Sheila Johnson’s Salamander DC hotel could soon become a Marriott property

The luxury hotel may join Marriott’s portfolio as owners look to tap into the company’s global customer base and loyalty program.

A major shift may be on the horizon for one of D.C.’s most celebrated luxury properties. This week, Henderson Park, the private equity firm that partnered with business mogul Sheila Johnson’s Salamander Collection to acquire the hotel’s Washington, D.C. location, announced plans to rebrand the Salamander D.C. under the Marriott flag, according to the Washington Business Journal.

“Henderson Park and Salamander Collection collectively determined that the hotel, because of its size and location, would benefit from additional reach and loyalty points of a large brand,” an unnamed spokesperson told the outlet.

Johnson, the trailblazing co-founder of BET, teamed up with Henderson Park in 2022 to purchase the property from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group. Situated in the heart of the nation’s capital, the 373-room hotel has since become a go-to destination for travelers seeking luxury and cultural richness, from its spa offerings to Dōgon, the celebrated Afro-Caribbean restaurant helmed by chef Kwame Onwuachi. The potential Marriott rebrand comes just two years after the property completed a year-long, multi-million-dollar renovation.

Though neither Johnson nor Marriott has publicly commented on the matter, the hotel is reportedly expected to remain open and continue accepting reservations throughout the transition.

“As part of this transition, Henderson Park and Salamander Collection also agreed that a new manager should have deep experience running city hotels under the Marriott flag, and therefore it is proposed that Salamander will transition out of the hotel,” the spokesperson added.

The move would make Salamander D.C. the latest independent luxury property to fold into a larger hospitality brand, a growing trend among boutique hotels looking to expand their visibility and tap into the robust loyalty rewards ecosystems of giants like Marriott and Hilton.

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Still, even if the D.C. property rebrands under Marriott’s Autograph Collection, Johnson’s hospitality empire is far from diminished. Her portfolio continues to include the Salamander Collection’s flagship Salamander Resort in Middleburg, VA; PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens, FL; Hotel Bennett in Charleston, SC; Half Moon in Montego Bay, Jamaica; Aspen Meadows in Colorado; and Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, FL.