The Trump International Hotel, Washington, D.C., opened without fanfare Monday afternoon.
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Nearly two dozen protesters assembled outside a new hotel owned by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The opening comes just eight weeks ahead of the November 8 elections.
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The protesters criticized some of Trump’s positions, including a promise to build a wall along the Mexican border to block illegal immigrants. A room in Trump suite costs $100,000 (66 lakhs) and a minimum 5-night stay is mandatory. Protest organizer Andrew Castro of Baltimore said, “We’re out here building a wall against racism”.
On his way in, Ric Hedlund, who works in port development, said he had been impressed by the renovations of a building that he said was previously “a dump”.
A smaller number of people held signs in support of the GOP candidate, including a man with a sign that said “USA for Trump”.
Trump’s company holds a 60-year lease from the USA government for the property.
A representative for the The Trump International Hotel said that most of the property’s 263 rooms are expected to be finished at the end of October, with grand opening ceremonies being planned later that month, Fox News reported.
Trump attended the July 2014 groundbreaking for the renovations alongside local Democratic officials before launching his presidential campaign previous year.
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While Trump’s name is hard to escape in his native NY, where it adorns structures including the Trump Tower as well as a Bronx golf course, the hotel marks his most visible presence in Washington. The project lost both its original architect and project supervisor when they resigned and after Trump made his infamous remarks about Mexicans, celebrity chef Jose Andres pulled out of a restaurant deal with the hotel.
