美国国家公共电台 NPR Trump Tower In Toronto Is Up For Sale And Facing Legal Woes

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

We have an update now on the business empire that President Trump¹ still owns. His personal interests, which stretch from New York to India and beyond, include the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto. It opened in 2012, a 65-story building - and it has not done well. It's in receivership and up for sale. Investors² have lost millions and have sued Donald Trump as well as the hotel's developers. NPR's Jackie Northam reports from Toronto.

JACKIE NORTHAM, BYLINE³: I'm standing⁴ outside the Trump International Hotel & Tower in Toronto at 325 Bay Street, in the middle of the city's financial district. Think of Bay Street as Canada's answer to Wall Street. But the hotel's entrance is actually around the corner. So instead of seeing a grand facade⁵ bearing the Trump name, what I'm looking at from the Bay Street side is a loading dock.

This is just one of the many miscalculations that have undermined the Trump Hotel and Tower since even before construction began in 2007. Back then, Toronto did not have a five-star hotel, and there was a growing demand for hotels with lots of granite⁶ and marble, fine linens⁷ and luxurious⁸ spas and restaurants.

SUSAN PIGG: It looked great at the time because it was such a novelty for the city. Trump was a big, big name.

NORTHAM: That Sue Pigg. She's a former real estate reporter with The Toronto Star and covered the saga⁹ of the Trump Hotel.

PIGG: It looked like it would be a huge success. But the whole thing was doomed¹⁰ to failure.

NORTHAM: Pigg says the hotel and tower project was developed by Talon¹¹ International, run by two Russian-Canadian entrepreneurs, Alex Shnaider and Val Levitan. Neither man had experience in hotel operations or construction, so Toronto City Councilor Josh Matlow says it's not surprising there were problems with building the soaring glass tower.

JOSH MATLOW: There were parts of the building itself that fell down onto the street and actually shut down parts of our downtown because there were concerns about the structure's integrity.

NORTHAM: The developers signed a licensing¹² agreement with Donald Trump similar to other hotels the president has been involved in. Trump has no ownership stake in the Toronto building. But his company, the Trump Organization, has a long-term management contract for the property. And Trump licenses¹³ his brand, his name, for a fee. Here he is pitching the hotel on a PR video.

(SOUNDBITE OF VIDEO)

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: You just have the finest fixtures¹⁴. You're going to have something that has never been done in Canada before - and very rarely anywhere else.

NORTHAM: Investors bought timeshare-style units in the tower that could be rented out by the hotel. They claim they were promised sky-high occupancy rates and returns on their investment. Those never panned out. Collectively, the investors lost millions of dollars. Toronto lawyer Michael Wine represents 27 of them. Many are members of Toronto's Korean community who spoke¹⁵ very little English.

MICHAEL WINE: And I remember asking them through interpreters - why'd you invest in this? And all they said back is Trump - Trump, "The Apprentice¹⁶."

NORTHAM: Wine says his clients felt the sales pitch misrepresented the project. He said they looked at the glossy¹⁷ brochures. They knew about Trump buildings elsewhere and thought he had the Midas touch.

WINE: He's splashed all over the marketing¹⁸, so my clients thought he was building the hotel because he certainly gives you the impression that it's his hotel.

NORTHAM: Wine's clients sued Trump and the developers. A lower court threw out the suit. But an appeals court ruled that the lawsuit¹⁹ could proceed. The Trump Organization maintains President Trump is not liable because he never signed a contract with the investors. If the lawsuit does proceed, it may be difficult for investors to recoup their money. The Trump Hotel is now in receivership and up for sale. It's going for about $300 million dollars.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: Hello. How are you?

NORTHAM: Despite the financial and legal woes²⁰, the intimate ground floor bar at the hotel has a steady stream of customers - businessmen and beautiful women and a smattering of tourists drawn²¹ in by the Trump name. That name may be pulled off the building once it's sold.

Jackie Northam, NPR News, Toronto. POST-BROADCAST CORRECTION: In the audio, as in a previous Web version, we misstate Toronto lawyer Mitchell Wine's first name as Michael.

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 facade   

n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表

参考例句：

• The entrance facade consists of a large full height glass door.入口正面有一大型全高度玻璃门。
• If you look carefully,you can see through Bob's facade.如果你仔细观察，你就能看穿鲍勃的外表。

6 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

7 linens   

n.亚麻布( linen的名词复数 )；家庭日用织品

参考例句：

• All linens and towels are provided. 提供全套日用织品和毛巾。 来自辞典例句
• Linen, Table Linens, Chair Covers, Bed and Bath Linens. Linen. 采购产品亚麻布，亚麻布，椅子套子，床和沭浴亚麻布。 来自互联网

8 luxurious   

adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的

参考例句：

• This is a luxurious car complete with air conditioning and telephone.这是一辆附有空调设备和电话的豪华轿车。
• The rich man lives in luxurious surroundings.这位富人生活在奢侈的环境中。

9 saga   

n.(尤指中世纪北欧海盗的)故事，英雄传奇

参考例句：

• The saga of Flight 19 is probably the most repeated story about the Bermuda Triangle.飞行19中队的传说或许是有关百慕大三角最重复的故事。
• The novel depicts the saga of a family.小说描绘了一个家族的传奇故事。

10 doomed   

命定的

参考例句：

• The court doomed the accused to a long term of imprisonment. 法庭判处被告长期监禁。
• A country ruled by an iron hand is doomed to suffer. 被铁腕人物统治的国家定会遭受不幸的。

11 talon   

n.爪；（如爪般的）手指；爪状物

参考例句：

• Can you get a little tighter with the talon?你能不能把摄像探头固定住不动？
• This kind of spice is made of eagle's talon and has a unique flavor.这种香料味道独特，是用鹰爪作原料制成的。

12 licensing   

v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• A large part of state regulation consists of occupational licensing. 大部分州的管理涉及行业的特许批准。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• That licensing procedures for projects would move faster. 这样的工程批准程序一定会加快。 来自辞典例句

13 licenses   

n.执照( license的名词复数 )v.批准，许可，颁发执照( license的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Drivers have ten days' grace to renew their licenses. 驾驶员更换执照有10天的宽限期。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Jewish firms couldn't get import or export licenses or raw materials. 犹太人的企业得不到进出口许可证或原料。 来自辞典例句

14 fixtures   

（房屋等的）固定装置( fixture的名词复数 )； 如（浴盆、抽水马桶）； 固定在某位置的人或物； （定期定点举行的）体育活动

参考例句：

• The insurance policy covers the building and any fixtures contained therein. 保险单为这座大楼及其中所有的设施保了险。
• The fixtures had already been sold and the sum divided. 固定设备已经卖了，钱也分了。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

15 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

16 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

17 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

18 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

19 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

20 woes   

困境( woe的名词复数 )； 悲伤； 我好苦哇； 某人就要倒霉

参考例句：

• Thanks for listening to my woes. 谢谢您听我诉说不幸的遭遇。
• She has cried the blues about its financial woes. 对于经济的困难她叫苦不迭。

21 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。