In an attempt to rival Washington D.C.’s Trump Hotel, Katherine Lo -- whose father is the creator and executive chairman of Hong-Kong based Langham Hospitality Group -- is hoping to create a snowflake safe-haven for Democrats in the form of a “politically motivated” hotel called Eaton Workshop.
Bloomberg promoted this idea under the headline "Coming Soon to Washington: An Anti-Trump Hotel for Liberals." And "Expect counter-cultural art, progressive fireside chats, and craft materials for your next great protest poster."
Bloomberg’s Nikki Ekstein sounds like she’s giving the hotel free advertising with her gushy article about “the flagship for a global brand that’s built around social activism and community engagement.” She began:
The first thing you’ll see when you walk into Eaton Workshop, a hotel opening in late spring 2018 in Washington, is a custom-commissioned video art installation by AJ Schnack, shown on a series of vintage-style television screens. All day long, it’ll broadcast a montage of footage from the presidential elections of 2012 and 2016 that’s built around one pointed question: How did our country get where it is today?”
It’s not a subtle statement, and it’s not meant to be.
In Trump’s Washington, Eaton is planting a clear flag as a haven for Democrats. It’s the world’s first politically motivated hotel, the flagship for a global brand that’s built around social activism and community engagement.
The description of the hotel and its liberal accommodations is almost laughable, especially when Lo “hopes” most of the agenda and programming will be free (then again, liberals always want something for free – maybe that’s one of the ways liberalism is woven into the “guest experience.”) Ekstein writes:
Among the Washington location’s programming signatures will be a sort of TED talk series driven by the liberal agenda, consisting of fireside chats and rooftop lectures that Lo hopes will be free, open to the public, and streamable as Eaton-branded podcasts.
Then comes the art program, which—aside from the political statement piece at check-in—will include commissions from at least a half-dozen up-and-coming local artists and a street-facing exhibition window curated in partnership with local museums and institutions. A co-working space will prioritize memberships for progressive startups, activists, and artists, while a wellness program will offer “inner-health-focused treatments” such as Reiki and sound baths, rather than facials and massages.
Ekstein admits "This is partisan politics playing out on the city's hotel scene: whether that will hurt or help Lo's bottom l ine remains to be seen. But if the Trump Hotel is any indication, Lo may be poised for big success."
In addition to liberalism being everywhere in this workshop, Lo wants to make sure bona fide social-justice workers will be serving guests. You heard right, partners and staff will be brought on not only for their skills but their “activist track records.”
For instance, Lo saw the cocktail director of the famed Columbia Room, Derek Brown, as a perfect fit to be the hotel’s beverage director—not just because he’s won such awards as Imbibe magazine’s Bartender of the Year but because he “cares deeply about social justice.” To wit, Brown actively champions policies that fight sexual harassment in the bartending industry and acts as chief spirit advisor for the National Archives.
In addition to organic mattresses and sheets, each room will include its very own activist toolkit! It includes "sheets with information to help you call your congresspeople. Lo added: "If only we had been open for the Women’s March this past January, I could have seen us putting up posters boards and markers in the rooms!"
Lo admits that her new place isn’t for everyone, and it’s intended to be that way:
“Self-selection is definitely one of our strategies,” she says about branding and marketing materials that directly appeal to the “woke” crowd. “We wanted to emphasize that it’s a place for people who are thinking outside the box and want to effect a change in the world…”
Considering Lo “repeatedly talks about fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion,” she says, “the goal isn’t to bring together left and right.” Instead, she wants her hotel to rival the Trump hotel by “offering an intellectual playground to those who may feel marginalized by the current administration’s agenda.”
Lo wants to create a "writer's residency, where investigative reporters can be hosted on site for several months while pursuing important stories." And "artists will be invited to create short films, podcasts or other types of content under the emblem of Eaton's in-house multimedia studio," each with "a clear activist message and call to action."
A true safe-haven for snowflakes to gather and commiserate with one another. Regarding the cost for spending a night in the hotel, Ekstein writes, “Still, room rates won’t be extravagant; prices in Washington are likely to hover in the upper $200s.”
No word on whether or not people will “spread their wealth” or insist on having others pay for their rooms.
After all, this IS liberalism we’re talking about.
