Willard InterContinental Hotel - 'Lobbyist' Association

The Willard InterContinental traces its origins to 1816 and the current Beaux-Arts hotel building dates to 1901. It has long hosted presidents, foreign dignitaries, and political gatherings in its lobby and meeting rooms. President Ulysses S. Grant met petitioners in the hotel's lobby, and the Willard is often cited as an origin point for the term 'lobbyist' (this association is debated by historians).