Nats' Pending Deal With New Gaylord Hotel Irks DC Officials

The Nationals are negotiating a deal with the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center to "feature the baseball team at a new development in Prince George's County [MD] through a sports bar, store and possibly the title of 'Official Hotel of the Washington Nationals,'" according to sources cited by Nikita Stewart of the WASHINGTON POST. The hotel is part of the National Harbor project on the Potomac River and is set to open in April -- the same time the new 41,000-seat Nationals Park will open its doors. While details have not been confirmed, Nationals VP/Communications Chartese Burnett said "there is an announcement imminent" regarding the team's partnership with the hotel chain.  DC Council member Jack Evans, a ballpark supporter, indicated that he "expected the team to be the city's partner and to spur economic development among local businesses." Evans: "Any relationship between the [Nationals] and an entity not in [DC] is disappointing, to say the least. It's not in the spirit of the deal." Nationals President Stan Kasten said that the team is "'regional' and that it will hold promotions and events beyond the District's borders." DC Council Economic Development Committee Chair Kwame Brown said that he has been told by the team that a DC hotel "will also be chosen for a sports bar and 'official hotel' status" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/8).

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