Top-ranked Virginia hotel has 23 rooms and five stars

The Inn at Little Washington tops U.S. News & World Report's 2020 rankings of the top hotels in Virginia.

Published February 5, 2020 by Sydney Lake

After analyzing more than 30,000 hotels in the U.S., Europe, Canada, Mexico, Bermuda and the Caribbean, the U.S. News & World Report released its Best Hotels in the USA 2020 rankings on Tuesday, and three five-star Virginia hotels topped the list of the best hotels in the commonwealth.

The Inn at Little Washington, a five-star hotel in the town of Washington in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, ranked No. 1 among Virginia hotels on the list. The boutique hotel has only 23 rooms — just three more than the threshold to qualify for U.S. News & World Report’s rankings. In the overall Best USA Hotels list, it ranks No. 40. On Jan. 28, the hotel announced that it was celebrating its 42nd anniversary.

The Inn at Willow Grove in Orange, a five-star hotel with 25 rooms, ranked No. 2 in Virginia. It has earned three critic awards and has more than 450 guest ratings. It ranks No. 42 on the Best USA Hotels list.

The Five-star Primland resort in Meadows of Dan ranked No. 3 in Virginia and No. 43 in Best USA Hotels. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains, the hotel has 51 rooms spread across several buildings. It also ranks as the No. 1 Resort in U.S. News & World Report’s ranking of Best Virginia Resorts for 2020.

According to the report, the most popular destinations in Virginia include Virginia Beach, Roanoke, Williamsburg, Alexandria, Charlottesville, Arlington, Richmond, Harrisonburg, Herndon and Norfolk. Of the top 25 hotels in Virginia, three Richmond hotels and two hotels each in Williamsburg and Virginia Beach were represented along with one hotel each for Roanoke, Alexandria, Charlottesville and Arlington. However, there were no hotels ranked in the top 25 located in Harrisonburg, Herndon or Norfolk.

U.S. News & World Reports’ Top 25 Best Hotels in Virginia for 2020

1. The Inn at Little Washington, Washington
2. The Inn at Willow Grove, Orange
3. Primland, Meadows of Dan
4. Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg
5. The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond
6. The Ritz-Carlton, Pentagon City, Arlington
7. Salamander Resort & Spa, Middleburg
8. The Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, McLean
9. Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg
10. Boar’s Head Resort, Charlottesville
11. The Bristol Hotel, Bristol
12. The Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs
13. Kimpton Lorien Hotel & Spa, Alexandria
14. The Martha Washington Inn & Spa, Abington
15. The Westin Richmond, Richmond
16. The Hilton Richmond Hotel & Spa / Short Pump, Richmond
17. Hilton McLean Tysons Corner, McLean
18. The Hotel Roanoke & Conference Center, Curio Collection by Hilton, Roanoke
19. The Craddock Terry Hotel and Event Center, Lynchburg
20. The Cavalier Virginia Beach, Autograph Collection, Virginia Beach
21. Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront, Virginia Beach
22. Virginia Crossings Hotel & Conference Center, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Glen Allen
23. The Tides Inn, Irvington
24. Lansdowne Resort and Spa, A Destination Hotel, Leesburg
25. Newport News Marriott at City Center, Newport News

To calculate the rankings, U.S. News & World Report computed a score for each hotel based on awards and recognition, hotel class and guest ratings. In each category, hotels could receive a number of points that would contribute to its overall number of points and ranking. Awards and recognition points were based on awards from expert travel industry resources. Hotel classes have variability among publications, so U.S. News & World Report reviewed multiple sources and calculated the mean rating, which is used in the listing. Guest ratings are curated from online travel company TripAdvisor Inc. ratings.