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It started with Topaz.
Then they added a little Rouge.
Now enter Kimpton Group's newest addition to Washington's boutique hotel collection: The Hotel Helix.
San Francisco-based Kimpton Hotel & Restaurant Group closed the Howard Johnson on Rhode Island Ave. NW April 1 to begin an $11 million renovation of the 180-room property. The Hotel Helix is expected to open Oct. 15.
Kimpton is managing the three hotels for Bethesdabased LaSalle Hotel Properties (www.lasallehotels.com).
The two companies plan to close the final hotel in this four-property portfolio for renovations April 15 - when they will begin a $5 million redo of the 82-room Clarion Hampshire House Hotel at 1310 New Hampshire Ave. NW turning it into an ultra-chic, sophisticated boutique hotel.
A new name for the Clarion property still is being bandied about. Some of the considerations include...