Dallas won't be getting a hotel under the Trump Organization's new Scion brand after all.
Through a spokesperson, the president's company announced that the project's developer, Mike Sarimsakci, has been told not to pursue work on the plan with the city council.
Initially slated for an area of downtown Dallas undergoing redevelopment, the hotel was going to be funded in part by unidentified foreign investors. Media reports, ethics watchdogs, and local politicians and activists questioned whether that meant outsiders might do business with the president's company as a way of gaining influence with him—a violation of the Constitution's emoluments clause.
Though the Trump Organization didn't give specific reasons for dropping the deal, the company's spokesperson did mention the publicity generated by Sarimsakci, so maybe that had something to do with the project's demise.
The Scion brand, introduced in fall 2016, is meant to be more affordable than other Trump Hotels and appeal to younger travelers. No Scion properties have opened to the public yet.
