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Walking into Hotel Klaus feels like stepping into Washington, Louisiana’s layered past while staying firmly rooted in the present. The building carries the quiet confidence of a place that has seen generations pass through its doors, yet today it welcomes guests with style, comfort, and intention.
Staying here connected me immediately to the heritage of Washington. It felt like a step back in time, but one softened by thoughtful design and modern amenities.
Hotel Klaus occupies a restored 1870s mercantile building that once anchored the town’s commercial life. Today, it stands as a nine-room boutique hotel that honors the building’s original purpose while giving it new life as a gathering place once again.
An Architect’s Personal Return to Washington
Hotel Klaus is the vision of Stephen Ortego, an architect, preservation specialist, and the owner and developer of the hotel. His decision to take on the project was rooted as much in personal history as professional calling.
“I’m an architect by trade, and we specialize in historic preservation. I’ve had my firm for over nine years now. My family was all born and raised in Washington, and I spent my summers coming here to visit my grandparents. I remembered this building as a kid, and it was actually falling down.”
— Stephen Ortego
When Stephen acquired the property, its condition was dire. One exterior wall along Carrier Street had shifted 6.5 inches out of plumb, and the building required major structural intervention.
“We had to completely change the whole sill on the bottom of the building,”
— Stephen Ortego
Despite the scale of the work, his motivation was clear. He wanted to save the building and saw a boutique hotel as the right fit for Washington.
“It’s a great community. It’s very quiet, but it has a historic feel, the rolling hills, something you don’t see in Acadiana, and just a great history.”
— Stephen Ortego
With an event center already operating across the street, creating a boutique hotel felt like a natural extension of what the town already offered.
From Mercantile Store to Boutique Hotel
Extensive research revealed that the building was constructed shortly after the Civil War by Jewish merchants who moved to Washington from Prussia. The Plonski family established the store during a period when Washington was at the height of its commercial activity.
Later, Max Klaus arrived, likely by steamboat, and became central to the building’s story.
“Max Klaus helped his aunt, who was married into the Plonski family, and eventually inherited and bought parts of the building from family members. He and his wife had nine children, and three of their daughters ran the store all the way until the mid-1960s.”
— Stephen Ortego
The structure was always two stories. The storefront occupied the ground level, while the family lived upstairs and toward the back, connected by a direct interior doorway. With nine children, the family needed space, and the building evolved to accommodate both commerce and daily life.
Today, that original residential footprint forms the hotel’s layout. The former living quarters have been transformed into nine guest rooms, preserving the building’s proportions and circulation rather than forcing a modern plan onto it.
The front gallery still extends toward the street, maintaining its historic relationship with Washington itself.
The Portrait Lounge: A Community-Created Space
One of Hotel Klaus’s most distinctive features is the Portrait Lounge, a bar that feels inhabited even when empty. Sitting inside while the bar was still closed, I felt surrounded by faces and stories quietly watching from the walls.
“We’re calling it the Portrait Lounge because you’ll find portraits of various people all around. The majority are from Saint Landry Parish. Some of them are mystery people, and we’re challenging people to come to us and tell us who they are.”
— Stephen Ortego
The idea began with a single portrait. A woman from Opelousas approached Beth James, a Washington resident who lives across the street, and helped put the space together. She offered her mother’s portrait, explaining she wanted it displayed somewhere meaningful rather than hanging in her own home.
That moment sparked a larger idea. A call went out to the community, and portraits began arriving from private collections, personal gifts, and even newly commissioned works honoring ancestors.
“We jokingly call it a portrait gallery, kind of like the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. But this is Washington, Louisiana.”
— Stephen Ortego
Some portraits came from Stephen’s own collection. Others arrived with stories still unfolding. The walls are not finished, and that is intentional. The Portrait Lounge remains open to new contributions, continuing to grow with the community that created it.
Discoveries Beneath the Surface
As the restoration progressed, the building revealed its history layer by layer.
“When we peeled back the first layer of sheetrock, we found wallpaper from the 1909 renovation. Behind that was hand-painted faux marble from the 1800s, and we were able to restore it in the hallway.”
— Stephen Ortego
The building also reflects Washington’s transition from steamboat town to railroad hub. When the last steamboat left around 1900, rail became the primary means of transportation, and that shift is literally embedded in the hotel’s structure.
“Around one of the fireplaces, the structure is made from old railroad shipping crates. Handwritten on it is ‘Max Klaus,’ stamped from Jewish wholesalers in New Orleans.”
— Stephen Ortego
Even the hotel’s logo is rooted in discovery. Its medallion design was digitized from a physical medallion found reused behind wallpaper in one of the rooms, another artifact quietly waiting to be noticed.
Listening to the Building
Stephen describes historic preservation as part architecture and part archaeology.
“A lot of times, if you listen to the building, the building tells you what it wants to be. As you peel those layers back, it’s talking to you.”
— Stephen Ortego
That philosophy shaped every decision at Hotel Klaus. Rather than imposing something new, the restoration allowed the building’s story to guide its future. Walking through the space, I felt that conversation unfolding through materials, proportions, and the details that were allowed to remain visible.
Where You’ll Stay at Hotel Klaus
Staying at Hotel Klaus means choosing a room that carries its own story, shaped by the building’s past and the family who once lived within its walls.
| Room | Sleeps | Beds | Notable Details |
| Bay Window Suite Deluxe | 4 | King + sofa bed | Original family dining room, Italian marble fireplace, bay window, courtyard access |
| Accessible Poolside King | 2 | King | Ground-level, direct courtyard and pool access, fully accessible bath |
| Upstairs Poolside King | 2 | King | Balcony with pool and garden views, clawfoot tub |
| The Violet Room | 2 | Queen | Balcony, fireplace mantel, clawfoot tub |
| Carel Wolff Suite | 4 | King + sofa bed | Separate lounge, bay window, fireplace, balcony |
| Aunt Gussye’s Room | 2 | Queen | Rose-toned room, corner courtyard views |
| Sarah and Max’s Room | 2 | King | Original owners’ bedroom, standout fireplace mantel |
| The Yellow Room | 2 | King | Near the front balcony, workspace, and seating |
| The Grand Balcony Room | 2 | King | Floor-to-ceiling windows, front balcony overlooking Main Street |
All guest rooms are located within the building’s original residential spaces and retain historic architectural details.
Washington’s History, Still in Motion
Washington is the third-oldest European settlement in Louisiana, and its history is unusually concentrated. Preserved buildings stand close together, creating a sense of continuity that is rare to find. Hotel Klaus now joins that collection, not as a replica of the past but as an active participant in the town’s present.
Staying here felt like being welcomed into an ongoing story. Hotel Klaus reflects a community that values its history enough to invest in it, protect it, and invite others to experience it. This is not preservation frozen in time. It is history standing tall, still speaking, and still shaping what comes next.
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