Better Than Ever And Open To The Public: Inside Waldorf Astoria Washington DC

30.08.2023 - 12:15 / forbes.com / Donald Trump / Waldorf Astoria

When I lived in Washington, D.C., from 1998 to 2005, I didn’t pay much attention to the Old Post Office Building. The Romanesque Revival-style structure taking up over an entire Pennsylvania Avenue block certainly had a commanding presence with its imposing clock tower, which offered incredible views of the city. But mostly, it was a tourist stop.

Things took a dramatic turn in late 2016, when the building was unveiled as Trump International Hotel Washington D.C. on October 26, with Donald Trump becoming the 45th President of the United States weeks later. While the property was mired in dubious dealings during its run, I found forbidding non-hotel guests to enter at times especially egregious. Journalists were infamously banned during inauguration week, and a few years later a sign stating “Hotel Guests & Invitees Access Only” hung near the entrance.

But after a swift sale of the lease last spring, the building was reborn as Waldorf Astoria Washington DC in June 2022. I never visited the hotel under Trump ownership, but was curious to see what the Waldorf brand could bring to a place with such a checkered past—so I recently paid a visit.

Since Waldorf took over the reins from Trump in one short month, I didn’t expect a top-to-bottom overhaul. Plus, the landmark 1899 building already had plenty of eye-catching details long before its conversion to a hotel, including a soaring glass-covered atrium, solid granite turrets, and spiral staircases. While I expected to see a mammoth American flag and a ton of gold accents and crystal chandeliers based on research ahead of my stay—clearly, these were holdovers from the Trump days—I found they surprisingly worked in this historic and more traditional setting.

The 263 guest rooms and suites are everything you expect from a luxury hotel in the heart of the nation’s capital. Classic with their graciousness of space and opulent touches such as four-poster canopy beds, velvet sofas, and marble-clad bathrooms with deep soaking tubs, they’re also uniquely configured to honor the Old Post Office Building’s bones. For example: my favorite aspect of the Nancy Hanks Suite—where my senior mutt Buster and I decamped for two restful nights—was a cozy work nook tucked away in an original turret, with terrific views of the Washington Monument.

While cardio machines and strength equipment are a given at hotel gyms, Waldorf sets itself apart with a separate area for a Peloton bike, glass bottles of Evian water, chilled eucalyptus towels, and fresh bananas. And just down the hall might be one of DC’s best-kept secrets, the Waldorf Astoria Spa. A sophisticated jewel box where relaxation and rejuvenation meet, the facilities feature six treatment rooms, a tranquil relaxation area