The Trump Organization is reportedly considering a bid to regain control of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC.
The New York Post, citing “three sources familiar with the situation,” said the president-elect’s company is considering options including a licensing deal or buying back the lease on the 263-room venue.
The property was originally the Post Office Building, which opened in 1899. Trump leased the property from the federal government in 2012 and reopened it as a hotel in 2016. During Trump’s presidency, the hotel was frequented by lawmakers and lobbyists, which raised complaints that Trump ran afoul of government ethics laws. The hotel’s lease was sold in 2022 to Miami-based investment firm CGI Merchant Group for $375 million, which rebranded the venue as a Waldorf Astoria hotel.
CGI defaulted on its debt in 2023, and in August the merchant bank BDT & MSD Partners took over the property on Monday after CGI failed to cure the default.
Eric Trump, who co-leads the Trump Organization, told the Post, “Our family has saved the hotel once. If asked, we would save it again.” However, there has been no formal outreach to the Trump Organization regarding the property’s future.
Photo courtesy of Waldorf Astoria
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