Trump Hotel to Move Forward As Planned, Despite Controversy
The backlash to Donald Trump's anti-immigrant comments isn't going away. Even so, a source within the GSA, which owns the Old Post Office and agreed to lease terms with Trump Organization to build the hotel in 2013, tells Bisnow that despite Trump's controversial remarks, "the project will proceed as planned" and it will open in 2016. Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that famed DC chef José Andres announced that he's pulling out of his deal to put a new flagship restaurant in the under-construction Trump International Hotel in the Old Post Office Pavilion building. The Spanish immigrant-turned-American citizen said, "More than half of my team is Hispanic, as are many of our guests...I believe that every human being deserves respect, regardless of immigration status.” Bisnow also reached out to the GSA for comment on allegations of illegal immigrants employed on the project. GSA spokeswoman Kamara Jones said the Trump Org and its contractor gave an "overview of the process" it used to hire workers, which the GSA is reviewing.
