It's not at all surprising that where Donald Trump sees luxury, people who would know better see garishness.
Luxury Travel Intelligence — a members-only site devoted to "empowering the affluent traveller" — released its year-end list of the best new hotels. The president-elect's new Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., ranked third from the bottom, according to The Washingtonian.
"The building itself is undoubtedly impressive, but once inside we start to ask questions," complained Michael Crompton, founder of the invite-only site catering to wealthy travelers. "LTI finds the décor a little garish and more quantity over quality. Service is poor on occasions and lacks confidence. The whole experience seems a little forced and therefore this place is not for the true discerning luxury traveler. But no doubt the tourist hordes will keep the place eternally busy."
The Washingtonian posted the following update:
In an email to Washingtonian, Crompton piles on to his publication’s initial criticism, writing that the Trump hotel’s gaudiness — and that of the larger Trump brand — runs counter to recent hotel-industry trends. "For quite a while there has been a move towards an understated elegance in new luxury properties," he writes. "We had similar feelings towards Trump Turnberry (one of Trump’s golf courses in Scotland)."
It seems the restaurant inside Trump's D.C. hotel, BLT Prime, is no less "garish." In his review, Washington Post restaurant critic Tom Sietsema wrote:
To access the new restaurant in Washington’s most talked-about hotel, you navigate an atrium awash in white marble and carpets, climb two sets of marble stairs and follow a host to a buffed Macassar ebony table near an ornate railing overlooking the lobby. Are we in Vegas?
He concluded: "Curiosity is bound to fill some seats in what is basically another steakhouse in the city’s most controversial hotel."
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