The zoning board also was unhappy with the way Koubek intended to conceal the mechanical and HVAC equipment on the roof.

[8] Named the Canal Building,[9] the structure was erected by the George A. Fuller Company[10] and had 36,000 square feet (3,300 m2) of usable interior space.

[8] The structure, which was freestanding, had windows and views on all four sides,[1] and about 4,400 square feet (410 m2) of the lot in back of the building fronted on the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal.

[9] In 1977, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America (ATLA) purchased the structure and moved its headquarters from Boston, Massachusetts, to Washington, D.C.

[11][12] In January 2008, a local D.C. real estate development company, Castleton Holdings Inc., purchased the Canal Building for $18.3 million ($25,897,187 in 2023 dollars).

[11] By April 2009, Castleton and ICG were in talks with a "high-end, boutique [hotel] operator" as a tenant in the building.

Castleton and ICG took on a third equal equity partner, the Indonesian investment firm Point Ford Management Ltd., which provided part of the $45 million ($60,949,704 in 2023 dollars) in financing needed for the renovation.

[14] The renovation plans drawn up by the architectural firms of Mancini•Duffy[15] and Peter Silling & Associates[6][14] called for 12 suites and 27 standard guest rooms.

[1] Each guest room featured trayed ceilings,[a] cove lighting, millwork manufactured in Europe, hardwood parquet flooring from a demolished French château, and laser-cut marble sinks, tiles, and decorative work.

Furnishings in each room included one-of-a-kind artworks; silk curtains; custom,[6] hand-upholstered furniture; and glass-enclosed rainfall showers.

[6] Anticipated hotel amenities included an indoor bar, rooftop cocktail lounge, fitness center, "signature" restaurant, outdoor dining area along the canal, spa, indoor and outdoor swimming pool, and wine cellar with attached wine bar.

The lobby was designed to look like the living room of a wealthy home, with built-in bookshelves, chandelier, and floor-to-ceiling fireplace.

[19] Unable to open by the 2013 presidential inauguration, the hotel missed an opportunity to introduce itself to many luxury travelers.

This was nearly three-and-a-half times the per-guest room price of The Ritz-Carlton, Georgetown (which sold in December 2015 for $32.5 million ($41,260,399 in 2023 dollars)), almost five-and-a-half times the per-guest room price of the Washington Marriott Georgetown (which sold in September 2015 for $113 million ($143,459,235 in 2023 dollars)), and more than two-and-three-quarters the per-guest room price of The St. Regis Washington, D.C. (which sold in July 2015 for $82 million ($104,103,161 in 2023 dollars)).