The Former Guy left D.C. just a month ago, but he has been trying to offload his D.C. Hotel (the former Post Office Pavillion) for quite a while, although no one is biting. Back in November 2020, Curbed reported that after tentatively offering the hotel for sale for $500 million - and a requirement to keep the Trump name (snort) - the firm only got bids for less than half the asking price.
I guess the Former Guy's name is a clearance item now, at best. And even that is too much.
Not only is the toxic Trump name bringing the hotel down, but the COVID pandemic may have dealt it a death blow. Reports are that it remains down 32.7% from the 2019 bookings. 2021 does not appear to be any better, especially after the January 6th insurrection that the Former Guy incited.
Slate is reporting that the hotel remains empty, especially with the Former Guy and his criminal cabal gone from DC. No lobbyists to rent rooms for 500% market, no illegal deals made over overdone steak in the garish gold dining rooms, no escorts to try to score a diamond ring from thrice divorced cabinet members or grifting assistants. To put it bluntly - the place is a ghost town. Dusty. A failure. A disaster. It reminds me of photos of abandoned malls from the 1990's that are shut down, except for a handful of stores that are handing on for dear life.
The Former Guy is in real trouble soon - there is a $170 million mortgage due soon. Oh, and the General Services Administration (the GSA) is actually the owner/lease holder. During the Former Guy's presidency, the GSA defended him in the media, refusing to hold him to a clause that *explicitly* barred elected officials from being a party to the contract.
So what is the likely outcome? It is possible they will sell it for less than they want, especially as that mortgage comes due. But it is unlikely the GSA will kick him out. So the Trump Hotel may be sticking around for a while - empty and sad.
