Bethesda news, restaurants, nightlife, events and openings, real estate, crime reports and more - the way only a lifelong Bethesda resident like Robert Dyer can bring it to you. Everything you want and need to know about Bethesda, plus special investigative reports you won't find anywhere else. The must-read blog for breaking Bethesda news, when you want to be the first to know.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
DoubleTree Bethesda transforming into The Bethesdan Hotel (Video+Photos)
The long-expected conversion of the DoubleTree Bethesda hotel into The Bethesdan hotel officially began Monday. Workers began removing the DoubleTree by Hilton signage from the facade, including the sign near the front entrance. A crew of painters then began repainting the exterior of the hotel, including the Woodmont Avenue side above the former Yacht Club of Bethesda space.
While the name is changing, the hotel is remaining a Hilton property. It is simply moving from the DoubleTree brand into Hilton's new Tapestry Collection, which emphasizes unique standalone properties with local character, rather than finding the same uniform design at every location worldwide. Leo & Liv will be a new restaurant at the hotel, which hopes to add at least one other tenant, possibly a coffee shop. The hotel is owned by the Bernstein Companies.
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36 comments:
I enjoyed this update Dyer!
Actually, the conversion of the hotel to a Tapestry Collection has been underway for quite some time on the inside. For the past six months or so, they have been renovating the hotel rooms, meeting rooms, and are now tackling the lobby spaces. A nice set of renderings are located in the lobby showing the extensive interior modifications, and the more modest exterior paint job.
The original renderings that were in the lobby about 8 months ago showed a more extensive renovation of the meeting rooms on the second floor, adding nice large windows in the pre-function spaces, overlooking Wisconsin, that carried down to the street in a nice new glass entrance. Looks like they value engineered this nice idea out, and are now simply painting the base of the building. Too bad, because those awkward decorative arching glass canopies on Wisconsin will remain, and just look bad,
It’s odd how you enter the hotel from the dark drive drop off area, instead of from the street. I hope they paint the upper level brick and handrails white as shown on the current renderings, but suspect that very dated looking blue reflective glass in the hotel rooms will remain. I suppose the paint job will help, but I had hope for a more extensive update of the glazing in the rooms and pre-function area to give this building a more updated appearance.
Sorry, looking at the photos again, the glass in the hotel rooms is tinted blue, not reflective. Still looks like the building is wearing Neil Diamond sunglasses to me. I remember staying there and noting that every thing looked oddly cold when looking out of the windows in the hotel room.
Dyer reported previously on the lobby, renderings and new restaurant.
#AlwaysBeOpeningAndClosing
Yes, he posted renderings before, but stating that “The long-expected conversion of the DoubleTree Bethesda hotel into The Bethesdan hotel officially began Monday.” is not accurate. The extensive and very disruptive interior remodeling portion “officially” has been underway for at least six months, and the extent of both the interior and exterior modifications have been heavily modified since his original posting.
Perhaps if he visited the interior, or simply walked in and spoke with a manager as I did, he would have more accurate information to report. I believe the recent elimination of the proposed large windows on the Wisconsin side is newsworthy.
Thanks for posting the photos though. At least the exterior will look a bit nicer with the paint job. Maybe a review of the remodeled interiors would be a nice report in the future.
7:02: Good Lord, I have been inside and seen all of that, and reported on it. I've talked to employees. How do you think I broke the story about Leo & Liv, and got information on other changes?
However, until yesterday, there was no physical change that actually rebranded the hotel, such as signage. Now that is officially being switched to where anyone passing by will know it is a different brand.
I am master and commander of the Bethesdan hotel story, having exclusively broken and reported on the story from the very beginning. This extensive criticism is simply ridiculous, and obviously you're sore that it was me reporting on this while others slept through the entire story.
Yup, the DoubleTree branding has only just started to be removed (see end of video).
Looking forward to the refreshed hotel!
BTB said: "I am master and commander of the Bethesdan hotel story..."
Tommy the matchmaker would be so proud of Bob The Builder.
7:27am #Wawa
Ahoy, Mateys!
I am master and commander of ye Bethesda hotel story!
Arrr!
7:40 AM
You are making a lot of claims without any evidence.
Worry about your own blog and your lack of revenues before lashing out at a guy who is doing a service to #MoCo with all of this daily local business, retail and restaurant news. Be glad he's doing it.
7:26: Not only would he be for keeping the Tommy the Matchmaker/Yacht Club legacy alive for younger/new residents, but he is also a reader of this site.
The long-expected conversion of the DoubleTree Bethesda hotel into The Bethesdan hotel officially began Monday. Wrong. It began six months ago. Why are you so unwilling of correcting a simple mistake? Yes, you reported this project a long time ago, and did a great job.
Here, I’ll fix it for you.
The long-expected EXTERIOR RENOVATION PORTION of the conversion of the DoubleTree Bethesda hotel into The Bethesdan hotel officially began Monday. Extensive Interior renovation has been underway for six months. Proposed renovations have been modified to remove the large windows on Wisconsin, and the new entrance has been eliminated.
7:50: Who knew this Soy Boy could get so triggered by Dyer's ongoing scoops from the hotel?
You were already BTFO'd by the fact that Bob has reported on every stage of the construction. Butthurt that Dyer is continually kicking the fat ass of the Montgomery County cartel.
Get lost, SOY BOY!!!!!!!!!!
7:50: You admit I "reported this project a long time ago, and did a great job," but now want me to falsely state that I did not?
LOL
As you yourself admit, I have been master and commander of this story while every other media outlet snoozed on a major downtown business development.
The median age of the patrons of the Bethesda Yacht Club, open from 1989 to 2006, would be over 70 in 2019. So most of them are dead now.
Part of Bethesda and MoCo history for sure
"Keep the legacy alive for younger/newer residents"
LOL, why would they care about a place that closed 13 years ago, and catered to a crowd that was one or two generations older than they?
8:17 AM I guess the same reason people care about Hot Shoppes, Lowens, Shakeys, Dart Drug, Crown Books and Bethesda Ford.
"why would they care about a place that closed 13 years ago"
LOL
8:17AM: "why would they care about a place that closed 13 years ago"
Also 8:17AM: "Remember Drug Fair and Lazarus Shoes?"
LOL
"why would they care about a place that closed 13 years ago"
I take offense at that statement!
I love Dyer giving us a little dose of MoCo history!
Avast, ye scurvy dogs!
I am master and commander of the Bethesdan hotel story!!!
ARRRR!!!
Nope, I’m just asking you to accurately report the news. The hotel remodeling has been an ongoing project for over six months, as reported by you, and NOT started on Monday, (incorrectly) reported by you. The interior work is a much more extensive part of the project than just the dam paint job. Just get your facts straight if you want to be a credible journalist. Read again what you reported this morning, and tell us all that it is not incorrect, or at least misleading.
9:07: You might have a shred of credibility if A) I hadn't covered every step of the interior renovations, as well as the scoop on the branding change at the very beginning, and B) you didn't have a troll record of picking out some bizarre aspect of a story, twisting it around in error, and hammering away at it for the rest of the day like a belligerent drunk.
Your self-awareness score is quite low. Quite simply, nobody cares, and you are making a fool of yourself.
What physical feature of the building indicated it was switching brands before the sign was removed and exterior painting began yesterday? (Hint: None)
Umm hey Spectrum Boy you should be careful on accusing others with a lack of self awareness. One look at your YouTube videos it is clear you have none. Same phrases over and over. That freaky and sad tarnation bob thing. Very cringe worthy to see an ‘adult’ acting like that. Pathetic really.
9:40am you sir are more likely on the spectrum since it's obvious you can't register emotions like humor very well.
You post the same phrases again and again.
You're just a sad, lonely man who lashes out.
Please get help my friend.
10:01 AM
On the contrary, your attacks on the media (Dyer) is like Trump.
11:00 AM/11:17 AM
So many grievances toward Dyer...all these years. Not sure if I should LOL or feel sorry for you.
11:40 AM It's local news blog. Retail and restaurant openings and closings, weather, transportation, entertainment, some politics.
You act like you're analyzing the Dead Sea Scrolls or something. Get a grip, lighten up.
I hope we can break bread with fried chicken at Royal Farms at the Spectrum!
Moco cartel is being supported by Vought Industries. Research them, they are super powerful and will destroy anyone who stands in their way!!~!!
So many deleted comments. I thought it was illegal for a news organization to moderate and censor content?
"Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act immunizes online platforms for their users’ defamatory, fraudulent, or otherwise unlawful content. Congress granted this extraordinary benefit to facilitate “forum[s] for a true diversity of political discourse.” This exemption from standard libel law is extremely valuable to the companies that enjoy its protection, such as Google, Facebook, and Twitter, but they only got it because it was assumed that they would operate as impartial, open channels of communication—not curators of acceptable opinion."
https://www.city-journal.org/html/platform-or-publisher-15888.html
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