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Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C. is a luxury Postmodernist-style hotel located at 1330 Maryland Ave SW, Washington, D.C., in the United States. Completed in 2004, the hotel is near the National Mall and Smithsonian Institution museums, and overlooks the Tidal Basin. The hotel contains two restaurants, one of which (CityZen) closed permanently on December 6, 2014. Since its opening, the Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C., has been AAA-rated four diamonds and Forbes Travel Guide rated four stars. ==Construction of the hotel== In the 1970s, most of the Southwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., was completely razed in a massive urban renewal effort. One of the last large parcels to be redeveloped was the area bounded by 12th Street SW, D Street SW, Maine Avenue SW, and 14th Street SW. More than a decade passed, as the city sought a developer with sufficient financial resources to develop the tract. In 1985, a team led by Republic Properties〔 finally was chosen by the city to develop what became known as The Portals, four massive office buildings constructed around an extension of Maryland Avenue SW and a new traffic circle. But the developers ran into problems obtaining financing for the entire project, and sold the southeastern portion of the site. The new development team consisted of Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, Lano International Inc., and Armada Hoffler Construction Co. In early 2000, Mandarian Oriental Hotels proposed builiding a $142 million, 400-room hotel on the site. The hotel included of meeting space, of retail space, several restaurants, and a fitness center.〔 Mandarian Oriental Hotels sought major tax breaks and financing from the District of Columbia to develop the hotel. Initially, they sought $22 million in tax increment financing (TIF). Under this scheme, the city would sell 20-year bonds worth $22 million, and would turn 75 percent of the money over to the developers. The hotel would pay the usual property and sales taxes, estimated to be $220 million over the life of the bonds.〔 But due to $20 million in increased costs, Mandarin Oriental Hotels was unable to secure all the private financing it needed. The hotel chain returned to the city and asked for $46 million in TIF bonds as well as a $6 million property tax break. The city approved the TIF bonds, but not the property tax reduction.〔 A year passed, and the city was unable to sell the bonds for the TIF package. The early 2000s recession left bond buyers unsure that the hotel would be able to generate enough tax revenue to cover the bond repayments. The significant economic downturn that occurred after the September 11 attacks in 2001 worsened the city's ability to sell bonds. To correct the problem, the D.C. City Council adopted new legislation to geographically widen the area the TIF bonds drew revenue from. The new TIF district included the neighborhoods of Downtown, Dupont Circle, Foggy Bottom, Logan Circle, and Shaw in addition to Southwest. But with the post-9/11 economic downturn continuing, the City Council hesitated in approving the package. Mandarin Oriental officials had added a ballroom, a swimming pool, and a spa to the hotel's amenities. Although Mandarin Oriental obtained $85 million in financing from a banking syndicate and Mandarin International, Lano International, and Armada Hoffler Construction put in $19 million of their own money, the $46 million in TIF money was not enough to allow construction on the hotel to move forward. Mandarin Oriental officials came back to the city and asked for a $4 million property tax deferral, but the City Council did not have the votes to pass the legislation.〔 Although the cost of the hotel rose to $155 million, in April 2002 Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group said it would proceed with the hotel's construction. By this time, the project was reported by ''The Washington Post'' to include just two restaurants and an art gallery in addition to the previously announced meeting space, fitness center, ballroom, pool, and spa. The city never approved the $4 million in property tax deferral, which required the three investors to add another $4 million of their own money to get the project moving. The Mandarin Oriental Washington, D.C., opened on May 16, 2004. ''The Washington Post'' called its location "unconventional". The $155 million, 400-room hotel is conveniently located near downtown Washington, although to reach Capitol Hill guests would need a taxicab or automobile. Guests in rooms on the upper levels have spectacular views of the city and its monuments, but the surrounding neighborhood consisted primarily of railroad tracks, freeways, and office buildings. The Mandarin Oriental features a curving Mansard roof punctuated a points by windows which are either round or arched, and often protected by a pediment. The facade is light tan brick, with double-hung windows in a repetitive pattern piercing the facade.〔 Brennan Beer Gorman Monk also oversaw the interior design. The hotel's vast lobby is lined with marble, and public hallways feature rocking chairs and sofas. The hotel was built atop the CSX Transportation's RF&P Subdivision railroad tracks, which restored a segment of Maryland Avenue SW. An abandoned railroad bridge to the west of the hotel was converted into a pedestrian bridge and pathway, which connects the Mandarin Oriental and The Portals to the Tidal Basin waterfront.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mandarin Oriental, Washington, D.C.」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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