Northeast DC hotel must improve security after pattern of violent crime, AG says

WASHINGTON — A hotel in Northeast D.C. will be required to improve its security measures after a history of violent crime, Attorney General Brian Schwalb announced Thursday. 

The Ivy City Hotel saw two homicides, two armed robberies, three apparently drug-related deaths and multiple other incidents that led to police finding a ghost gun, a high-capacity magazine, cocaine, fentanyl, LSD, amphetamines and mushrooms — all in just a one year period between February 2023 and 2024.

Now, the Office of the Attorney General has stepped in. 

The OAG has the authority to take legal action against property owners and managers if they fail to put sufficient security measures in place after a pattern of illegal drug-, firearm- or prostitution-related crimes emerges on their properties under the District’s Nuisance Act.

“I am committed to using every legal tool available to improve public safety in the District including, where appropriate, requiring property owners to take meaningful measures to deter crime,” Schwalb said in a press release.

The Ivy City Hotel, located at 1615 New York Ave NE in Ward 5, is owned by Ivy City Lodging, LLC, which purchased the property in 2016.

The OAG began investigating the hotel after the crimes early this year. Ivy City Lodging cooperated with the investigation and took preliminary steps to improve security at that time. 

On Tuesday, Ivy City Lodging and the OAG signed an assurance agreement to work together on additional safety measures.

Under the agreement, Ivy City Lodging must increase security staffing overnight, register its security cameras with the D.C. Police’s Real Time Crime Center and maintain bright exterior lighting, ensure security cameras are working properly, keep security guards on staff. The OAG will also inspect the hotel through August 2025.

The agreement says if Ivy City Lodging fails to comply, the OAG can sue the company to enforce the agreement.

The Ivy City Hotel is where 31-year-old Christy Bautista was killed in March 2023 while she was visiting D.C. for a concert. In February 2024, 36-year-old Romaine Maddox was killed in the hotel as well. Both of their killers were arrested and charged with first-degree murder, among other charges.