If you like to get comfortable in stately old hotels, you’ll want to book a room at this high-rise property in the heart of the city’s business district. Built in 1925 for Calvin Coolidge’s inauguration, this hotel played host to the likes of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and J. Edgar Hoover. You’ll find popular shops and restaurants just outside its front doors; the White House is only four blocks away. Be ready for the eye-pleasing view when you check in: all the gilded trim, crystal chandeliers, and Oriental rugs in the block-long lobby will awe you. The guest rooms themselves are quite homey, so you’ll likely feel right at home in yours. For business travelers, each room has a desk with work lamp, a two-line phone with a dataport, and a speakerphone. For groups, the Mayflower offers state-of-the-art meeting facilities.

Renaissance Mayflower Hotel Amenities:

• 657 rooms, 10 story. Pets accepted; fee. Check-in 3 pm, check-out noon. High-speed Internet access. Restaurant, bar. Fitness room. Business center.