Washington was all aflutter on September 10. That’s when Donald Trump and his daughter, Ivanka, returned to D.C. to share design plans for the $200 million Trump International Hotel (1100 Pennsylvania Avenue), scheduled to open in late 2015 or early 2016.
Over the summer, the Trumps signed a 60-year lease with the U.S. General Services Administration to redevelop the historic Old Post Office Building and Pavilion Annex, turning it into a 271-room luxury hotel. The deal culminated a search for a private partner that began in 2011.
Among the key design elements:
- Guest rooms averaging 600 square feet (SF), plus two presidential suites 3,000 SF each and equipped with saunas
- A grand pedestrian and vehicular entrance on 11th Street
- A lavishly redone nine-story atrium
- A massive, European influenced 13,000 SF grand ballroom
- Luxury retailers and high-end restaurants
- A dedicated entrance on C Street for visitors to the 315-foot clock tower, which the National Park Service will continue to operate
The city is also pretty excited about the jobs and tax revenue that will flow from this project:
- $100 million in tax revenue over 10 years
- 700 construction jobs
- 300 permanent jobs
Trump now has eight hotels: Two in New York City, the others are in Chicago; Vegas; Waikiki; Miami; Toronto, Canada; and Panama.
The DowntownDC BID, a consulting partner with the GSA through the Section 106 process, has been involved with meetings concerning this project.