Trump’s ‘Crown Jewel’ Hotel Conjures Spooky Comparisons Amid Reports Of Struggle
Former President Donald Trump’s hotel in Washington is reportedly struggling to attract guests now that he’s out of office and out of town.
The Trump International Hotel ― just blocks from the White House ― was once a central gathering place for Trump supporters, from hangers-on to insiders such as Rudy Giuliani as well as Trump himself, even during the coronavirus pandemic.
But The Guardian reports that the bustle from a “crown jewel” property is gone.
The newspaper compared it to one of the most famous haunted hotels of film and literature, saying the Trump International’s once-busy lobby now looked like a scene out of “The Shining.”
At least one D.C. observer made a similarly haunted observation.
Kevin Chaffee, senior editor of Washington Life, told The Guardian that businesses and embassies hoping to win Trump over once held their events there.
Not anymore.
“The bar was like the White House mess,” Chaffee was quoted as saying. “But those people no longer have any reason to meet and try to find out what’s happening on the scene because the man is gone. So it must be like a ghost town.”
The hotel was at the center of a lawsuit that accused Trump of benefitting financially from the presidency in violation of the Constitution, but the case was ultimately dismissed by the Supreme Court.
The hotel infamously jacked up prices earlier this month at the same time some Trump supporters were pushing a conspiracy theory that he would return to office on March 4.
He did not ― but the Trump International raised rates by 180% for the date just the same, according to Forbes.
The New York Times reported in January that revenue at the hotel plunged by 63% last year, a drop the Trump Organization blamed on the pandemic.
Now, with Trump out of office, it’s unclear how much of that business will return even when the pandemic lets up.
CNN reported in February that the hotel’s bookings took a hit shortly after Trump left town on Jan. 20, with an unnamed staffer telling the news organization that business “really, like, slowed down.”
The Trump Organization had reportedly been trying to sell the hotel, but CNBC said last year that those plans were put on hold.
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