[news] the obamas are moving into a d.c. hotel UPDATED

12.31.2008 | News broke this evening that the Obamas will be moving into a Washington hotel later this week. They're coming to town so the girls can start their new school after holiday break. They'll stay in the hotel, in a suite per news reports, through January 15, when they move into the Blair House, the official While House guest house.

Aides would not reveal which hotel. I give the secret 24 hours. I'm tempted to start guessing which hotel it might be. The Hay-Adams makes sense. It's right across the park from the White House.

UPDATE: 11 AM EST Wednesday, December 31, 2008

AOL's Political Machine is playing the guessing game, too: Dylan and Ethan Ris bet it's either the Watergate and the Mayflower. Sorry, fellows, but the Watergate is currently closed for renovations. And the Howard Johnson on Florida Avenue surely doesn't have suites that would meet the President Elect's standards - if it has suites at all.

It's anyone's guess where the Obamas will check in. We hear very nice things about the Watergate Hotel, and we think their might be some sort of historic thing that happened there. Oh, there's also the Mayflower hotel - that one's really popular with elected officials from out of town, like Governor Eliot Spitzer. Sometimes they even hold very special meetings there!

But clearly times are tight, and the Obamas might not be able to spring for a luxury hotel. Well, there's always the HoJo over on Florida Avenue!

On a philosophical note, I appreciate the Obama's needs for privacy, especially considering his daughters, but it is just plain unrealistic for him and his staff to expect this one to remain secret for long. And I'm guessing his aides have told reporters, who are keeping it mum for now.

UPDATE: 12:30 EST Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bingo, on two counts. It's the Hay-Adams, per multiple mainstream news sources (MSNBC, The Washington Post). And the secret didn't last more than 24 hours. The family could not have picked a more ideal location for their segue into the White House. Many rooms have views of the White House. For the Obama girls, this is pretty magical, being able to look across Lafayette Park at their soon-to-be home.

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