Trump promotes his new luxury hotel – along with campaign

WASHINGTON (AP) — With his White House dreams increasingly in question, Donald Trump is spending precious campaign time promoting his business in the final week of the long presidential race.

Less than two weeks before Election Day – and with Hillary Clinton optimistically reaching out to contest normally Republican states – Trump took a break from campaigning this morning to formally open his new hotel in Washington.

His remarks at the hotel, which has struggled to fill rooms amid the controversy surrounding his presidential bid, followed a visit Tuesday to another of his properties, the Doral golf course outside Miami.

"Under budget and ahead of schedule. So important. We don't hear those words so often, but you will," said Trump, linking the hotel redevelopment to his promised performance as president. "Today is a metaphor for what we can accomplish for this country."

Though the GOP nominee focused his remarks on his political message, the event was heavy with marketing, too. Standing under glittering chandeliers, top company executives, including his daughter, touted the hotel and company successes.

After delivering brief political remarks, Trump and his family headed to the hotel's grand lobby where they cut a wide red ribbon with golden scissors before flying to North Carolina for what his campaign billed as an urban-policy speech.

"This is now the largest luxury ballroom in Washington," he boasted, before leaving.

The odd travel schedule comes amid signs that his campaign has hurt his corporate brand, and it fuels GOP concerns that Trump has begun to turn some of his focus to postelection business plans.

Rooms at the overhauled $212 million hotel that bears his name at Washington's Old Post Office Pavilion have been heavily discounted and smartphone data suggest fewer people are visiting his properties compared to rival venues nearby.