GM recently learned of a report last month that the “Georgetown” Holiday Inn may be up for sale.
GM uses scare quotes because, like many Georgetown-titled hotels in DC, this one isn’t actually in Georgetown. But it’s really close. Whitehaven is the official northern boundary, and the hotel is on Whitehaven, albeit the north side. So maybe GM shouldn’t give it a hard time over the name.
In fact, due to its proximity to Georgetown, its future could affect Georgetown. From the Bisnow report:
Sources tell us the Holiday Inn Georgetown, just a few blocks away, is on the market and that interested buyers haveredevelopment in mind. One source even said a mixed-use, grocery-anchored project could be in the works, which would put three grocery stores in that small stretch of Wisconsin Avenue, including Whole Foods and the Social Safeway.
This is surprising on a couple levels. First, does anyone still use the “Social Safeway” term? But seriously, this is a huge plot of land. And it creates a huge gap in the continuous streetscape that is Georgetown to the south and Glover Park to the north. If a new building did what the Nobody-calls-it-the-Social-Safeway did and rebuild right along the sidewalk, that would improve the quality of the pedestrian experience immeasurably, better connecting upper Georgetown with Glover Park.
Plus it could mean the addition of hundreds of new residents instead of hotel guests. The report suggests that a possible condo would try to pitch the location as convenient to two quality grocery stores. But it’s convenient to a lot of other stores. And the north Georgetown stretch that it would be near is one that has struggled in recent years. There are multiple vacancies, some of which that have been there for years. Stores that are open seem to struggle (Dixie LiquorsWagner’s sure has gone downhill, but that’s another story). Maybe new residents one block away could add some life into the strip?
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
Dixie Liquors is at the foot of Key Bridge; you’re thinking of Wagner’s?
I always preferred “Socialite Safeway.” Felt more Georgetown-y.
If condos do end up being built there, they’ll need to be very expensive ones indeed, lest a wave of hand-wringing arise about the threat of students moving in.
First, I don’t share your view that shoving big, monolithic buildings right up to the sidewalk “improves the pedestrian experience.” From what I have seen of the retail flipping going on at the street-level of the Safeway, it doesn’t look like those stores attracts a lot of traffic independent of those already going to (and parking in) the Safeway. I frankly prefered the old Safeway with its parking in front. The new one is just too massive and hard to navigate, both in terms of parking and shopping.
Second, if the Holiday Inn disappears, that will mean that there is no semi-affordable hotel option for those of us wanting to put up guests within easy access to and reasonable distance from our homes. DO an online search for hotels and you will not find much of anything anywhere nearby in NW DC. The HI is not the most attractive hotel, admittedly, but it does fill a niche. We don’t need yet another supermarket, and more condos will just increase traffic congestion and afford zero value-added to existing residents. I personally hope HI says and remodels to be a more attractive hotel, or another hotel chain comes in to the space.