Obama cancels traditional Waldorf Astoria hotel stay after Chinese takeover
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Version 0 of 1. Barack Obama will not stay at New York’s Waldorf Astoria during the UN general assembly this month after the hotel was bought by a Chinese insurance firm. Related: State Department stays quiet about exit from Chinese-owned Waldorf Astoria White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama and the US delegation would stay at the nearby New York Palace Hotel. “There are a range of considerations that influence where the president will stay when he’s not at the White House,” Earnest said. “Those considerations include everything from available space to cost and to security.” Earnest would not say whether the Chinese acquisition of the Astoria had raised concerns about possible espionage. Anbang Insurance Group bought the landmark luxury hotel in late 2014 for $1.95bn. The announcement comes just weeks before the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, comes to Washington for a visit beset by tensions over cyber security, maritime claims and China’s growing assertiveness. For years the Waldorf has been used as a base for US operations when leaders from around the world descend on Manhattan for the UN general assembly meeting. Related: US taking 'close look' at Waldorf Astoria hotel sale to Chinese company The State Department has long held a suite at the Waldorf for the US ambassador to the United Nations, currently Samantha Power. The Waldorf Astoria occupies a full city block in midtown Manhattan and has been in business for more than a century. In 1993 the hotel was declared an official New York City landmark, joining the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. |