About two-dozen protesters greeted Monday’s soft opening of the Trump International Hotel with jeers, calling on its builder — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump — to take back campaign remarks he has made about immigrants.
“He’s made bigotry acceptable again in 2016,” said Raheem Anthon, a 21-year-old D.C. native.
But the protesters’ chants were mostly lost amid the din of downtown Washington, where the $212 million luxury hotel is nestled at the site of the historic Old Post Office Pavilion on Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
With its $900-a-night rooms and nine-story atrium, the hotel opened Monday for a select number of guests, and will hold its grand opening in October. The curious angling for a peek inside will get a chance when the restaurant opens in mid-September. The Spa by Ivanka Trump will be unveiled a little later at the official opening.
“The restaurant is fully open for our hotel guests,” said Trump Hotels spokeswoman Allie Huddleston. “We will begin to welcome the public on September 16th.”
Two tourists from Calgary said they were happy to see Mr. Trump putting the historic structure to good use, replete with its majestic ceilings and gold-leafed bathrooms. Rod and Nancy Blair said the U.S. election has a big effect on lives up north, and they would be happy to see Mr. Trump take office in January.
SEE ALSO: D.C. police fatally shoot motorcyclist who rammed police car
The Canadians also were happy to see protesters voicing their opinions.
“I’m not at all surprised. It’s a free society and it’s quite commendable that the U.S. has freedoms like this compared with a big percentage of countries worldwide,” Mr. Blair said.
Still, Mr. Anthon said the city and the federal government should not have allowed Mr. Trump to lease the prime real estate between the White House and the U.S. Capitol.
“Having his name here is a slap in the face,” the protester said.
Originally built in 1899, the Old Post Office has undergone several renovations over the decades, including the 1980s, when it contained a food court and retail area, and 1990s, when an extension was added to the historic site.
In 2012, the federal General Services Administration, which manages the building, leased it for 60 years to Mr. Trump’s hotel company, which agreed to pay $3 million a year in rent and spend more than $200 million to renovate it to its former glory. Ground was broken in 2014, and it wasn’t long before sparks started to fly.
SEE ALSO: D.C. Metro: 20 percent of trains running late amid push for more reliable service
City officials backed off their support for the venture last year, after Mr. Trump said that most illegal immigrants from Mexico are rapists, murderers and drug traffickers during a June 2015 speech announcing his presidential candidacy.
“And some, I assume, are good people,” the real estate mogul said.
Chef Jose Andres, whose name has become synonymous with fine dining in Washington, and Geoffrey Zakarian, an “Iron Chef,” both pulled out of deals to open restaurants inside the hotel.
Mr. Trump took both restaurateurs to court. He sued Mr. Andres for $10 million, and the chef countersued for $8 million, saying he had made a business judgment after Mr. Trump’s comments. The cases are pending.
BLT Prime by David Burke currently is the only restaurant in the 263-room hotel.
The hotelier also has had some run-ins with the city government. Mr. Trump asked for a lower property tax assessment to help pay for the multimillion-dollar renovation. The District agreed to reduce the property taxes to $91 million, down from $98 million. But Mr. Trump sued the city when he was denied another reduction.
Mr. Trump said the tax assessment was unreasonable and that he filed the lawsuit ensure the city was handling the assessment fairly. That case is pending.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.