President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly looking into options of taking back his Washington DC hotel, to “save” from the Waldorf-Astoria.
Located just around the corner from the White House, the 125-year-old building used to be a Post Office. Trump bought the lease from the government and opened a hotel 5-star luxury hotel in 2016. In its first 6 months, the establishment cashed in $266,000 from Republicans visiting the President, lobbyists and fundraisers who wanted to stay close to the Oval Office, according to the US Federal Election Commission.
Despite this inaugural success, the hotel then went on to lose millions, according to the Washington Times, and the Trump Organization – the President-elect’s company – sold it for $375 million in 2022. The lease was taken over by Hilton, which manages the Waldorf brand.
In the absence of the Trump International Hotel brand and prices starting at $600 per night, the popularity of the place dropped even more, with guest numbers steadily going down. Now, re-elected President of the United States, Trump is looking at options to get back his hotel, according to the New York Post, citing “three sources familiar with the situation”.
“Our family has saved the hotel once. If asked, we would save it again”, Eric Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization and youngest son from the President-elect’s first marriage, told the Post. According to the Post, “the Trump Organization, is weighing options that include a licensing deal or even possibly buying back the lease on the government-owned, 125-year-old Old Post Office building.”
No comment has so far surfaced from any of the building’s current managers on the possible return to Trump of the hotel. The Classical Revival style building houses 263 rooms including 35 suites and a 6,300 square-foot (585 m2), two-story townhouse with a private entrance.
It remains to be seen whether or not Trump will “save” the hotel again, but, if he does, another question, besides the profitability of the establishment, is what will come of the Bazaar restaurant. Michelin-starred Chef José Andrés, an avid democrat, refused to open the restaurant while the hotel was still under Trump administration, so it is likely the President-elect will have to look for another restauranteur willing to operate under his brand.
