Flags fly above the entrance to the new Trump International Hotel on it's opening day in Washington September 12, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS
US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump opened the latest outpost in his real estate empire on Monday, a luxury hotel in a historic building five blocks from the White House that underwent a two-year, $200 million renovation.
While staff members at the 263-room Trump International Hotel planned little hoopla for what they described as a "soft opening," about 40 protesters opposed to the New York real estate developer's presidential run gathered outside. The opening came eight weeks before the November 8 election.
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"It kind of fits his personality that he finds a way to be on Pennsylvania Avenue, one way or another," said protester Judy Byron, 70, a Washington artist.
The hotel, which includes a $20,000-a-night suite, is less than a mile (km) down Pennsylvania Avenue from the White House. The hotel is housed in Washington's third-tallest building, the 1899 Old Post Office, built in the Romanesque Revival architectural style.
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Trump said on Twitter he had stopped by the property "to thank all of the tremendous men & women for their hard work!"
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