Skip to main content

Owner of DC’s Wardman Park Hotel files for bankruptcy

Wardman Hotel Owner LLC, an affiliate of Pacific Life Insurance Co., has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and has ended its management contract with Marriott International.

The 1,152-room Wardman Park, one of the largest hotels in D.C., opened in 1918, during the Spanish Flu pandemic.

Pacific Life permanently closed the hotel just before filing for bankruptcy protection, and is seeking to sell the property, which could clear the way for the property’s redevelopment.

The Chapter 11 petition was filed Jan. 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

Marriott and Pacific Life have been locked in legal disputes since shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the hotel’s temporary closure in March 2020.

In September, Marriott filed suit in Montgomery County Circuit Court, seeking millions of dollars of working capital from Pacific Life to keep the hotel in operating condition after several requests for support, citing contractual obligations, funds Pacific Life contends it did not have.

In December, a judge issued a ruling in favor of Marriott, directing Pacific Life to provide the funding Marriott had requested.

Marriott’s existing contract to manage the Wardman Park runs through 2029, with a 10-year option after that. Though Pacific Life said in its filing that Wardman Hotel Owner LLC had ended its management contract with Marriott, the petition also seeks court affirmation of its legal right to do so, should Marriott choose to challenge.

JBG Smith relinquished its joint venture ownership with Pacific Life in the hotel in October.

The Wardman Park Hotel, at 2600 Woodley Road Northwest, has been home to political figures, including two U.S. presidents, and various celebrities.

The owner’s bankruptcy filing Monday came the same day that neighboring historic hotel the Omni Shoreham reopened.

Massachusetts court hears arguments in lawsuit alleging Meta designed apps to be addictive to kids

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts' highest court heard oral arguments Friday in the state's lawsuit arguing that Meta designed features on Facebook and Instagram to make them addictive to young users. The lawsuit, filed in 2023 by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alleges that Meta did this to make a profit and that its actions affected hundreds of thousands of teenagers in Massachusetts who use the social media platforms. “We are making claims based only on the tools that Meta has developed because its own research shows they encourage addiction to the platform in a variety of ways,” said State Solicitor David Kravitz, adding that the state's claim has nothing to do the company's algorithms or failure to moderate content. Meta said Friday that it strongly disagrees with the allegations and is “confident the evidence will show our longstanding commitment to supporting young people.” Its attorney, Mark Mosier, argued in court that the lawsuit “would impose liabilities for performing traditional publishing functions” and that its actions are protected by the First Amendment.
Read Next Story