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POTUS Dresses Down Wall Street at Mandarin Oriental
The Mandarin Oriental in New York is popular with celebrities: in the past, we've seen Bruce Willis and Natalie Portman there. But approaching the hotel close to 5 p.m. yesterday, we encountered way too much security for there to just be someone from Hollywood in the building. The street itself was blocked off and a mix of NYPD officers, generic security dudes, serious-looking men in suits—aha! Secret Service!—and excited New Yorkers waiting by the barricades gave it all away: President Barack Obama was in town. And about to arrive any second.
We got a bit of a thrill to learn this, too, along with a hint of dread that we may not get into the hotel for our business meeting after all. We did not have photo ID on us, and there was no official invite for our small meeting meant to take place at the MO Bar. We watched as one security guy turned away a woman who lived on the same block ("go around the other way,"), and refused to let an Equinox instructor into the building unless he had a gym membership card. Hotel guests were asked to present their room keys.
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Chavez Not Happy With Hilton; Installs Himself At Front Desk
We’re familiar with the feeling of loving a hotel so much we’d like to move in and make it our home. And when we’re unhappy with a room or the service at a hotel we might make a complaint, leave, and remember not to return unless the situation improved. But that’s us. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has a different strategy. If he doesn’t like the hotel, he has his government take it over. (Now, why didn’t we think of that?)
Earlier this week, Chavez used a presidential decree to acquire the Hilton hotel on Margarita Island. Was he unhappy with the presidential suite? Not keen on the room service? No, as this report puts it, Chavez was unhappy with Hilton for being “cheeky.”
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New York Hotels Hang 'No Vacancy' Signs For Gadhafi And Ahmadinejad
Gadhafi, Gaddafi, al-Qaddafi...whichever name you want to call Mr. Moammar of Libya, none of them will be allowed to bunk down at Manhattan's swank Pierre Hotel during his time in NYC for United Nations functions. Apparently of all the luxury hotels in New York, Gadhafi and his retinue had set their sights on the luxe Upper East Side hotel on Central Park as his headquarters in New York, but after complaints from current guests (paying four figures a night, so they should have such a say), the hotel turned him away.
Now it looks as though Gadhafi will have to crash at the Libyan Mission; no luxury hotel and room service for this dictator.
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Libyan Dictator Might Be Ruling Over NY's Pierre Hotel Next Week
We should have known that a picky dictator only picks the best hotels, regardless of availability of first-floor suites. We guess Libyan dictator Moammar al-Qaddafi doesn't read HotelChatter (thank god), because he sure didn't read our Top Three Recommendations for him during his stay in New York for his meeting with the good old United Nations.
Instead, Luxist did some sniffing around in the news to discover that suites have been reserved in Moammar and company's names at several properties not on our list, like The Pierre, The Plaza, and The Hilton. The current favorite seems to be The Pierre, whose rooms begin at $820 a night and have the Taj Pierre Grand suites, which "can accommodate up to six connecting bedrooms under just one key and have landscaped terraces suitable for large-scale entertaining."
Tags: Political Hotels / United Nations Hotels / New York Hotels / → All Tags
Moammar Takes Manhattan: Top 3 NYC Hotels Picks For A Picky Dictator
Right now is the time to thank God, Mohammed and Buddha that you are not Moammar al-Qaddafi's travel coordinator, as the Libyan dictator is due in New York City to address the United Nations this September and must stay in a luxurious, secure hotel. Sounds easy, right? Wrong: Qaddafi refuses to ride in elevators, and what 5-star hotel do you know with suites on the first floor and good proximity to the General Assembly building in Midtown East?
Gosh that sounds like such a little kid issue for a North African military dictator to have, but still; dude can't stay in a tent on the ground of the Libyan Government's place in Englewood, NJ, as he had hoped. NYC's selection of hotels is his only option.
So what Manhattan hotel will Qaddafi possibly make his home away from tent? We've rounded up a few possiblities ...
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We Think We Know Where Sarkozy's Getting Cozy in NYC
Nicolas Sarkozy is trotting around NYC today, and the Twitterverse is all a-flutter with (Carla-less, on this trip) sightings of the French prez around Manhattan's streets.
Twitter-er n8s8e snapped this Twitpic of him and his cronies walking along like business as usual — but he also happened to see that gang sauntering out of The Carlyle Hotel.
Coincidence? Lunch date? The Pierre not French-sounding enough for him? We're gonna bet he's shacking up here during his stay — maybe in that kickass Royal Suite.
Rates at the Carlyle used to be exorbitant, but now they're down at a more manageable $300-ish. It won't get you the Royal Suite, but it will get you a breathtakingly-big room.
[Photo: n8s8e]
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Mexico City Hotel Honors Obama With a $20 a Night Room Rate
With President Barack Obama prioritizing issues like the the drug war, trade and immigration with Mexico, he is spreading some good karmic vibration to the hotel industry. In honor of President Obama's stay in Mexico's capital city, a stylish 1931 Art Deco designed boutique hotel called the Hippodrome in the hipster neighborhood of Condesa is offering $20 a night rate in Room 104 of the 15-room hotel. And the price includes taxes and fees.
The recession-friendly rate lasts through the end of the year and is only for Room 103. Get it? The deal applies for a two-day maximum stay. Right now, it's booked solid through the summer but the other 14 rooms start at $150 a night.
We say what a great way to enjoy part of our stimulus checks. Just don't blow the rest by continuing to support drug trade relations between the U.S. and Mexico!
Tags: Political Hotels / Barack Obama / Trinidad & Tobago / Caribbean Hotels / Hyatt Regency Hotels / → All Tags
Obama Kicks It With World Leaders at Hyatt Regency Trinidad
This weekend, President Obama headed to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago with a US delegation for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, and, as we know, he and his ginormous posse shacked up at the Hilton Trinidad, renting out the whole place for the weekend.
But the three-day summit itself was held over at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad, which HC commenter thirteenright, who has stayed at both the TT Hilton and the TT Hyatt, mentioned was "a much nicer hotel more suitable for this kind of thing" (we assume "this kind of thing" means hosting bigtime world leaders). The conference was a place for the western hemisphere's leaders to get together to discuss "the theme of securing our citizens' future by promoting Human Prosperity, Energy Security and Environmental Sustainability."
Rates in this posh 428-room property start at $159, and the place features a rooftop infinity pool, a 24-hour fitness center, a restaurant with gulf views, and a lobby lounge where someone important surely toasted to making progress in the world this weekend.
Tags: Political Hotels / Barack Obama / Trinidad & Tobago / Caribbean Hotels / → All Tags
This Weekend, Obama Will Be Swimming at the Hilton Trinidad
Another day, another hotel fitness room in which President Obama can go work out. This weekend, while he's heading down to the Caribbean islands of Trinidad & Tobago with a 1,000-strong US delegation for the Fifth Summit of the Americas, the Prez will be shacking up at the Hilton Trinidad, all of whose 380 rooms have been reserved for him and his massive posse.
Hopefully, during the three-day summit which convenes the 34 "democratically elected leaders of the Western Hemisphere," Barack will have some precious alone time for paddling in their pool shaped like the island of Trinidad and hitting their squash and tennis courts. The Hilton itself is no stranger to hosting high-security guests, and in the past have made people like former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Britain's Prince of Wales and former South African President Nelson Mandela feel right at home. Here's hoping that the secret service has already scoped out the hotel's jogging track and fitness center; we wouldn't want Obama to have to spend an entire long island weekend cooped up in office chairs just because the rowing machine is broken.
Once the US delegation departs at the end of the summit on Sunday night, the Hilton will return to its normal, non-commander in chief duties, which focuses on offering regular vacationers like us the very same rooms starting at $169 a night.
[Photo: Concierge.com]
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Thailand Protests Apparently Not Affecting Hotel Stays in Pattaya
Judging by the headlines shouting about violent protests in Thailand and the danger to political leaders that forced the cancellation of the ASEAN Summit in Pattaya, you might feel inclined to stay away from the Royal Cliff Beach Resort where the Summit was due to be held. But the owners say that's not at all necessary.
Quick to put a halt to bad PR damage that this kind of event normally brings, the family owners of the Pattaya resort have already put a message online explaining that the protesters spent less than an hour at the hotel, no violent clashes took place there and no guests were affected. Well, apart from all those summit VIPs who were quickly whisked away and returned to their home countries.
The popular resort area of Pattaya is now trouble-free, with all the protests currently centered on Bangkok. The Royal Cliff Beach Resort rates really well according to recent guests, and apparently it was going to be good enough for all those Prime Ministers and Presidents.
Usual rates start from 6,400 Baht ($180) a night for a mini suite with a sea view. But if we were already in the Pattaya area we'd be dropping in to pick up a last-minute special — after all, they should suddenly have quite a few rooms free.
Tags: Political Hotels / Barack Obama / London / G20 / Mandarin Oriental / → All Tags
G20 Taking Care of Business at London's Mandarin Oriental
April's Fools Day may be long over, but memories of the dinner that "Naked Chef" Jamie Oliver cooked for the G20 leaders in London that night will remain forever...or at least until it's all digested. After a filling meal that focused on fresh and "British" ingredients, Nicholas Sarkozy and posse headed back to his hotel, the Mandarin Oriental, for a little after dinner mint and negotiations regarding that lovely little tax haven of Macau.
When not holed up in meetings with other G20 leaders, what do you suppose Sarkozy did with his time spent in the grand environs of the Mandarin? We like to think that he balanced all the wine-drinking and rich meals out by hitting the gym a couple times, but how could a stressed world leader resist the charms of the hotel's "Zen Color Therapy Relaxation" room or its "Amethyst Crystal Steam Room?" If we had to sit in tense meetings all day, with the fate of parts of the world on our shoulders, then you can be sure we'd spring for a "Ama Releasing Abhyanga" treatment to balance our chakras.
Want to play president and treat yourself to a night where Sarkozy slept and dreamt of gambling in Macau? Be prepared to fork over more than 3,990 GBP ($5,891) for a Deluxe Suite this month, or 255 GBP ($376.50) for a regular room—perfect for any Nicholas and Carla Bruni fantasies you have going.
[Mandarin Hotel photo via Mandarin Hotels; G20 Summit photo via The Guardian]
Tags: Political Hotels / Trinidad Hotels / Hyatt Hotels / Barack Obama / Hotel News / → All Tags
Barack Obama Will Join Political VIPs at The Hyatt Trinidad
The Hyatt Regency Trinidad has been open not much more than a year, but it's already being trusted to host Barack Obama and a bunch of his friends when the Summit of the Americas heads to Trinidad in April.
This is the fifth time that leaders of the 34 member nations will meet up, and this time round they'll be discussing important stuff like human prosperity, energy, security and environmental sustainability--all on the ocean-front location in Port of Spain.
The hotel is actually (but not surprisingly) completely sold-out during the summit, which runs from April 17 to 19. Now we just wonder how the hotel's general manager decides who gets the Diplomat Suite and who gets the Presidential Suite. The good news is that even the politicians at the bottom of the pecking order will be able to run their countries from their room because there's WiFi throughout.
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