@Walter Hinteler,
The US government has spent millions of dollars on luxury hotel suites, chauffeured vehicles and back-up generators for Donald Trump’s state visit to London.
Contracts placed by the state department show US taxpayers have spent $1,223,230 (£965,921) on VIP accommodation at the InterContinental hotel on Park Lane in Mayfair, a hotel linked to members of the Qatari royal family.
A further $339,386 (£267,994) has been spent on “hotel rooms in support of a visit” at the Hilton on Park Lane, one of London’s most exclusive addresses, and also on “passenger car rental”.
Along with his third wife, Melania, Trump has brought all four of his adult children on the trip – Donald Jr, Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany. Along with their administrative support and security details, that has added significantly to the size of his entourage.
The state department placed a series of hotel contracts, first disclosed by the Scotsman newspaper, through the US embassy in London, including another $122,059 and then $32,339 for additional hotel rooms at the Intercontinental.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent at the Hyatt Regency – the Churchill, a hotel on Portman Square. That includes $18,750 on “hotel rooms in support of a VIP visit”, as well as $47,311 for a generator, presumably to provide back-up power supplies for official business.
At the Grosvenor House hotel, another five-star hotel on Park Lane, the state department has spent at least $266,882 on “hotel rooms for VIP visit” and installing special voice and data cabling in the hotel suites.
Sources:
Revealed: US government spends £1m at Qatari-backed hotels for Donald Trump’s UK state visit
US taxpayers shelling out millions for luxury hotels for Trump state visi