This time, the Watergate in Washington D.C. is actually encouraging a break-in.
The hotel and former office building is embracing its notorious past by celebrating the 47th anniversary of the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The robbery was spearheaded by the Nixon Administration and led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon two years later in 1974.
MORE Hotel & Resort
Now the hotel is inviting guests to break into a five-foot-tall, 700-pound Mosler safe in its lobby, holding a vintage bottle of 1960 Last Drop whiskey sealed inside. If you can crack the code, the bottle is yours.
To enter, just mosey over to the Watergate’s Next Whisky Bar and order the special ‘Break the Safe Flight’ of whiskeys for $200. You’ll get one chance to spin the dial and crack the code.
“Beginning this month, with all eyes on the anniversary, we’d be remiss if we didn’t celebrate it with a little mischief of our own,” Pascal Forotti, Managing Director at The Watergate Hotel, said in a statement. “Nixon’s plumbers couldn’t quite crack the safe, so we’re letting our guests finish the job, and enjoy our whiskey collection while doing so for the unforeseen future.”
After undergoing a 2016 renovation, the Watergate has had fun with its past instead of retreating from it. Hotel key cards are emblazoned with phrases like “no need to break in” and callers routed through the hotel operator are placed on hold and can listen to pieces of the Nixon recordings as ‘hold music.’
And while the $200 fee for a flight of whiskey and a chance to crack the code might seem steep, consider that a bottle of 1960 Last Drop can go as high as $1,400, if not more.
