Rendering of the exterior of the Eaton Workshop hotel in Washington, previously a Four Points on K & 12th. (Image:Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)
The year-old Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C. has become the de facto gathering place of choice for right-wing, pro-Trump politicians and lobbyists. So should the Left have its own hotel in the nation’s capital?
Pretty soon, it will.
It’s called Eaton Workshop, a 209-room property located just north of the National Mall at 12th and K streets that’s expected to open sometime next spring.
The hotel will inhabit what was previously a Four Points hotel, as you can see on TripAdvisor.
Bloomberg News is calling it “the world’s first politically motivated hotel.” It’s the brain child of Katherine Lo, whose father runs Hong Kong-based Langham Hospitality Group, the parent of Langham Hotels. And it’s expected to be the first in a chain of similar hotels, with another one opening in Hong Kong later next year, followed by newly-built locations in San Francisco and Seattle.
Eaton Workshop describes itself as “a new global brand merging hospitality with progressive social change.”
Lo told Fast Company that “Pretty much anyone can stay there…but we do believe that [the customer base] is almost self-selecting,” since Eaton is gearing itself toward leftist beliefs.
The hotel will have a liberally stocked library. (Image: Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)
The Eaton Workshop will weave progressive and liberal ideas into the guest experience in various ways, e.g.
- TV screens in the lobby broadcasting vintage footage from the 2012 and 2016 elections.
- A series of liberal-oriented talks and lectures open to guests and to the public, and streamed as podcasts.
- Specially created works of art that emphasize progressive themes.
- Providing “a co-working space” for progressive groups and activists.
- Creating a wellness program with holistic treatments (yoga and meditation classes, acupuncture, etc.) aimed at the guest’s “inner health” rather than the traditional workout room and spa services.
- Hosting art, film and music events with a focus on social change.
Eaton Workshop’s website describes its new lodging concept as “a hybrid model of a hotel, co-working members club, and wellness center, with extensive content and cultural programming supporting the intersection of arts, consciousness and impact. As a gathering place for an inclusive tribe of change-makers and creatives, Eaton Workshop invites activists, artists and entrepreneurs from around the world to instigate meaningful and positive initiatives on both a local and macro scale, as well as to hang out, indulge and follow their bliss.”
The hotel’s small and simple front desk. (Image: Gachot Studios/Eaton Workshop)
Unlike the red-meat specialties (or breakfast popovers) at the Trump Hotel’s steakhouse, the Eaton Workshop’s restaurant menu is expected to show an emphasis on vegetables grown in the property’s own garden, and guest rooms will have information on how to contact members of Congress. You get the picture.
The hotel will also have one non-political amenity that almost all new urban hotels have these days: a rooftop bar.
No word yet on rates.
Would you stay at the Eaton hotel in Washington or elsewhere? Please leave your comments below. And even though we don’t normally take political comments on TravelSkills, they are likely unavoidable in a post like this!
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Um, yeah, I won’t be anywhere near these untra left wing nut houses. I guess they will be painted blue for the Democratic Party.
Ready to book!
If you look at the building from the back, it is leaning left 🙂
Phenomenal. Incredible. Beautiful. Of course I will seek these out!
How come the building leans to the right in the drawing?
You must not get out much, probably watching Faux all day, I understand.
I have not met anyone who can defend the actions of the Clinton Foundation. You, sir, are the first. Maybe the folks in Washington should investigate Alex Ovechkin too. There seems to be a lot of contact with Russians at Cap One Arena.
Please tell us how Clinton had anything to do with it. The Clinton State Department had no power to veto or approve that transaction. Rather, it must be approved by an interagency committee of the government consisting of nine department heads, including the secretary of state.
I have to say that DoTheMathAlready’s entry is hilarious. As I progressive liberal, I appreciate the humor even if it does appear to bother some. I also appreciate the use of humor to make a point rather than using the all too common rants that often appear in forums like this. Thanks for this one DTMA.
Russian collusion? Are you referring to the Clinton Foundation donation for uranium deal or a bunch of neophyte politicians learning the ways of Washington? The truth hurts, right?
says the loser who rants about communism but is totally fine with Trump’s Russian collusion.
Wow, what a great idea. The hotel will “weave progressive and liberal ideas into the guest experience.” So let me guess, if you check in and have a Platinum AmEx you will be requires to subsidize the guests that only have plain old Visa and MasterCard. If you want a suite, just help yourself. The owners of that hotel are no doubt rich so you can just take it from them. Room rates are $900 a night so all the employees can enjoy a “living wage” which is about $92,000 a year in DC. Tipping is mandatory in the spirit of good old progressive income redistribution. The spa and health treatments are free, just like health insurance. And the union workers aren’t accountable to anyone. They just want to retire at age 45 with full pensions. I can’t wait to stay here!
The line between The Onion and real life continues to blur.
“TV screens in the lobby broadcasting vintage footage from the 2012 and 2016 elections.”
Vintage from last fall?
And why would anyone that is supposedly “leftist” wanna watch the ’16 campaign knowing the utter failure it was for the left??
This is the dumbest hotel idea I’ve ever seen. And no, I did not vote for our current POTUS.