Fairmont Hotels typically exude elegance. Their outposts in New York and Boston, The Plaza and The Copley Plaza, radiate elegance and Eloise, perhaps why my daughters are fans of the chain and those two properties in particular.
Now relax, I’m not trying to say that Fairmonts only pack appeal for women. But when I heard that the Fairmont Washington D.C. was offering an American Girl doll-themed package, my initial reaction was not that it had the makings of a father-son getaway.
The deal, of course, targets American Girl doll-loving girls and parental guardians with the strength to set foot in an American Girl store – in many cases, moms.
All joking aside, this is a nifty getaway idea not just for a mother and daughter but also for your daughter’s American Girl doll, as among the package inclusions are a personalized note to your child and her doll, an American Girl travel bed (yours to keep), and turn-down service with cookies and milk for doll and child.
Slightly bigger-ticket items in the package are a complimentary buffet breakfast for your child – upwards of a $23 value, depending on what day of the week you do the buffet – with the purchase of one adult buffet breakfast. You also get two all-day metro passes, as well as the suggestion to check out the American Girl Addy exhibit at the Smithsonian Museum of American History.
Driving this deal is a new American Girl store that opened in the D.C. area this summer, so chances are your offspring would appeal to you to go there. One drawback is that the store is in Virginia. Not, "let's stroll across the bridge into Arlington," Virginia, but McLean, a solid 25 minutes west by car from the District and essentially prohibitive time-wise by public transportation. So I would like the Fairmont deal even more if as a sweetener, the hotel covered part of the cost of a cab ride to the store or perhaps ran a shuttle. To be fair, a few McLean-area hotels are also offering variations on the American Girl package, but let’s face it, unless you're renting wheels or bringing your own, D.C. is where you want to be.
The room rate for this deal – available through the end of the year using promo code PAGP – starts at $289, based on double occupancy as well as availability. Plugging in dates through the end of the year, I was unable to find the $289 rate – I came up with $339 for various dates in October and November – but in mid-August I found one night available for $229 and throughout December, several nights for $269. Now granted, if you’re waiting until December to get away you won’t have a major problem finding hotel deals in D.C. But if you want that special mother-daughter-American Girl elegant experience, the Fairmont deal may be your ticket to the mother-of-the-year award.
See our Washington, D.C. Travel Guide for more trip-planning information, then use our Travel Search price comparison tool to find the lowest rates and travel deals on hotels, flights, vacation packages, and more.