In our low city, the vantages from which to take in a memorable view—atop the Washington Monument, say, or on the Capitol steps—are few. More problematic, the panoramas they afford don’t include them. This serene rooftop at the two-year-old Capella hotel, in Georgetown’s former American Trial Lawyers Association building, looks over all of DC’s civic splendor—but at the cost of egalitarianism. The spot is the province of “rooftop members,” who pay a $3,000 initiation fee and $1,000 annually. The hotel claims that more than 200 people have ponied up for what Capella owner Bruce Bradley calls “a soothing respite from the world below.” Need it for only a night? Hotel guests—who pay anywhere from $595 to $7,000 to stay in one of Capella’s 49 rooms—get it “free.”
Photograph by Dan Chung.
Photograph by Dan Chung.
Photograph by Dan Chung.
Photograph by Dan Chung.
Photograph by Dan Chung.
This article appears in our September 2015 issue of Washingtonian.
6 Photos of the Most Expensive View in Georgetown
Plus—how to see it for free.
In our low city, the vantages from which to take in a memorable view—atop the Washington Monument, say, or on the Capitol steps—are few. More problematic, the panoramas they afford don’t include them. This serene rooftop at the two-year-old Capella hotel, in Georgetown’s former American Trial Lawyers Association building, looks over all of DC’s civic splendor—but at the cost of egalitarianism. The spot is the province of “rooftop members,” who pay a $3,000 initiation fee and $1,000 annually. The hotel claims that more than 200 people have ponied up for what Capella owner Bruce Bradley calls “a soothing respite from the world below.” Need it for only a night? Hotel guests—who pay anywhere from $595 to $7,000 to stay in one of Capella’s 49 rooms—get it “free.”
This article appears in our September 2015 issue of Washingtonian.
Related
Inside the Urgent Effort to Preserve Black Newspapers
Maryland Has Renamed an Invasive Fish. Will It Matter?
A Striking New Work From the Artist Behind the Covid Flags on the Mall
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This April
More from News & Politics
Former Fiola GM Convicted of Murder Is Now in a Netflix Docuseries
These 5 DC Traffic Cams Are Issuing the Most Tickets Right Now
Farewell to Crystal City Underground, the DC Area’s Strangest Mall
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2024
Inside the Urgent Effort to Preserve Black Newspapers
Maryland Has Renamed an Invasive Fish. Will It Matter?
Meet the 2024 Washington Women in Journalism Award Winners
In the Doghouse: Kristi Noem and 5 Other Canine Political Scandals
Most Popular
45 Hidden Gems and Attractions Around DC
The Hot List: 10 Restaurants Around DC We’re Loving Right Now
The 100 Very Best Restaurants in Washington, DC
Causa Is Washingtonian’s #1 Restaurant in 2024—Watch Us Surprise the Team
The 100 Best Things to Do in Washington, DC
7 Luxury Home Sales in the Washington Area—and Who Bought and Sold Them
Meet the 2023 Washingtonians of the Year
40 Ways to Relax and Feel Better Now Around the DC Area