One of Washington DC’s most famous (and definitely most controversial) hotels is in the process of being sold and rebranded.
In this post:
Investment firm buying Trump Hotel, rebranding it
The Wall Street Journal reports that the Trump Organization has reached an agreement to sell the lease for the Trump International Hotel in Washington DC to Miami-based investment fund CGI Merchant Group. The sale amount is $375 million, and the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2022.
With this sale, it’s expected that the hotel will have the Trump branding removed, and will be rebranded as a Waldorf Astoria, which is one of Hilton’s luxury hotel brands (it’s always great to see more luxury hotels bookable with points).
This deal is subject to approval by the General Services Administration (GSA), which now has to conduct a 60-day review, since the land that the property is on belongs to the federal government. The lease for the building (which used to be the Old Post Office) was awarded back in 2012, and then the property opened in 2016, when Trump won the presidency. The hotel is just a few blocks from the White House, and while Trump was in office, became a popular place for foreign dignitaries to stay.
This hotel has allegedly lost at least $70 million
It’s reported that there had been discussions for quite a while about the Trump Hotel DC being sold. Discussions allegedly first took place in 2019, when Trump was still in office. However, once the pandemic hit, discussions stopped, since it obviously wasn’t a great time to sell a hotel. The talks resumed again this year, with discussions with CGI Merchant Group taking place this fall.
The House Oversight Committee had released documents showing that the hotel lost around $70 million while Trump was in office (Trump, conversely, claimed that the hotel made more than $150 million while he was in office). I think we can all agree that however it was doing while he was in office, it’s probably doing significantly worse now that he’s out of office.
The number of hotels belonging to Trump’s hotel group is continuing to shrink, as properties in Panama City, Toronto, and Vancouver, have all either closed or rebranded in the past couple of years.
Bottom line
The Trump Hotel Washington DC is being sold for $375 million, and is expected to become a Waldorf Astoria in early 2022. The hotel first opened in 2016, and documents show that the hotel lost more than $70 million since then. This is the fourth Trump Hotel location to close or rebrand in the past couple of years.
Politics aside, the building that the hotel is in looks cool, and I’m looking forward to this becoming a Waldorf Astoria, and being able to earn and redeem points for stays here.
Would you consider staying at the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC?
Nice article with information about the rebranding, great to be in Hilton as you say Ben, using and/or earning points for stays.
Unfortunately most of the comments are about politics. Thanksgiving is coming soon and that will be the fantastic venue for political fights around the table, not in a travel column.
Thanks Ben.
I would never stay at a Trump Hotel….not ever!
I would stay at the Waldorf Astoria.
Good news is that folks at east coast can find a WA to use Aspire FN. Otherwise, you need to go Atlanta.
I would definitely stay there now. I avoided it before.
The building was originally the old post office, a beautiful Richardsonian Romanesque, with an enormous atrium. When I was researching my dissertation on the NEA's public sculpture program back in the 1980s, it was an office building that housed the NEA. I spent months there doing research and delighting in the massive building and its atrium, filled with light and life. Glad to see it will be part of a hotel chain more respectful of architecture!
I read an exposé a while back about the employees of the hotel. How they had a procedure they had to follow to the letter when serving the hotel’s owner some Diet Coke. How they faced pushback from friends & families, especially back home, for working for that man.
One confessed to no longer being able to take the subway without getting nasty looks from the other passengers. I feel for them, they were just...
I read an exposé a while back about the employees of the hotel. How they had a procedure they had to follow to the letter when serving the hotel’s owner some Diet Coke. How they faced pushback from friends & families, especially back home, for working for that man.
One confessed to no longer being able to take the subway without getting nasty looks from the other passengers. I feel for them, they were just trying to do their jobs, and most of them don’t even like the guy (does anyone really ever like their boss?).
The hotel itself is conveniently located near a subway stop, which is always a plus for me. I just hope they redecorate before they open it up to the public after the sale/rebrand
Will definitely give it a try. I hope Hilton provide a similar level of care and service as WA abroad. I have had mixed results in US with brand here so far in terms of service. Beverly Hills was excellent a few years ago, but more recent in Vegas left a bit to be desired.
I love the "politics aside" bit in the post. As if that will hold true in the comments.
I will say this, for most of us in the district, despite political leanings, we will be glad to see it rebranded and the Trump name removed. It's a beautiful building. But Trump has scarred this city and any of these vestiges that remain to remind us of those years, especially January 6th, will be welcome as just distant memories to the surreal.
I will never stay in a property that Frunk touched. Like this DC property or Grand Hyatt NYC.
Soon we will have a chance to use your HHonors free night certificates at this hotel (after signing up for the Credit Cards and going with the current spend $8k - get free night promo).
I stayed there once in 2018 just to make a change. Next trip I went back to the Willard. Trump was nice but I prefer the bar in the Willard.
According to Forbes, Trump used a $170mm mortgage to buy the property and then spent another $30mm to renovate it. Even if it did lose $75mm over the last year, him and his investors still turned around a $100mm profit.
This building belongs to GSA. They leased to Trump Group. How come a lease can get mortgage. Where did you get that fake news!! IDIOT
Trump soho rebranded as well.
Other poster is right - most of these were franchised with Trump Org possibly having a mgmt contract. DC was probably the only one actually sold.
A Trump business losing money?? I am shocked. Good riddance.
I wish we could say good riddance to some other things too. Things like the worst inflation in 30 years, an unprecedented supply chain crisis, a crisis in Afghanistan, and trillion dollar socialist spending splurges.
I wish we could say good riddance to MAGA people polluting the internet with their ignorance.
I guess the truth hurts.
I wish I could say good say good riddance to unpaid for trillion dollar tax cuts for corporations and the wealthy:-(
Don’t you know corporations were so glad, they gave all their employees permanent larger salary hikes instead of one-time small bonus. Rest of the money went in new job creation and rainy day funds instead of share buybacks. Similarly, the wealthy, gave rise to their landscapers, maid etc. Thanks for triple down economics.
Ole, what are you smoking!!??
I'm guessing @David will be lining up to check-in and worship at the tattered and stained hidden shrine to Trump, his hero. Idiot.
ol' dee, truly one of the most ignorant posters on the travel blogs. apparently you don't have a clue about OPEC, have yourself a Google and report back to us
Politics aside, the Trump hotels in Toronto and Vancouver were franchised/licensed.