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View of the Willard's Grand Ballroom before the renovation took place. There are over 7,000 square feet of marble floors on the ground level of the hotel. Over one and a half million ¾ inch square pieces were refitted, some lifted out, cleaned and…

The Willard Grand Ballroom spans 4736 square feet. Scraps of fabric from the original furnishings were used to fabricate plush Victorian reproductions for rooms and seating areas.

For his final project, Prince hired Sarah Tomerlin Lee of Tom Lee, Ltd. to restore the glamour and sumptuousness of the lobby, Peacock Alley, the Crystal and Willard Rooms, the Ladies Lounge, the Robin Bar, and the oval suites including the…

Neal Prince and his department at InterContinental worked in close consultation with hired designer Sarah Tomerlin Lee to meticulously research the original condition of the hotel, salvaging pieces of original woodwork and plaster to create molds…

Balconies and bulls-eye windows were reconstructed to capitalize on the hotel’s arresting views.

Wall panel from the 2013 New York School of Interior Design exhibit "Designing the Luxury Hotel: Neal Prince and the Inter-Continental Brand."

The Willard Inter-Continental has a long and storied history, dating back to 1816 when a row of…

An 1853 engraving depicting President Franklin Pierce leaving the Willard Hotel.

In 1820, Joshua Tennyson leased the property at Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourteenth Street from Captain John Tayloe to run a hotel just a few blocks from the White…

The Tahara’a InterContinental (1968-1974) was designed by the architectural firm Wimberly, Allison, Tong & Goo (WATG), The team created an “upside down” building where the lobby and restaurants were on the top floor and the guest rooms were on the…

The Tahara'a InterContinental Hotel (1968-1974) had two levels of public areas rising above the guest rooms: a dining room, bar, pool, recreation area, and nightclub. Prince took his interior design cues from the ocean, working with a palette of…

When Prince was designing the Tahara’a, he was catering to an American fantasy of the South Pacific, formed by movies like Blue Hawaii and the tiki bars of the 1960s. In the more casual indoor and outdoor dining spaces, common features include…