With a front-row seat to history

THE Willard InterContinental, a historic hotel near the White House that has hosted power brokers for decades, is making a pitch for vacationers to Washington.

Under the tutelage of its new French general manager, Herve Houdre, a veteran of the tony Hotel de Crillon and Hotel Plaza Athenee in Paris, the Willard has opened a sidewalk cafe on Pennsylvania Avenue, put up a history gallery and started serving afternoon tea.

This month, it is to open its first spa, with a 1,350-square-foot relaxation deck overlooking the courtyard, and four treatment rooms, including a couples retreat with a private deck.

Among the spa packages will be a $415 three-hour Gentleman’s Escape, which includes a facial, scalp treatment, one-hour massage and pedicure. The spa will offer such treatments as hot stone facials and a “bath butler” who will tailor botanicals to your needs. Massages will start at $120 for 60 minutes.

About 30% of the Willard’s guests are leisure travelers, Houdre said, with the balance business travelers. “We want to develop our leisure market,” Houdre said in an interview last month in Beverly Hills.

As a self-described fan of U.S. history, he said, “It’s very important for Americans to come and see their roots.”

The Willard, with more than 330 rooms, has a storied history itself. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote his “I Have a Dream” speech while staying there in 1963. In earlier incarnations (the present building dates to 1901), the Willard’s lobby was frequented by President Ulysses S. Grant, who coined the term “lobbyists” to describe those who pleaded their causes there.

The Willard’s history gallery, opened in January, includes a copy of Abraham Lincoln’s $773 bill for a monthlong stay before he moved into the White House.

Afternoon tea, begun in February, is held along Peacock Alley, a corridor that stretches from one end of the hotel to the other. It costs $32 per person and includes sandwiches, scones and pastries.

The new Parisian-style sidewalk cafe, with 22 tables, serves beverages and a light menu seasonally, April through October, weather permitting.

The hotel’s published room rates start at $269 per night; weekend rates may be lower. AAA gives it a four-diamond rating. The hotel is at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. For information: (800) 827-1747, www.washington.intercontinental.com.