For Trump Organization, Office Skyscrapers Make Up for Lagging Hotels

But on one recent weekday, with no large events at the resort, the cavernous Donald J. Trump Ballroom sat empty, as did the smaller Ivanka Trump ballroom, with its Austrian crystal chandeliers.

Rather than seeking out the luxurious experience that Mr. Trump has always sought to sell, many of the guests seemed to have ended up at the hotel almost by accident, after finding relatively cheap rates on the internet.

“It is a little too much — the Trump name in gold letters,” said Fernando Oliveria, who was visiting on a work trip from Brazil, after seeing the large “Trump” sign near the hotel entrance. “But it is a nice venue, at a good price.”

Even this week — during the peak holiday season — the least expensive room rate at the Trump Doral resort — $194 a night — was much lower than the two nearby golf resorts that the Trump Organization told Miami tax officials it should be compared to. The PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens was offering a room for $309, and the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa was charging $538 a night.

Financial reports also show declines in the Trump Organization’s branding businesses, which sell the family name to be used on new residential towers outside the United States and licensing it for products from bottled water to furniture and ties. When he took office, Mr. Trump pledged that his business would not enter into new international deals, which had been a growth area for the company, though in September the Trump Organization received approval in Scotland for the construction of 500 homes and 50 hotel cottages next to the Trump family’s Aberdeen golf club.

Further questions about the overall financial health of the Trump Organization emerged after the company moved recently to put its hotel in Washington up for sale.

Source: The New York Times

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