The Watergate Hotel, which was made famous by the scandal that brought down President Nixon, is playing up to its notoriety by promoting stays in the infamous room 214.

Timed to the 45th anniversary of the hotel break-in, “The Watergate Scandal Room 214” concept is intended to “capture the infamy and intrigue of one of the most famous guest rooms in the world”, according to the hotel.

“Because of the infamous break-in 45 years ago, The Watergate Hotel has been a household name with a scandalous past that can’t be ignored,” said Rakel Cohen, co-owner of The Watergate Hotel. “Everyone kept asking us about room 214, so we needed to do something bold with it.”

The hotel has teamed up with costume designer Lyn Paolo to recreate the scene from 17 June 1972, when E. Howard Hunt and G. Gordon Liddy used room 214 to coordinate the burglary at the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate Complex, adjacent to the hotel.

The Washington DC hotel recently emerged from an extensive US$200 million renovation.

Written by Mark Elliott