch spa offers massages and various treatments.

(+) Good location and elegant service in a stylish, but comfortable, residential-like setting; a good fit for all types of travelers

Guest Services: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

The outstanding service at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. began as soon as I arrived. The covered driveway accommodates four lanes so that cars and taxis can drop guests off without a wait. The bellman immediately took the luggage from my trunk, escorted me to the front desk, and introduced me to the agent who confirmed my information. After a quick and efficient check-in, the front desk person walked me through the lobby, pointing out the lounge, explaining the business center hours, and giving me directions to the pool. The bellman, who quickly delivered my luggage to my room, noticed that my shoes were muddy from the rain and asked me if I wanted them shined.

Throughout my stay, the staff was warm and welcoming, and the service was excellent except for a few deficiencies.

(+) Overall service is professional and intuitive

Guest Rooms: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

The Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. has 211 guest rooms, including 51 suites. The East Wing rooms, renovated and enlarged as part of a 2005 $25 million renovation, are more contemporary than the larger, more traditionally furnished West Wing rooms. The Pierre-Yves Rochon-decorated East Wing rooms feature lilac and celadon hues, lavender fabric headboards, dark wood bureaus, and light wood desks. The West Wing rooms, with weighty, tasseled drapes, dark wood headboards, and gold and blue décor, may seem elegant or “stuffy” depending on your taste. Slated to be redone in 2007, these rooms will conform to the lighter and slightly French feel of those in the East Wing.

All rooms have wireless Internet as well as Ethernet connections. Each has a good-sized desk, two-line phones, an in-room safe, a mini-bar, and a coffeemaker, as well as a CD player with radio, a 32-inch flat screen HDTV with Web TV, and a Sony PlayStation. The hotel provides 24-hour room service, express laundry and dry cleaning, as well as nightly turndown.

My spacious and immaculate room was equipped with all the comforts of home, and I was pleased to find I couldn’t hear any noise from the street or from other rooms. Upon arrival, I was sent a welcoming tray of petit fours. The bed, with its four pillows, was plush and inviting. The large bathroom featured a double sink and long vanity to allow two people to get ready at the same time. Brown marble counters flecked with coral and black grace the West Wing bathrooms, while the East Wing bathrooms feature black granite vanities. My bathroom was well-stocked with towels, makeup remover pads, Q-tips, a comb, and a nail file, as well as L’Occitane bath products.

(+) Luxurious guest rooms reflect the hotel’s Mobil Five-Star status

Facilities & Activities: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

The 12,500-square-foot Four Seasons Fitness Club and Spa is one of the best-equipped and staffed fitness facilities that I have found in a hotel setting. During my visit, a staff member greeted me and gave me a tour of the three-level facility. The fitness center provides clean shoes, socks, shorts, T-shirts, and even swimsuits in case you’ve forgotten your workout clothes. All cardio equipment -- -elliptical trainers, treadmills, and bikes- -- have individual televisions, and guests are given clean headsets. iPods are available, as are DVDs for those wishing to watch a movie. Sunlight streams into the swimming area, where supervised children are welcome.

Bottled water and towels are available throughout the club. The men’s and women’s locker rooms also feature chilled eucalyptus-scented towels, a nice touch when you exit the steam room or sauna. Hair dryers, hairspray, razors, deodorant, makeup remover pads, and other items are found on the well-stocked vanities. In the spa area, candles and orchids set a soothing mood in the eight treatment rooms.

Georgetown, loaded with cafes and shops, is one of the D.C.’s prime après-work spots. Art galleries, antique stores, and trendy furniture and clothing shops draw browsers. The nearby John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts hosts theater, ballet, opera and orchestral performances.

(+) Fitness center and spa offer outstanding workout facility; bustling Georgetown offers cafes, shops, and more

Dining & Lounge: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

Along with 24-hour room service, the Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C. serves afternoon tea and light fare often accompanied by piano music in the Garden Terrace Lounge. The waiter at the lounge was friendly; he recommended an apple martini, and brought me the perfectly shaken and poured drink within five minutes. The comfortable chairs, soft music, and views of the outdoor greenery created a relaxing lounge experience.

Seasons, a well-designed space with an outdoor terrace and a wall of windows, offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner. When the Seasons’ hostess noticed I was wearing black slacks, she replaced my white napkin with a black one. Healthy options such as fresh fruit, egg substitute, and low-carb items are among the breakfast choices. Although the service at Seasons started out fine, it slipped near the end of the meal. The presentation of the check was not discrete; the waiter placed the check on the table ten minutes before I was ready to leave, and he never returned to refill my coffee cup or water glass.

I also took advantage of the in-room dining option and was pleasantly surprised at the good service. My order arrived in a timely manner, the food was enjoyable and the pleasant server efficiently set the dining table and pulled up two chairs.

(+) Excellent service in the lounge; good food at breakfast
(-) Breakfast service drops when restaurant becomes too busy

Business Services: Four Seasons Hotel Washington, D.C.

Business travelers will be delighted with the numerous services available to them. A Travel Light program allows frequent guests to store personal items at the hotel, which will be delivered and waiting in your room when you arrive. If you want to keep up with what’s going on in the local or international marketplace, the Newspaper Direct program will send you digitally reprinted copies of 100-plus newspapers daily upon request.

The 24-hour business center is ready to offer any assistance you need, from secretarial services to translation of Japanese or Middle Eastern languages, among others. If you need to use an additional computer or cell phone, the center can oblige as well. The multilingual concierge is also specially appointed to tend to international travelers.

The hotel also has more than 14,000 square feet of function space for corporate meetings, conferences, or retreats. An audiovisual support team can help set up laptop computers, large TV screens, or other technology you might need for a presentation. A computer systems engineer is also available should you need any help with computers, either in your room or at the meeting.

The front desk personnel who staff the business center helped me hook a printer to my laptop and connect to the Internet. Although professional and polite, the staff routed my fax to the wrong number, and the document wasn’t delivered back to my room in a prompt manner. However, a staff member called without delay when a fax arrived for my spouse, whose last name differs from mine.

(+) 24-hour business center offers all the services a business traveler would need