Trump marks to get special rates at hotel
Forget the Ides of March. The Trump International Hotel near the White House is eyeing a big payday on March 4, the date that some believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory will herald ex-President Donald Trump’s triumphant return to power, Forbes first reported.
This unfounded belief, shared by the sovereign citizen movement, is based on a conspiracy theory that a law enacted in 1871 turned the U.S. into a corporation and that every president since Ulysses S. Grant has been illegal.
Prior to 1937, U.S. presidents were sworn into office in early March, hence the date’s significance to QAnon and the sovereign citizen movement.
The FBI identifies the movement, which lacks any organizational structure, as “domestic terrorism” and calls followers “anti-government extremists who believe that even though they physically reside in this country, they are separate or ‘sovereign’ from the United States” — including the courts, taxing entities, motor vehicle departments, and even law enforcement.
Citing demand, the Trump International Hotel raised room prices for that night to over $1,000, more than double the next highest date in the month, according to Insider.
A quick review of two-night stays on Priceline.com from March 3-5 for a deluxe king bed at fivestar hotels in downtown Washington shows the following rates: Sofitel: $263/night Willard InterContinental: $569/ night
Trump International Hotel: $1,391/night
Four Seasons: $1,248/night Ritz Carlton: $399/night
If you go directly to Trump’s hotel website, there is a $21 price reduction to $1,370 per night.
When asked about the dramatic price difference, Patricia Tang, director of sales and marketing at Trump International in Washington, said it is on par with its main competition, Four Seasons, based on service and accommodations.
“It’s really about supply and demand,” said Tang. When asked what could be the cause of the demand, she could not readily identify a specific event.
According to Forbes, this would not be the first time a Trump hotel raised rates around a political event. The magazine reported that on Jan. 5 and 6, the night of the deadly insurrection at the Capitol, the cheapest room was about $8,000.