[on hold] watergate hotel renovation

From the one-screen website for the Watergate Hotel:

We are currently undergoing a dramatic renovation and will not be accepting guests again until late 2009. While we are creating the most luxurious hotel in Washington, we ask for your patience.

Patience indeed. Things are not going as planned: The email listed on the hotel’s website is not even working. When I emailed last week, requesting a status report on the hotel’s renovation, my email bounced back as undeliverable.

That sent me a-Googling, and I found an article from mid-November in the Washington Business Journal that explains the story. The developer, Monumental Realty, got caught up in Lehmann Bros.’ failure, and can’t do a thing unless it’s approved by the bankruptcy court. In the meantime, one tenant at the complex has sued Monumental Realty for letting the garage go into disrepair.

This is most unfortunate. I love the Watergate for its history, its location, its views. I used to love it for its tile-lined indoor pool, too, but I don’t think that’s going to survive the renovation.

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