The majority of the District’s finest hotels have become secured urban fortresses themselves, with black SUVs and limos parked on surrounding streets, jersey barriers and gates blocking access to unauthorized cars and bikes, and Secret Service checkpoints and metal detectors gracing principle access points. At the Four Seasons in Georgetown, 30th Street NW was closed off to traffic to accommodate police cars and motorcade vehicles, and every guest or visitor had to pass through a metal detector to enter the hotel. Similar measures appear to be in place at the Marriott Wardman Park in Woodley Park, and it’s a safe bet that most of the city’s toniest hotels are the same.
Of course, finding out who is staying where is pretty near impossible — hotel staffers we spoke to were on strict orders not to disclose who might be staying there, or even how many delegations they were hosting. It was only by chance that we discovered that Yousaf Raza Gillani, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, is lodged at the Four Seasons — he walked passed us, entourage in tow, as we surveyed the scene.
A sampling of the District’s other favorite hotels for visiting dignitaries and delegations found that, not surprisingly, they were almost all sold out for tonight and tomorrow, the closing day of the summit. As for what individual heads of state might be paying for the finest rooms the city has to offer, The Willard’s presidential suite runs $3,000-5,000 per night, while the Mandarin Oriental’s suite goes for $6,000-10,000, depending on the date. If Gillani is being treated to the best the Four Seasons has to offer, Pakistan would be set back almost $15,000 a night. For a deal, visiting heads of state could have opted for the Ritz Carlton ($3,500 a night), the Marriott Wardman Park ($3,200 a night), or the new W, which offers a suite facing Pennsylvania Avenue for a mere $1,549 a night.
And while having a good chunk of the District’s hotels play host to the many delegations in town might sound like a boon for our struggling economy, it’s unlikely that the city will reap the benefits of the 14.5 percent tax on all those rooms. If payment is made through local embassies, they’ll be able to use their tax exemption cards.
