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(Lahoma Scarlette for Biscayne Times)

Downtown D.C. views at sunset from Hedy’s Rooftop lounge at Hotel Zena.

A Trip to D.C. Deserves a Stay at Hotel Zena

Part art gallery, part hotel, and all female empowerment

by

In the heart of our nation’s capital sits Hotel Zena, a property that is all about female empowerment and the celebration of women. It opened in October 2020, the year of the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote after decades of struggle. It would serve as just the right backdrop to my first visit to Washington, D.C.

Fittingly, my travels took me from Fort Lauderdale to Maryland’s Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, named after the late Supreme Court Justice. A less than 40-minute Amtrak ride later ($12), I was at Washington Union Station, blocks from the U.S. Capitol. From there it’s a 15-minute Uber ride to the hotel.

Upon entering the lobby, you realize in the best possible way that this is not your typical hotel. It's bright and colorful and women are everywhere. The hotel lobby doubles as its portrait gallery, which is dedicated to powerful women who fought and are fighting for women’s rights, gender equality and social justice. Each piece is beautiful and inspiring. To name just two, there is one of Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress who ran for president in 1972, and another of the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, crafted from 20,000 hand-painted and repurposed tampons. Provocative, yes, the distinctive portrait honors Ginsburg’s lifelong dedication to women’s rights and equality.

Hotel Zena is located near Logan’s Circle and only a 10-minute walk to the White House. Along my way there, police blocked off the street and made everyone stand behind barricades as members of Congress disembarked from minibuses. While watching, a young boy on a bicycle pulled up beside me and asked, “Who are those people?” I told him those are members of Congress, and they represent the people of the United States. He replied, “That’s cool.” I asked his name and he told me it was Julio and he was 15. I’m not sure how much he knew, but I hoped he learned a little something from our interaction.

After a few minutes, the officers gave the all-clear and I began to approach 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. There was a lot of activity, perhaps the norm, but not what I expected. There was a movie being filmed, people taking pictures in front of the Oval Office, vendors and social activists of different causes out and about, including a real-time rally happening in protest of the Cuban government. Washington, D.C., is not only a political city; I would say it's also a socially conscious one. On my way back to the hotel, I noticed Black Lives Matter signage on churches and buildings.

Upon my return to the hotel, I was set to meet marketing director Natalie Vachon to get the backstory of the property’s art. She shared that Zena's was the brainchild of hotel art director Andrea Sheehan and that the approximately 60 pieces of artwork displayed were worth about $500,000.

The pieces and installations were commissioned from local and international artists, including a “Wall of Honor” of 221 individual charcoal sketched portraits of women from all walks of life. There's also “Talking Sequins,” made of 12,000 protest buttons hand-pinned to a large swathe of cloth that when touched evokes a shimmering gown. “Jigsaw” is a sculpture of upcycled high heels at the hotel’s reception desk and “Serpent” is a 50-foot sculpture suspended from above that symbolizes transformation and rebirth.

Not to be missed is the hotel’s exterior, which includes murals of female warriors standing as sentinels that span the height of the building. They evoke strength and power and were designed by D.C.-based muralist, designer and illustrator Cita Sadeli – more popularly known as MISS CHELOVE. Her vision for Hotel Zena was to create an atmosphere of intrigue composed of a pair of fierce yet curious warrior-sentinel women protecting the sanctity of the space. Mission accomplished.

“We call ourselves part art gallery, part hotel. It’s an art forward location. We want to be a place where people feel comfortable and safe,” shared Vachon.

Since Hotel Zena opened during the pandemic, I wondered how it has fared.

“Last October, D.C. took COVID very seriously … it was challenging in the beginning. We wanted to keep our guests and each other safe … we rose through it,” said Vachon. “D.C. is a cautious city; the second they say mask up, people mask up. You don’t see mask shaming up here.”

On my second day, I decided to see more of D.C. and started off by having breakfast at Busboys and Poets, a restaurant, bar, bookstore and gathering place for writers, thinkers and the socially conscious. It is one of the coolest, most unique places I have visited. The vibe is chill and the food incredibly good. From there, it was on to U Street – a Black heritage district that was once the heart of D.C. Black culture – then Little Ethiopia and Chinatown. Both neighborhoods are not as populated as they once were, though they remain culturally and historically significant enclaves. While traveling to each area, I saw more BLM signs, “Love is Love” signs, Breanna Taylor murals and more signage supporting different movements.

After a full day of exploring D.C., it was back to Hotel Zena to end the last day of my trip at the rooftop lounge. The views of the city are spectacular. Make sure to stay for the magical sunset overlooking Logan Circle. As I looked around, I noticed the parties of people on the rooftop. There were different groups intermingling – Black, white, Hispanic, straight, gay, nonbinary – all a reflection of America's makeup and diversity. Standing on the rooftop of a hotel with a mission to embrace female empowerment, civil rights, social justice, equality for all and designed by a woman, it was a beautiful sight to see – and a great way to end my visit to our nation’s capital.