The Mayflower Hotel Gets A New Reputation

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Mar 12th 2008 at 4:02PM

The word Mayflower has taken on a new meaning over the years. Forget the ship the Pilgrims came in on, the word Mayflower is perhaps now best associated with prostitution. First we had the Mayflower Madam, now all eyes are turning to the Mayflower Hotel in Washington D.C. where NY governor Eliot Spitzer, now known as client number 9, met up with a high-priced hooker named Kristen in room 817.

The Beaux Arts hotel's has a bit of a racy history. President Kennedy reportedly stayed in the hotel as a young congressman and may have later used the hotel for clandestine meetings. And it was at a 1996 campaign event in the hotel, where red-lipsticked Monica Lewinsky was photographed giving Bill Clinton a hug in the photo that was splashed across the news. Lewinsky stayed in the Presidential Suite while testifying to Congress.

The Washington hotel has been a D.C. landmark for years and has hosted many events and presidents including Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Calvin Coolidge have held events there. Famous guests include Winston Churchill, John Wayne, Walt Disney and the Queen of England. The Examiner has pictures of room 817, it's standard upscale hotel boring with beige and well-polished wood. But the Canadian Press reports that this hotel has more more gold leaf here than in any building in the country except the Library of Congress. Did Governor Spitzer choose the right spot for his assignation? You might think he wouldn't have chosen a place quite so close to the heart of government.

Tags: client number 9, elliot spitzer, ElliotSpitzer, mayflower hotel