St Regis

Not downtown and maybe not fancy enough but I’ve recommended the Omni to friends for years because of the pool. We don’t live in DC anymore and we visited last summer and our 7 year old had a blast and met friends everyday. The Smithsonian is an easy walk from metro center.

OP here. We stayed at The Intercontinental at The Wharf. It exceeded our expectations in every way. 10-min walk to the Metro. Just a little further to the Mall and plenty of options for meals.

After seeing the location of some of the others on my list, I’m really glad we landed there.

We stayed at the Salamander last year during the cherry blossoms, perfect location. I read the lobby under construction until April. So I wouldn’t stay there this year.
We stayed with three kids at the Waldorf and I think that is perfect for your needs. The lobby area is great and very welcoming and the proximity to the mall is ideal. I think they do afternoon tea too.
We’ve also stayed at the Intercontinental and I just didn’t like it as much. It’s a nice hotel and my kids like the wharf area but I prefer the Waldorf.

The Jefferson.