Coming to Washington, DC & SF: An anti-Trump hotel

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 12^th 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 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.”

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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