Tragedy Strikes Yet Another W Hotel, This Time in DC
UPDATE, Thursday June 30th, 4:38pm: A spokesperson for W Hotels released
this statement:
"The W Washington D.C. extends our sympathies to the family touched by this tragedy. While the investigation is ongoing and we continue to cooperate with the Metropolitan Police Department, we can confirm that the victim was not a registered guest at the hotel, and it is not certain whether she spent any significant length of time at POV prior to her death.
The Washington Post is reporting this as a suicide, quoting a D.C. police official speaking on the condition of anonymity. We ask that any questions regarding the case be directed to the Metropolitan Police Department at 202.727.4383."
This has simply not been a good week for hotels—especially the W. It feels like just yesterday that we wrote about the W Austin's forced evacuation due to kamikaze glass window panes (and now you can read the hotel's apology letter to guests here)—oh wait! That was just yesterday. We woke up this morning to news of a separate W tragedy—this time at the W Washington DC, where a woman fell to her death from the hotel's 11th-floor rooftop bar.
The W Washington was installed in 2009, replacing another hotel inside the 120-year-old building—but inheriting every square foot of the building's prime location (the hotel sits directly across the street from the White House). If you remember, we even gave their rooftop a shout-out two weeks ago when recommending places to see the DC fireworks on Jul 4. We have a feeling the mood this weekend—if there even remains to be any party at all—will be decidedly less festive than originally hoped for.
The incident occured at around 11pm, reports the Washington Post:
"D.C. fire department spokesman Pete Piringer said witnesses told authorities that the woman was then seen hanging by her hands from an overhang one story below the rooftop around 11 p.m.
The woman then dropped about 10 stories, Piringer said witnesses reported. She was declared dead at the scene, Piringer said."
No name has yet been released, though the publicity surrounding the event will undoubtedly continue to run its course. Not only did the police have to shut down parts of 15th St Northwest last night, but reports say the Secret Service was even on the scene (though, considering who the hotel's next door neighbor is, that's not too much of a shock).
Seriously, guys. Don't mess around with high-up places at the W. A good view is only as enjoyable as the sturdiness of the fence you're leaning on.
[Photo: NBC Washington]
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