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NBC News: Bookings Down at Trump Hotels
Thursday, October 20, 2016 05:54 PM
By: Jason Devaney
Donald Trump's hotels are taking a hit in terms of bookings, including his recently opened Trump International Hotel in the nation's capital, according to a new report.
NBC News writes that bookings at Trump's chain of luxury, five-star hotels were down more than 58 percent in New York, Las Vegas, and Chicago in the first half of 2016 compared to last year. And the price of a "deluxe" room for one night at Trump's Washington location has dropped from $575 a night to $505 a night or lower since its soft opening last month.
Other top-end hotels in close proximity to the White House go for more than $600 a night, NBC News reports.
There was also the case of Los Angeles Dodger Adrian Gonzalez, who refused to stay with his teammates at a Trump hotel in Chicago in May.
"While the Trump name is a powerful brand name, it may also carry some negative connotation with travelers from around the world," Kevin Murphy of the Rosen College of Hospitality Management told NBC.
The newest line of Trump hotels is called Scion, although it's not clear whether the decision to leave Trump out of the name was made because of the negativity some feel toward him.
"With the advent of the shared economy and the rise of the purchasing power of the millennial generation, hotel strategies have changed and this may be the reason for the new Scion name," Murphy told NBC.
Trump's new hotel in Washington, which occupies the space formerly known as the Old Post Office, was vandalized with "Black Lives Matter" graffiti in early October.
A report earlier this month claimed 61 percent of travel agents have stopped recommending Trump hotels and resorts to clients.
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