Hospitality & Tourism
The Inn’s rooms and suites have the feel of a sumptuous English country estate.
bedrooms, two and a half baths, a full chef ’s kitchen, library and media room. Prices vary depending on the time of year and number of occupants. They include a welcome cocktail, afternoon tea, house breakfast and valet parking. In addition to the main hotel, the
Inn has a number of other properties that have been converted into sumptu- ous living quarters, with names such as the Gamekeepers Cottage, the Mayor’s House and The Parsonage. The Inn also has plans for opening
a café and bakery in what was the town’s post office with the hope of expanding the concept in other markets, according to Robert Fasce, its business and brand development manager.
New directions In 2007, O’Connell split with his
calvados (veal scallopini with French apple brandy sauce) for $4.95. Today, meals at the Inn at Little Washington go for $218 per person excluding tax and gratuity. Optional wine pairings from the Inn’s 14,000-bottle wine cellar are $125 per person.
40th Rates for lodging range from $395
a night for a standard room during the non peak season to $3,575 per night for a Saturday in high season for one of the Inn’s most luxurious accommodations, the 3,600-square-foot Claiborne House, a private event venue that includes two
anniversary events
June 16: Summer garden party on the grounds of Mount Vernon, George Washington’s estate. O’Connell will pay tribute to Washington — who surveyed the town of Washington where his business is located — with a dinner that re-creates the experience of dining at Mount Vernon in the 18th century. Tickets cost $2,500 each, and table sponsorships start at $25,000, with proceeds benefiting the Mount Vernon Ladies Association.
Sept. 2: The Inn will hold a two-day street party (Innstock) to celebrate for- mer employees and chefs from the past four decades. The two-day festival with food, wines and music is open to the public at $250 a ticket, while residents of the town of Washington may attend at no charge. Proceeds will benefit the Patrick O’Connell Foundation, which supports culinary education and historic preservation.
Sept. 30: The capstone event acknowledges O’Connell’s early appreciation of French cuisine. He celebrates with a lavish party at the grand Vaux-le- Vicomte. The 17th
-century French chateau near Paris was once the site of
a banquet for King Louis XIV, and he plans a feast fit for a king. Tickets are $3,000 each, with proceeds going to a still-to-be announced historic French charity.
40 MAY 2018
partner over the direction of the Inn and borrowed $17 million to buy him out, according to The Washington Post. O’Connell says many observers
predicted catastrophe, but the Inn instead began expanding, and its reputation grew with it. John Fox Sullivan, a retired magazine
publisher who is Little Washington’s mayor, says the Inn is crucial to the town’s economy. “The Inn generates more than 80
percent of the revenues to the town,” through meals and lodging taxes, employ- ment and the halo effect on other inns, restaurants and shops in the community. Altogether, the Inn has more than 140 full-time employees and often has more than 200 on the payroll, with the addition of contractors for various con- struction and renovation projects. Sullivan says O’Connell’s influence
on the community goes beyond dollar figures. “Patrick O’Connell came to this
town with nothing and built up this enterprise into a world-class enterprise. He loves this town and loves this county. He’s very sensitive to what the town is all about, its authenticity,” Sullivan says. Sullivan adds that O’Connell is gre- garious and outgoing at the Inn, a posture that might hide a bit of shyness. “He’s in his own world, and it’s a
slightly different world. He’s always looking at stuff as if he’s the director of a
Photo courtesy The Inn at Little Washington
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