The Jefferson Hotel
Second Place: Carytown
Third Place: Mamma ‘Zu
If you want names, you’re not going to get them from the Jefferson spokeswoman Jennifer Crisp — well, except maybe for that Elvis stay in 1953. “As you know,” she says, “we don’t really discuss any guests that are staying with us, or that have in the immediate past.” That said, the cross-department preparation to fine-tune accommodations for high-level guests paves the way for the famous. And you just might see them hanging around the lobby or bar. If you want big status, shoot for the presidential suite, at 1,800 square feet (adjoining room available for additional charge). For a published rate of $2,100 a night, it offers a luxurious master bath and a parlor with a baby grand piano — “which Frank Sinatra once played, by the way.” That’s two names! We got her. Carytown and Mamma ‘Zu also draw the visiting Hollywood types looking for that authentic Richmond character.