All is Well at The Willard InterContinental Hotel in DC

August 16, 2010 at 5:27 PM | by juliana | Comments (0)

This morning we had asked for some reactions from guests who were staying at either the W Hotel and Willard Intercontinental Hotel when an electrical fire broke out on Saturday night and we've got two updates today--including one from the parents of the bride whose wedding reception was delayed for a while.

A Lin Hilton (no relation to the Hilton Hotels, at least we don't think) writes in:

It was our daughter's wedding that was evacuated from the Willard Hotel on Saturday. The staff of the Willard handled the situation with the grace and aplomb one would expect from such a first rate hotel. When we were permitted to re-enter the hotel, the reception was as planned and it was perfect. We thank the management and staff of the Willard for making our daughter's day a most memorable occasion, even with the interruption.

Meanwhile the Willard's director of public relations, Barbara Bahny, wrote in with this official statement:

We want to once again thank our guests for their patience and cooperation during Saturday night's evacuation. We appreciate the many positive guest comments on our Willard InterContinental staff's professionalism. The DC Fire department was swift in response to the Pepco emergency and thankfully every one was fine and the building unharmed.

Bahny also said that the incident will be added to the annals of the hotel's 150-year history. Apparently, in 1861, during the Civil War, the building next to the Willard caught fire and fire fighters/acrobats from New York called the Zouves helped saved the Willard from catching fire too. You can read all about it here.

So that covers the Willard but any guests have anything to share from the W DC? Did they offer any free drinks for your troubles?? Let us know!

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