Pop-Up Hotel Startup WhyHotel Could Have Its First D.C. Deal
Vornado's pop-up hotel company that it used to temporarily fill rooms in The Bartlett in early 2017 appears close to its first deal to open in D.C.
WhyHotel is in talks to open at Equity Residential's 222-unit NoMa apartment building at 100 K St. NE after it delivers this summer, the Washington Business Journal reports.
The concept turns empty apartment units into temporary hotel rooms to help landlords bring in extra revenue as they lease up buildings. Its introduction at the Pentagon City apartment building was a pilot project for the startup, which is also in talks to fill units at an LCOR project in Tysons.
A letter between a land-use attorney and D.C.'s Zoning Administrator, obtained by the WBJ, discussed how the WhyHotel in NoMa would be classified under the city's zoning law, and said it expects the temporary hotel use would last 12 to 18 months.
Equity Residential will have a ton of leasing competition when it delivers the project. Four other apartment buildings are expected to deliver in NoMa this year, including a 346-unit Wood Partners building, a 525-unit Toll Brothers project, a 326-unit Skanska development and a 432-unit Edens project near Union Market.
