The Inn has been featured in several national and international newspapers, including
The Washington Post and
The New York Times. It was the first establishment to receive five
stars for both its accommodations and its
cuisine in the
Mobil Travel Guide, a distinction that remains unchallenged. The Inn repeated this feat by becoming the first restaurant/inn to receive five diamonds from the
AAA for its food and accommodations in 1989; the Inn and restaurant maintained that distinction through 2016. In 2018, the Inn received a coveted three-star rating from the
Michelin Guide. The restaurant received five
James Beard Foundation awards, including
Best Service,
Best Wine List,
Restaurant of the Year,
Best Chef in the Mid–Atlantic, and
Chef of the Year. The
International Herald Tribune rated it as one of the
Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World. The
Zagat Survey for Washington, D.C. rated it number one in all categories for fourteen consecutive years.
Travel & Leisure Magazine has ranked the Inn as the number one hotel in the world for food, number eight in the world, and number two in North America overall. The restaurant has been awarded ''
Wine Spectator's'' "Grand Award" for the last twelve years. Other distinctions include
Cigar Aficionado's "Grand Cru" award for the restaurant's wine list, and the "Reader's Top Table" award in
Gourmet's
Restaurant Issue.
Andrew Lloyd Webber once claimed, "For my money this little hotel provides the best overall dining experience I can remember in a long while, perhaps my best ever." The Inn's history was described in a 2010 article, stating that the Inn's staff "discreetly tries to detect and record the emotional state of each person in a dinner party on a scale of 1 to 10. Their goal is to get you up to at least a "9" before the long drive home. This simple rating system allows the staff at The Inn to make very subtle adjustments to service throughout the night—so that even someone who arrives for dinner in a serious funk will likely wind up walking on country air before the night is through." == Ownership ==