As Hotel AKA Alexandria transitions to the Autograph Collection Hotels by Marriott today (Wednesday), the Old Town North hotel has been renamed The Satire.
The Satire, part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection, features new branding and management as well as Marriott rewards benefits for hotel guests. The hotel is managed by Concord Hospitality and will remain under Electra America Hospitality’s ownership.
Hotel AKA in Old Town North will transition into a Marriott Autograph Collection on June 17, according to the Washington Business Journal.
Electra American, which acquired the 180-room former Holiday Inn at 625 First Street in 2021, made the deal to change the hotel brand. The hotel was redesigned by Italian architect Piero Lissoni, then renovated and reopened as Hotel AKA in 2023.
The Hotel Heron in Old Town wants to add live DJ entertainment at its rooftop restaurant, according to a plan going before the Planning Commission next week.
The 134-room boutique hotel at 699 Prince Street, near the intersection with S. Washington Street, opened in 2024 and is owned by the Aparium Hotel Group. The hotel’s rooftop restaurant, Good Fortune, opened soon after, and now the hotel owners are asking the city to approve DJ and live music Thursday to Sunday nights.
A new spa just had a ribbon-cutting at the Archer Hotel (1600 King Street) in Old Town.
JoyLife Spa held its grand opening and ribbon cutting today (Oct. 16), offering customized facials, therapeutic massages, and nail care. The business was founded by massage therapist and esthetician Roshelle Veney, and its opening marks the only hotel in Alexandria with a full spa, according to the Chamber ALX.
Settle back with a good book and relax next Saturday, because Hotel AKA Alexandria (625 First Street) is hosting a silent reading party with a Halloween twist on Saturday, Oct 18.
Tickets for the event cost $39, and from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., book lovers can relax to live piano music in the hotel’s a.lounge+bar. The ticket also includes a festive cocktail, mocktail, and light bites, according to the event announcement. Old Town Books will also be on hand to provide a selection of seasonal books. More on the reading party is below.
Alexandria police have charged a 26-year-old woman with using a West End hotel room for prostitution.
The woman was arrested Aug. 13 and charged with residing in a bawdy place after police observed multiple men entering and leaving her room at the Days Inn, 110 S. Bragg St., according to a search warrant affidavit. The woman was released on a summons and is scheduled to appear in court on Nov. 11.
After nearly five years in business in Old Town, an apartment hotel is poised to change hands.
San Francisco-based Kasa Living, Inc. filed paperwork with the city last month to take over ownership of the Sonder, a Marriott Bonvoy 15-room apartment hotel at 805 King Street.
Running along the Alexandria waterfront with the Tall Ship Providence in the background (staff photo by James Cullum)[/caption]
Alexandria is welcoming a wave of new developments across the city, from waterfront dining to boutique retail and major upcoming events that promise to draw visitors from around the world.
Claire Mouledoux, Visit Alexandria's senior vice president of marketing and communications, presented the city's latest attractions during the "What's New 2025" event at Virginia Tech Innovation Campus in Potomac Yard on Tuesday.
Some big changes are being proposed at 400 King Street in Old Town.
The building takes over an entire city block and is currently home to The Alexandrian Old Town Hotel at 480 King Street and Southern restaurant King & Rye. The latter is undergoing an interior renovation and is serving a limited menu through the end of March.
There’s a new craft cocktail bar in Old Town.
Yesterday (Thursday) was the grand opening of the craft cocktail bar Francis Hall in the Hotel Heron (699 Prince Street) in Old Town.
With visitation revenue at an all-time high, Alexandria’s tourism bureau forecasts an “ambitious” agenda for fiscal year 2025.
On Thursday, Visit Alexandria reported an 18% increase (to $941 million) in tourism spending in FY 2024. The city also saw $86 million in consumption tax revenues from sales, meals and lodging, a 6% increase. The largest consumption increase was in lodging, rising from $3 million during the pandemic to $15 million last year.
