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THE WHITELAW HOTEL - LUXURY LODGING BUILT BY AND FOR BLACK PATRONS

June 22, 2025 by 1204 LOUNGE in BOUTIQUE HOTEL, HOSPITALITY DESIGN, HOSPITALITY, CULTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN

The world that we live in is unjust – it raises up one and then pulls down another; some people refer to this behavior as human nature, never challenging the status quo unless they are personally impacted. No one is more acquainted with this push and pull dynamic than enslaved Africans and their descendants. Unfavorable history documents that nations were molded like clay and prospered economically because of the free labor of enslaved Africans that were trafficked during the Transatlantic Slave Trade. White supremacist, overwhelmed with feelings of intimidation, frantically conjured up a worldwide smear campaign to discredit the brilliance and expertise of the Africans that they owned, deeming them as three-fifths of a human being. As providence would decree, Mr. John Whitelaw Lewis, the son of enslaved parents, contradicted those false accusations and opened the doors of the Whitelaw Hotel, named after his mother, on November 24, 1919, in Washington, DC!

TRANSITION

Freedom didn’t provide much relief for former slaves post the abolishment of slavery in 1865. Transitioning from enslavement to Jim Crow laws, while still being seen as an inferior class, they were denied access to white-owned commercial establishments such as restaurants, museums, and hotels. Lewis, born in 1867, voyaged to the District of Columbia in 1894 and found work as a brick carrier. After successfully taking over the brickyard and becoming the president of the local laborer’s union, he founded the Industrial Savings Bank in 1913, which he would use as a financial conduit for business development on Black Broadway in Washington, DC. Next, Lewis hired one of the first black registered architects in the United States, Isaiah T. Hatton, to design the nation’s first black owned luxury hotel-apartment to provide upscale lodging accommodations, with a ballroom for notable events catering to black celebrities and dignitaries such as George Washington Carver, Jesse Owens, and Mary Church Terrell. Lewis was quoted as saying, “we must be in a position to take care of the people of our race.”

PROVISION & CRAFTSMANSHIP

Fully financed by a community of black entrepreneurs and investors that each strategically purchased $12 shares of ownership, Lewis subcontracted black craftsmen to expertly pour concrete, lay bricks, install elevators, and plaster walls for a construction cost of $158,000. Upon completion, over 20,000 people came to admire the four-story building curated with an Italian Renaissance Revival Architectural interior style per the directives of Hatton, who also designed the Industrial Savings Bank. The hotel-apartment layout consisted of 22 rooms and 25 apartments with a host of amenities in a luxurious atmosphere with grand stained-glass skylight, filigree, and tile that was normally reserved for establishments that were designated for white patrons. The Whitelaw was highly sought after and gained prestige after being listed in colored postal worker, Victor Hugo Green’s, “The Negro Motorist Green Book,” the bible of black travel during Jim Crow.


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Source: Ghostofdc.org


Unfortunately, the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, legally desegregating commercial enterprises, caused the Whitelaw to lose business to white-owned hotels. Moreover, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968 ensued riots and the surrounding middle class neighborhood experienced an increase in crime, unemployment, and drugs; In 1971 the Whitelaw was cited for 351 building code violations and officially closed in 1977. In 1991, the Whitelaw Hotel was purchased by Manna, Inc., a non-profit, and refurbished into low to moderate income housing in 1992. The distinguished building that was once a hospitable haven for performers like Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington, now offers five one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and ten three-bedroom units. Although the glory years of the Whitelaw Hotel have faded, it remains as a standing testament of the monumental capacity of black human beings to dream and build even after being torn down as a people. Selah

“We must be in a position to take care of the people of our race.”
— John Whitelaw Lewis

SOURCE: EE.LINKEDIN.COM

June 22, 2025 /1204 LOUNGE
JIM CROW LAWS, ABOLISHMENT OF SLAVERY, JOHN WHITELAW LEWIS, ISAIAH T. HATTON, LUXURY HOTEL DESIGN, BLACK TRAVELERS, BLACK HOTELIERS, WASHINGTON, BLACK HISTORY, NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN BOOK, MANNA, INDUSTRIAL SAVINGS BANK, WHITELAW HOTEL, HOTEL-APARTMENT, CIVIL RIGHTS ACT 1964, ITALIAN RENAISSANCE REVIVAL ARCHITECTURAL INTERIOR DESIGN, BLACK BROADWAY, TRANSATLANTIC SLAVE TRADE, HUMAN TRAFFICKING
BOUTIQUE HOTEL, HOSPITALITY DESIGN, HOSPITALITY, CULTURE, INTERIOR DESIGN
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THE GRAND PALLADIUM LADY HAMILTON RESORT AND SPA - JAMAICAN BLISS

May 13, 2023 by 1204 LOUNGE in HOSPITALITY, CULTURE, HOSPITALITY DESIGN, INTERIOR DESIGN, LUXURY

DAWN

My drive on interstate 77-N was smooth sailing because I left home before dawn to drive over an hour to the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), but while singing along to my classic R & B playlist, I missed my exit and became enmeshed in the Queen City’s rush hour morning traffic. My mood shifted from ease to frustration because my destination offered tranquility and my friend would enjoy it without me, if I missed my flight. So, I got Jesus involved and began to pray with fire while navigating my car to the airport and then, through TSA where I ran into a fellow NC A&T Aggie and marching band member. “You’re not far at all from your gate. You won’t miss your flight, girl,” said Sara. I let out a long sigh of relief and thanked the Lord for sending Sara to reassure and comfort me.  After a two and half hour flight and paying four dollars for a small tin can of chips, I arrived at Sangster International Airport (MBJ) in Montego Bay, Jamaica and I, along with my travel buddy, was whisked away by a cab driver to the Grand Palladium Lady Hamilton Resort. 

DOUBLE BEDS, NOT A KING

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We pulled up to a secluded resort with an outdoor check-in process and were welcomed with pungent alcoholic beverages in the lobby. We experienced a hiccup because I booked the room on Priceline.com for two double beds, but the hotel provided a king size bed. After resolving the issue, we took a shuttle to a villa with a boutique styled room that opened up to two comfortable double beds, a jacuzzi, and separate seating area! Each bed was dressed with white linens, black and yellow accent pillows, and layered with a black and gray patterned throw blanket. The white jacuzzi tub and sink contrasted against the black marble countertops created a modern, but down to earth mood. We walked barefoot on matted, gray tile flooring that provided a coolness and stability throughout the room that would become an escape from the hot and humid Jamaican climate.  

AMENITIES 


Unlike most American hotels, our Lady Hamilton room was loaded with bottled water, beer, sodas, and island beverages that were restocked daily by very accomodating roomattendants. This inclusive resort offered us free and unlimited poolside alcoholic beverages to sip while we swam and danced to the DJ’s afrobeats and caribbean playlist. The resort also boasts eight onsite restaurants that offer a different global cuisine with Jamaican customer service.  My friend and I agreed that the best food was the rice and peas, Jerk chicken, oxtails, and  plantains, that were cooked on the grill by the beach. We ate it everyday! We also took advantage of wellness activities like Tai Chi, yoga, and weight lifting that were instructed by smooth talking and charismatic, physical trainers! Lastly, we ended our trip with double massages and laying in hammocks inhaling the Caribbean breeze and sunshine. 

Annick Tyler resides in the southern region of the United States. 

    




May 13, 2023 /1204 LOUNGE
AFRICAN AMERICAN HOSPITALITY WRITERS, JAMAICAN CUISINE, MONTEGO, MONTEGO BAY, HOTEL AND RESORTS, CARIBBEAN TRAVEL, CHARLOTTE DOUGLAS INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CLT), SANGSTER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (MBJ)
HOSPITALITY, CULTURE, HOSPITALITY DESIGN, INTERIOR DESIGN, LUXURY
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THE EMPIRE HOTEL - INTIMATE VIBES IN MANHATTAN

Empire Hotel
March 31, 2021 by 1204 LOUNGE in HOSPITALITY, LUXURY

You and I haven’t been able to travel lavishly as of late, so, reminisce with me about my luxury accommodations at the Empire Hotel, a modern, boutique hotel in Manhattan.

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March 31, 2021 /1204 LOUNGE
EMPIRE HOTEL, POWER STARS TV, UPPER WEST SIDE OF NYC, JULY 13TH BLACKOUT, FLAME DINER, MANHATTAN HOTELS, CENTRAL PARK, BLACK TRAVELERS, SUMMER VACATION IN MANHATTAN, HOTEL BOOKINGS 2019, BEST HOTELS IN USA, AFRICAN AMERICAN HOSPITALITY WRITERS, TRAVEL & TOURISM COMMENTARY, AFRICAN AMERICAN TRAVEL COMMENTARY, LUXURY HOTEL DESIGN, HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS 2019, LEISURE & BUSINESS HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS
HOSPITALITY, LUXURY
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The Gates Hotel South Beach - Room 504

October 09, 2018 by 1204 LOUNGE in HOSPITALITY, LUXURY

Life has taught me that patience is essential for manifesting the luxury lifestyle, especially…after you’ve put in the work. For this reason, I was inspired to select the Gates Hotel South Beach - A Doubletree by Hilton

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October 09, 2018 /1204 LOUNGE
Gates Hotel by Doubletree, Uber, Amtrak Station, South Beach Miami, Miami Vice Speed Tour, Tourism, Summer Vacation, OCEAN FRONT HOTEL, Orange Blossom Miami
HOSPITALITY, LUXURY
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HILTON MYRTLE BEACH RESORT: JULY 13

October 13, 2017 by 1204 LOUNGE in LUXURY, CULTURE, HOSPITALITY, INTERIOR DESIGN

"...in an effort to rekindle my self-love, value, and peace, I booked an oceanfront hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC."

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October 13, 2017 /1204 LOUNGE
HILTON MYRTLE BEACH RESORT, ROOM 726, OCEAN FRONT HOTEL
LUXURY, CULTURE, HOSPITALITY, INTERIOR DESIGN
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HYATT PLACE HOTEL IN THE QUEEN CITY

July 13, 2017 by 1204 LOUNGE

......after much consideration of style, amenities, and spending, I chose the Hyatt Place on South Stream Boulevard for two nights of peace, restoration, and connection.

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July 13, 2017 /1204 LOUNGE
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HOSPITALITY-ST. JAMES ASCEND BOUTIQUE HOTEL

ST. JAMES ASCEND HOTEL
August 22, 2016 by 1204 LOUNGE in LUXURY, CULTURE

I am a sophisticated, yet down to earth individual that learned to embrace the sophisticated, but down to earth hospitality and spirit of New Orleans.....

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August 22, 2016 /1204 LOUNGE
ST. JAMES ASCEND BOUTIQUE HOTEL, BOURBON STREET, 2016 ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, DELTA AIRLINES, NEW ORLEANS, CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, FRENCH QUARTER, CAJUN CUISINE, ESSENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL, MAGAZINE STREET, NOLA
LUXURY, CULTURE
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