24 I Spotlight on... Washington DC
Upstairs at the back is the US$20,000-a-night
presidential suite, the former office of the postmaster general. Damelincourt says: “All the buildings around us belong to the Internal Revenue Service and the FBI is across the road so this is very safe – secret service love this room when you have a head of state staying. There is no traffic and you can have snipers on the roof.” Have any presidents stayed here yet? “No,” he says. Not even Donald Trump. “He has a nice house down the road.”
Clockwise from above: The reborn neighbourhood of Columbia Heights; the White House with Washington Monument beyond; and the lobby lounge of the Trump International Hotel
NOVEMBER 2017
NEW TEAM IN TOWN It’s commonly said one should avoid discussing politics in social situations, but in DC it’s impossible to avoid. I visit Off the Record, a subterranean bar in the Hay Adams hotel that is popular with politicians, dignitaries and journalists, and order a Corruption IPA served on a coaster featuring a caricature of Trump. The free snacks are great, but the conversations you overhear are even better. Alexandra Byrne is general manager of the 237-room
Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square hotel, which is located just around the corner from the bar – and the White House. “We host a lot of Capitol Hill visitors, including international delegates, diplomats, lobbyists,
activists and top executives of Fortune 500 businesses. This past election came as a surprise for everybody. The air is rife with differing opinions leading to interesting discussions and debates.” From my corner room at the Sofitel, I hear music blaring below on 15th Street NW. “From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans white with foam, God bless America, my home sweet home.” It’s coming from an SUV pulling a float with a giant Trump sign on the back lit up in lights. The so-called “Trump Unity Bridge” is not the creation of a local, though – it’s a hardcore fan from Michigan named Rob Cortis, who has taken it upon himself to drive the length and breadth of the country in a show of support. Over on 14th Street NW, there are ongoing anti-Trump demonstrations. Brian Kenner, deputy mayor of planning and economic development, says: “We tend to be a little more progressive than typical US cities – we were one of the first to legalise marijuana, for example – so [the election] was a little shocking, but I think that has done nothing but continue to galvanise the residents of the District of Columbia.” He adds: “We want to make sure that whether you have been here five minutes, five years or five generations that you feel welcome.”
businesstraveller.com
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