Across from Logan Circle's bronze equestrian statue of Civil War General John Logan, a mid-century modern tower wears its politics on its facade — literally. The large-scale mural of women's portraits spanning several floors announces Hotel Zena's central premise before a guest ever steps inside: this is a property built around a curatorial commitment to women's history and feminist iconography, executed through nearly 35,000 square feet of commissioned art. Opened in 2020 following a full renovation of the former Beacon Hotel, the 191-room property was redesigned by BHDM Design with interiors that balance contemporary DC professional energy against something more playful and irreverent. The lobby bar sets the register for the whole property — herringbone oak floors, low-slung swivel chairs with a sculptural cantilevered ceiling installation coiling overhead like a spine, and dominating one wall, an enormous pixelated portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg assembled from thousands of individual tokens. Guestrooms carry the graphic language forward more quietly: dark upholstered platform beds against wood-slat headboard panels, pale oak flooring, and monochromatic bed runners embroidered with the hotel's looping signature motif. Suite columns arrive wrapped in hand-drawn figurative line work in red and charcoal. The overall effect is closer to a curated art residency than a conventional hotel stay — purposeful without becoming didactic, the design holding its convictions lightly enough that the rooms themselves remain genuinely livable.

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