The Off the Record Bar at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington
In the last episodes of the second season (don't worry, there are no spoilers, we are obsessed but considerate), a hotel appears. Surprising events take place in this hotel and we hear dialogues that we could almost repeat word for word.
It's the Ashford Hotel. It doesn't exist as such, but we don't care , because sometimes fiction is more real than what we touch with our hands. The Ashford does exist as a concept. It is a classic and discreet luxury hotel like the Ritz-Carlton of Charlotte , where scenes from the series have been filmed, which has been filmed mostly in North Carolina.
The Ashford Bar (what torture not being able to reveal what is being said there), it is one of these where politicians, journalists and hopefuls meet to tell each other everything off the record . In fact, the one at the Hay-Adams Hotel in Washington is called Off the Record. Forbes included it in the list of the “Best Bars in the World”. You step on it and you want to conspire or resort to anything to sit in the Situation Room.
The Ritz-Carlton in Charlotte, where scenes from the series have been filmed
In a bar like this, almost exactly, a key scene in the second season of Homeland takes place. The Hay-Adams it was the hotel chosen by the Obamas to stay when they arrived in Washington , before settling in the White House. It is a few steps from her, it is elegant and its service and its walls are silent.
It doesn't matter if it's the Ritz in Charlotte, the Hay-Adams or the Sofitel Washington DC. The idea is to convey the idea of a deluxe refuge . The room that appears in the series is friendly, with a high and solid king-size bed, a work desk (it is not a vacation hotel) and calm tones. The Ashford of Homeland is a place of whispers, of more or less clandestine dates , perfect for bootie calls or simply to host conference attendees. In hotels like this nobody ever sees anything. Or some see it all.
Homeland: a tribute to those hotels where nobody ever sees anything