Georgetown is currently in the planning process of renovating the Leavey Hotel to reopen for guests. To discuss the goals of the renovations, timeline, and current plans, the university partnered with Crestline Hotels and Resorts to host an open house on Feb. 25 and 26, where students had the opportunity to give input and learn details of the future construction.
The Georgetown University Hotel features 146 guest rooms and 13,000 square feet of meeting space. The space will be renovated alongside The Faculty Club Restaurant, a buffet-style restaurant located on the hotel grounds.
“Essentially anything within the footprint of the hotel gets touched,” Elizabeth Velens, vice president of operations with Crestline Hotels and Resorts, who is partnered with Georgetown on the project, said. Crestline will continue to manage the hotel following its reopening.
Construction and renovations are set to begin at the start of the fall 2025 semester, with the goal of reopening the hotel in May 2026.
“The university is holding our feet to the fire,” Velens said. “There’s work already happening behind the scenes.”
In 2020 and 2021, the hotel began housing students who were quarantined with COVID during the pandemic. Recently, it has functioned as a dormitory option during the redevelopment of the former Henle Village. As the Henle redevelopment will conclude prior to the upcoming fall semester, the hotel will no longer be an option for student housing, and will instead reopen for guests.
The hotel will welcome all sorts of visitors, including prospective students and families, department heads of various universities, and the families of current Hoyas.
Velens said that different parts of the hotel renovation will be worked on simultaneously, unlike most hotel construction processes.
“Typically when you do a hotel renovation, you do it in parts,” Velens said. “Because it will no longer be used as dorms at the end of this semester, the construction company really can tackle all of it as quickly as possible.”
Renovations include unique Georgetown-themed decor, such as wallpapers accented with the logo and classic blue and grey color schemes. Rooms and lobbies will also be modernized with new furniture, flooring, and upscale detailing.
“Georgetown is a powerful brand,” Velens said. “We believe [the Leavey Hotel] is a key component of the university’s brand overall.”
Velens hopes to draw in future members of the Georgetown community from all areas into the university through welcoming branding.
“We believe the hotel renovation and restaurant, really being in many cases the potential first thing a potential Georgetown student sees, is in keeping with the rest of the university,” Velens said.
