Photo credit: Neshan H. Naltchayan
What would Marshall think?
The Madison Hotel, which opened in 1963, was built, owned and run by Marshall Coyne, dubbed the ”dean of the hospitality industry in Washington.”
An attractive man of diplomatic charm and personality, his involvement in the city was far reaching and his soiress at both his home and The Madison were fun and elegant. It was his dedication to luxury that brought every President since JFK as well as Frank Sinatra and the Dalai Lama to the hotel, christening it as the place to stay in Washington. Impeccably dressed and stylish, if he were around today, he would probably grace the cover of GQ.
Coyne also maintained an interest in foreign policy and was on the board of the Foreign Policy Association, which often held its Ambassadorial Roundtable at the hotel.
“During the Middle East peace talks in 1979 that led to the Camp David accords, the official delegations from Israel and Egypt stayed at The Madison. And in 1987, when President Ronald Reagan and Mikhail S. Gorbachev of the Soviet Union met in the capital, the hotel was transformed into a sort of Western Kremlin. The hotel was declared a temporary foreign mission during the week of the summit, with hundreds of Soviet officials occupying the top six floors.” Wikipedia
Former US Ambassador to Denmark Stuart Bernstein with wife Wilma
“He was a big real estate man. He had offices down town and made money in a lot of ways, but mostly real estate,” said Kevin Chaffee. “The Madison wasn’t a major part of his empire, except for him it was his baby. That’s where he became known in Washington and he kind of used that to become a big player.”
“Last night brought back so many great memories! So happy The Madison is back,” said Debbie Sigmund. “When we had all of our children at home to celebrate Donald’s 50th, I arranged a surprise pre celebration for just the two of us at a Suite there. It was a very special time and a great memory”
Judith Esfandiary, Debbie Sigmund and Edilia Gutierrez
“He was one of the first hotel people to get a total security clearance from the federal government,” added Chaffee. “So, he made The Madison THE hotel where heads of government would stay and they would have complete security. No other hotel had that ranking from the Secret Service, so every head of state stayed there if they didn’t stay in their own embassies. And then he had a very very fine restaurant back in the day when there weren’t many fine restaurants. It was called the Montpellier Room. When I was at school in Georgetown my parents would stay there when they came to visit and they likeed it a lot and would, of course, let me invite my friends to dinner.”
Tandy and Wyatt Dickerson
But it’s a new day, a new dawn: Enter the Tisch family – brothers Andrew and James and cousin CEO Jonathan who celebrated the Golden Anniversary of the Loews Madison Hotel (a new addition to the Loews Hotels & Resorts brand) with Washington Life Magazine‘s A-List April issue.
The iconic D.C. property celebrates fifty years of unprecedented success hosting past presidents, tastemakers and international diplomats. Andrew Tisch (seen in the video below) is the co-chair of Loews Corporation, the company founded by his father Larry Tisch and uncle Bob Tisch. The Tisch family has been in the hotel business for 75 years and this is their second round at The Madison, this time as owners.
Jonathan and Andrew Tisch with former US Ambassador to Hungary Nancy Brinker looking on
“We’d love for you to make this your DC property. You are the movers and shakers in town,” said Jonathan Tisch. You can’t really be a national player without having a presence in the Nation’s Capital.” By hosting a cocktail reception for those that have fond memories of The Madison along with a new generation they hope to inspire, the Tisch brothers welcome you to the new Madison.
Soroush Shehabi and Andrew Tisch spoke with Hollywood on the Potomac with lots of party noise in the background:
The Scene:
