A hotel a block away from the White House in Washington, D.C., once again hosted a pair of turkeys the president of the United States would pardon ahead of Thanksgiving Day. But this time, they stayed in a newly restored guest room.
The Willard InterContinental at 1401 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, accommodated the pair of birds — this year named Gobble and Waddle — before their official pardon on Tuesday by President Donald Trump.
For more than a decade, the poultry chosen for forgiveness have traditionally stayed at the 335-key hospitality property operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts, though this year’s turkeys received an additional level of luxury.
With a presence in Washington dating back to the 19th century, the hotel this summer unveiled its “restored guest rooms and suites” via “custom murals and curated design elements.” The transformation was done in partnership with Boston-based design firm Parker-Torres Design. A classic room ranges from 300- to 550 square feet and includes a walk-in marble shower or a shower with a bathtub.
“Our special guests arrived yesterday with a red-carpet welcome and quickly settled in. I checked in on them this morning, I did a credit check as well,” hotel manager Jaap Boelens said in jest at an event Monday at the hotel. “I noticed the mini bar was raided, and that’s totally fine."
The modern turkey pardoning became an annual tradition during the George H.W. Bush administration, and having the fowl stay at a hotel in Washington, D.C., close to the White House ahead of their absolution has become a longstanding custom.
“The Willard Hotel first hosted the birds in 2014 and has done so ever since,” Lina Mann, a historian with the White House Historical Association, told CoStar News via email. “Throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the birds typically stayed at the Hotel Washington prior to the ceremony,” she noted, referencing the adjacent property to the Willard.
Meanwhile, D.C.’s hotel industry experienced sharp declines in occupancy among humans and in revenue per available room, or RevPAR, during the recent government shutdown. The challenges are likely to persist, a CoStar insight from earlier this month found.
As for this year’s reprieved turkeys, they are slated to head to North Carolina to be taken care of by specialists at a university. “This is their lucky day,” Trump said during this year’s event.