Willard Intercontinental – The Residence of Presidents

From its inception in 1850 to the present day, the Willard Intercontinental Washington DC has been a temporary home to countless US Presidents and foreign dignitaries from around the globe.  Known as “the Crown Jewel of Pennsylvania Avenue” the Willard is a historical icon in the social and political life of Washington DC.  The Willard has been at the heart of many historically significant events; many Civil War dealings were conducted at the Willard, “lobbyist” activities originated at the Willard, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech was written at the Willard, and many Presidents Elect (including the present First Family) have made the Willard their interim home while preparing to take residence in the White House.  

The Problem: 

With a perpetual guest list of such dignitaries, the Willard was facing a daunting problem of needing to resolve recurrent pinhole leaks and replace inoperable isolation valves in their copper hot water piping.  Pipe replacement was not an acceptable option because of the requisite guest intrusion, project duration, marble tub surrounds, unmatchable wall coverings, unavoidable dust, noise from demolition/reconstruction and the inevitable loss of business that is always an aspect of repipe.  

The ePIPE Solution:

Fortunately, Willard staff had learned of the ePIPE technology and contacted ePIPE because of their expansive history of restoration in the hospitality industry.  After an extensive check of references, The Willard requested a proposal with a host of special requirements.  Schedule parameters needed to include:  variable rate of  restoration according to hotel availability, all rooms available for occupancy on busy mid-week nights, reconciliation of work schedule with the Secret Service’s high security schedule, and the ability to adjust the schedule should any unscheduled changes be necessary.  During the working opportunities that were approved, the ePIPE crew worked double time deploying two crews to work around the clock.  Invisible and Silent:  To further complicate the project, all staff had to be background checked and cleared by security daily.  Secret Service required the entire project to be shut down during visits by high profile guests from several international countries and domestic politicians.  Of course all of this had to be completed while remaining “invisible and silent” in hallways and guest areas.  The ePIPE crew was able to achieve this task by doing valve installations in the overnight hours, strategically placing equipment, utilizing radio ear-buds and suspending hoses on the exterior of the building.  A Job Well Done:  According Austin Flajser, Project Manager Carr Hospitality, “Frankly, ACE DuraFlo gets high marks on a difficult and demanding job.  The communication of the ACE DuraFlo management team and onsite personnel was first-rate. The customer service and flexibility with the hotel was outstanding and lead to a very successful project. I can confidently recommend the ePIPE solution and their talented staff to any hotelier with piping issues.”