Sections
  • News & Politics
  • Food
  • Things to Do
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Home & Style
  • Editors’ Picks
  • Events Calendar
  • Health
  • Longreads
  • Parenting
  • Real Estate
  • Shopping
  • Travel
  • Weddings
Reader Favorites
  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
Washington’s Best
  • Apartment Rentals
  • DC Travel Guide
  • Dentists
  • Doctors
  • Financial Advisers
  • Health Experts
  • Home Improvement Experts
  • Industry Leaders
  • Lawyers
  • Mortgage Professionals
  • Pet Care
  • Private Schools
  • Real Estate Agents
  • Restaurants
  • Retirement Communities
  • Wedding Vendors
More
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
Privacy Policy
All Rights Reserved
 Rss
Skip to content
Washingtonian.com
  • Search
  • Subscribe
  • Menu
  • News & Politics
  • Things to Do
  • Food
  • Health
  • Shopping
  • Home & Style
  • Real Estate
  • Weddings
  • Travel

  • Subscribe
  • Neighborhoods
  • Newsletters
  • Directories
  • Washingtonian Events
  • Trending Now in Real Estate
  • Real Estate
  • Home Buying
  • Home Values
  • Realtors
  • Features
Real Estate

This Navy Yard Apartment Building Plans to Offer Room Service to Residents

It's the latest escalation in the amenity arms race.

Written by Marisa M. Kashino
| Published on December 12, 2019
Tweet Share
Rooftop event space at Novel South Capitol. Photo by Ray Cavicchio.

There’s nothing groundbreaking about new, high-end DC apartments touting amenities you’d find in a luxury hotel. Rooftop pools, 24-hour concierge service, fitness centers, and coworking areas are all pretty standard these days. But maybe no rental building has come closer to blurring the hotel/apartment line than Novel South Capitol in Navy Yard, which was completed in October. The development has all the perks listed above, but in addition, its main lobby connects to restaurateur Erik Bruner-Yang’s latest venture, ABC Pony—and there are plans to make room service from the restaurant available to building residents. 

“We think that’s the future—the blending of residential and hospitality and office,” says Steve Etminani, principal of RCP Development, which co-developed Novel South Capitol with Crescent Communities. For the lobby, Etminani says he gleaned some inspiration from the Apollo, the H Street apartment complex whose lobby is attached to a Wydown coffee shop. “But that’s just coffee. We’re taking it to the next level.” 

Etminani says there are also plans to implement a tab system, so residents can charge purchases at ABC Pony to their units, the way hotel guests can charge meals to their rooms. Because ABC Pony just opened last week, Novel is still working on setting up the tab and room-service options, according to a spokeswoman, though residents do already get a 10-percent discount at the restaurant. 

The 539-unit, two-tower development has another hotel-like feature that Etminani hopes will set it apart: rentable indoor/outdoor event space. The rooftop venue has views of the Capitol dome, parties there will be catered by ABC Pony, and anyone—not just building residents—can rent it. Etminani says he envisions fundraisers, book signings, and other political events being held there, given the building’s proximity to the Hill. In hindsight, though, he says, “If we were staring this process today, I would try to get it to be a rooftop bar which would make the building even more hotel-like.”

Here’s a look inside the event space.

Event space photos by Ray Cavicchio.

And here’s a look inside ABC Pony.

ABC Pony photos by John Robinson.

More: ABC PonyErik Bruner-YangNavy YardNovel South Capitol
Join the conversation!
Share Tweet
Marisa M. Kashino
Senior Editor

Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 as a staff writer, and became a senior editor in 2014. She oversees the magazine’s real estate and home design coverage, and writes long-form feature stories. She was a 2020 Livingston Award finalist for her two-part investigation into a wrongful conviction stemming from a murder in rural Virginia.

Most Popular in Real Estate

1

The 6 Most Notable Homes in the Washington Area This Month—and Who Bought and Sold Them

2

This New Website Is Like Match.Com for Homebuyers and Sellers

3

4 Predictions About DC Real Estate

4

A Real Estate Nightmare on Foxhall Road

5

The 10 Places in Washington Where Home Prices Have Risen the Most

Washingtonian Magazine

May 2022: Fantastic Foodie Getaways

May 2022: Fantastic Foodie Getaways

View Issue
Subscribe

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Follow Us on Social

We'll help you live your best #DCLIFE every day

Related

The Fake Feds Were Just Looking for Friendship, Lawyers Say

Inside the Navy Yard Suspects’ Wild Apartment Building

DC Is Finally Getting a Wildsam Field Guide

15 Pretty Patios for Brunch by the Water Around DC

More from Real Estate

The 6 Most Notable Homes in the Washington Area This Month—and Who Bought and Sold Them

This New Website Is Like Match.Com for Homebuyers and Sellers

The Hottest Neighborhoods of Washington’s Real Estate Boom

4 Predictions About DC Real Estate

Tons of Homes Are Now Selling in These 10 Washington Zip Codes

These Are the 10 Most Expensive Places to Buy a Home in Washington

The 10 Places in Washington Where Home Prices Have Risen the Most

4825 Glenbrook Rd., NW —a vacant lot on a leafy street in DC’s Spring Valley neighborhood

A Former Toxic Waste Dump in a Hot DC Neighborhood Is for Sale for $1.3 Million

© 2022 Washingtonian Media Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
Washingtonian is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Privacy Policy and Opt-Out
 Rss
Get the best news, delivered weekly.
By signing up, you agree to our terms.
  • Subscribe
  • Manage My Subscription
  • Digital Edition
  • Shop
  • Contests
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs