The Trump International Hotel in Washington DC has increased its room prices to over three times their usual rate over the dates of president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration.
Per a recent report by The Independent, the hotel - located at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue - recently unblocked the dates after months of keeping 16-20 January 2021 unavailable to bookings.
Joe Biden's inauguration is currently scheduled to take place on January 20 - so it is possible that those dates were kept unavailable for so long in anticipation of a Trump inauguration.
According to The Independent, when the rooms were once again made available, they initially opened at higher prices than usual, ranging from doubles to suites at $886 (£650) to $2,225 (£1,630).
However, those prices have reportedly been increased even higher, with the hotel's website insisting on a two-night minimum stay for any guests arriving during the week of Biden's inauguration.
The cheapest rooms are currently listed at $2,225 a night for the 19th and 20th of January, The Independent's article states. But this price is only for Trump Card members - those without a card will have to fork out $2,500 per night for the room.
On other days throughout January, the average room charge for the hotel is $436.
Raising room rates over busy periods is common practice in the industry, and many other hotels in the area have also raised their prices. However, The Independent states that Trump International "is now priced considerably higher than most rivals".
Pili Tobar, the communications director of the presidential inauguration committee (PIC), has said that "The inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the beginning of a new national journey."
As reported by The Guardian, Joe Biden, 78, is set to hold a national memorial service for the 340,000+ American lives that have been lost as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden plans to lead the unique nationwide memorial service on January 19, the eve of his inauguration, inviting towns and cities across the US to join the ceremony by illuminating their buildings and ringing church bells all at the same time - shortly after east coast sunset.
Tobar added:
"In the midst of a pandemic – when so many Americans are grieving the loss of family, friends and neighbors – it is important that we honor those who have died, reflect on what has been one of the more challenging periods in the nation’s history, and renew our commitment to coming together to end the pandemic and rebuild our nation."
