The hotel where the king of Saudi Arabia stayed. The delegation of the King of Saudi Arabia gave cash to Moscow hotels. Kings can do anything

For the king Saudi Arabia.

During the visit, the delegation of the King of Saudi Arabia will live next to Red Square. Today, rent a room at National, Four Seasons or St. Regis will not work: in one of the hotels, journalists were told about full occupancy, which, according to employees, happens extremely rarely. Reservations will open again after October 8th.
Some hotels had to cancel planned weddings and banquets; The main task now is to strengthen security: you can enter the building only after presenting your guest card.

Sergei Kolesnikov, vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, told Kommersant FM that this is normal practice:
“These events do not take place spontaneously, regardless of who comes: Saudi Arabia, the United States, the President of the Russian Federation or high-ranking officials. A representative of the special services selects not just a hotel, but specific rooms, this happens within a week or two. After the advance group, the day before arrival, special security measures are carried out: the room is checked again so that there are no misunderstandings.”

The organizers of the visit paid special attention to the convenience of the guests. The king of Saudi Arabia is known for his whimsicality: on his March trip to Indonesia, he took about 500 tons of luggage, two Mercedes-Benz S600 cars and even two electric elevators; Apparently, the Saudis did not come to Moscow lightly. Especially for the delegation, hotels change the furnishings of the rooms: the usual European furniture is sent to the warehouse, and in return they lay out carpets brought from Riyadh; In addition, pork dishes will be excluded from hotel menus.

This is not all that hotels can do for the sake of clients, noted Kirill Ryabkov, marketing director of the Quintessentially Russia concierge club:
“I worked at the Hyatt hotel where Madonna lived, and we created a separate room where she did yoga. The room had to be connected to her presidential suite, this was a requirement. One Australian pop star demanded that there be a certain scent of lilies where she walked."

There are a thousand people in Salman Al Saud’s delegation, and they were apparently lucky with their accommodation. Although it happened that wealthy guests bought the best rooms from the guests - the owner of the Helvetia Hotel in St. Petersburg, Yunis Teymurkhanly, told Kommersant FM about this case:
“The delegation, it seems, from the Emirates, was only satisfied with the presidential number: it was sold to one of the Russian oligarchs, and representatives of the Arab sheikh contacted the Russian with a request to give up this number. He categorically refused, bidding began, and in the end, when it had already reached astronomical figures, the oligarch’s wife could not stand it, saying: “You don’t want it, but I want it, I’ll buy it in France for the difference.”

Prices in best rooms Four Seasons with an area of 500 sq. m. start from 1 million rubles. per day., but for the delegation this is not a problem: especially, according to some reports, Saudi prince Al-Walid, the king's nephew, owns a share of this hotel chain.

Kommersant FM's interlocutors say that special conditions, in which the King of Saudi Arabia will live, cannot be called a whim: this, according to hotel business experts, is a guarantee of their complete safety.

Trouble started upon arrival. The King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who arrived in Moscow on a state visit, discovered a breakdown of his escalator when getting off the plane at the capital's Vnukovo airport.

The golden escalator recently accompanies the Saudi monarch during his official visits. Thus, on March 1, 2017, Indonesian observers paid special attention to this detail. They noted 1000 accompanying people in the king's retinue, and estimated the weight of his luggage at 500 tons. Two weeks later, reporting on the Saudi king’s luxurious trip to Japan, the RT television channel noted that the monarch’s visit was served by two golden escalators, 10 airplanes, and 500 limousines. At that time, 1,200 luxury hotel rooms were prepared to accommodate the royal retinue in Japan.

The cost of accommodation for King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his retinue during his visit to Moscow from October 5 to 7 could be up to $3.3 million, according to a study conducted for RBC by specialists from the travel service OneTwoTrip.

Earlier, RIA Novosti reported that saudi king and a thousand people in his retinue will occupy all the free rooms of five-star hotels around the Kremlin and Red Square. They will stay at the Four Seasons (Moscow), Ritz Carlton, St. Regis Nikolskaya and National. In particular, the delegation completely rented the Four Seasons Hotel. The cost of the presidential suite alone is 1 million rubles.

“Depending on the accommodation, 1 thousand guests will need from 500 to 1 thousand rooms. Including accommodation in all Four Seasons rooms and suites at the Ritz Carlton, St. Regis and National provide about 326 rooms, that is, to accommodate the entire delegation, at least another 430 rooms of a different category are needed in these three hotels,” experts calculated.

If we take into account the cost of not only suites, but also standard and superior rooms, as well as an extra charge for group accommodation from 10 to 50%, then the total cost of accommodation for the Saudi delegation could range from $2.2 million to $3.3 million, experts say.

According to Kommersant, the furnishings in some rooms will be changed especially for the king’s arrival: carpets will be added, furniture will be changed. “The cost of such a transformation is difficult to calculate. We can talk about tens of thousands of dollars,” say OneTwoTrip experts.

According to Kommersant, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed, nephew of the King of Saudi Arabia, owns a share in the network Four hotels Seasons. “Without a doubt, this will make adjustments to the final price,” says the study received by RBC.

A slight drop in the ratings of specific hotels due to the inability of regular guests to check in for this period “will be more than compensated by income from the accommodation of delegations,” Vyacheslav Sapozhnikov, editor-in-chief of the industry portal Hotelier.PRO, told RBC. According to him, the reputation of hotels is a “long-lasting issue.”

Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's visit to Moscow following the incident at Vnukovo-2 airport. When the king got off the plane and began to go down the escalator, it broke and the monarch had to go down on his own. As RBC Advisor to the Administrative Director of the President of Russia Elena Krylova, the Saudi delegation brought an escalator ladder with them, but she could not clarify the cause of the breakdown.

During his visit, the King of Saudi Arabia held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin press service reported that increasing bilateral cooperation in the trade, economic, investment, cultural and humanitarian spheres will be discussed, and joint documents will also be signed.

Russian officials prepared an impressive reception for the 81-year-old monarch of Saudi Arabia, Salman Abdulaziz Al Saud, who arrived in Moscow the day before on a state visit. In the Russian capital these days, the widely publicized Saudi Arabian Culture Week is taking place in the New Manege, and an exhibition is opening national art of this country, the whole city was covered with posters in Arabic, and on the way from Vnukovo-2 airport, the king was greeted by billboards with his own photographs.

Moscow welcomes the king on a scale that is rarely accorded to foreign leaders. Saudi delegation with her grandiose travel style has taken over the entire Moscow Ritz-Carlton, reports The Washington Post. And this is not surprising, because the monarch is the richest Arab country used to traveling with appropriate ceremonies: for example, for a visit to Japan this spring, the king and his delegation needed 10 planes, 500 tons of luggage and 1,200 rooms in best hotels. And to Indonesia, the king brought 1,500 accompanying people, including 25 princes, and 450 tons of things, in particular two Mercedes-Benz S600 cars and two escalators. Such a special personal ladder also came to Russia, but refused to work on Russian soil.

During the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia, all the available rooms in the most fashionable hotels around the Kremlin and Red Square were occupied by his retinue. In five-star hotels Ritz-Carlton, Four Seasons, St. Regis, "National" in the area of Manezhnaya Square, Lubyanka and Kuznetsky Bridge there are no free places left - such a situation with a complete lack of rooms rarely occurs. All issues are sold out until October 7th.

A representative of one of the hotels said that the hotel management had to cancel several events that were planned for these days. Pork dishes have been removed from the hotel menu. And the furnishings in many rooms were changed to something more familiar to guests - in oriental style. Moreover, for several high-ranking members of the delegation, their favorite carpets were brought specially from Saudi Arabia, RIA Novosti reports.

Price double room in this hotel starts from 41 thousand rubles per night. A room with a view of Manezhnaya Square costs 59 thousand, with a view of the Kremlin and Alexander Garden - 137 thousand. The most expensive and spacious rooms (about 500 square meters in area) cost about a million rubles per day.

In total, the Saudi delegation numbers about a thousand people, and all of them had to be accommodated in hotels in close proximity to the Kremlin.

Not just a delegation, but the entire elite of Saudi Arabia arrived in Moscow. As told by BFM former ambassador Russia in Saudi Arabia Andrey Baklanov, “The Saudis are distinguished by a particularly painstaking approach to preparing and conducting top-level visits.” “Everything must be planned out and then, according to this carefully thought-out scenario, carried out. They first send a large advanced group to the country where the event will take place, which works in different areas of the program. It accompanies quite large number family members of the ruling dynasty and officials - employees of ministries and departments, business representatives and simply people who perform technical service," says Baklanov.

Five-star hotels in the center of Moscow have almost run out of rooms: the best hotel rooms have been occupied by the retinue of the King of Saudi Arabia, the RIA Novosti agency reported. He is due to arrive in the capital on an official visit on Thursday. A delegation of one thousand people will arrive in Russia together with Salman Al Saud, the agency’s source said. Yana Lubnina looked into how hoteliers will greet distinguished guests.

During the visit, the delegation of the King of Saudi Arabia will live next to Red Square. Today, rent a room at the National, Four Seasons or St. Regis will not work: in one of the hotels, journalists were told about full occupancy, which, according to employees, happens extremely rarely. Reservations will open again after October 8th.

Some hotels had to cancel planned weddings and banquets; The main task now is to strengthen security: you can enter the building only after presenting your guest card. Sergei Kolesnikov, vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, told Kommersant FM that this is normal practice:

“These events do not take place spontaneously, regardless of who comes: Saudi Arabia, the United States, the President of the Russian Federation or high-ranking officials. A representative of the special services selects not just a hotel, but specific rooms, this happens within a week or two. After the advance group, the day before arrival, special security measures are carried out: the room is checked again so that there are no misunderstandings.”

“I worked at the Hyatt hotel where Madonna lived, and we created a separate room where she did yoga. The room had to be connected to her presidential suite, this was a requirement. One Australian pop star demanded that there be a certain scent of lilies where she walked."

“The delegation, apparently from the Emirates, was only satisfied with the presidential number: it was sold to one of the Russian oligarchs, and representatives of the Arab sheikh contacted the Russian with a request to give up this number. He categorically refused, bidding began, and in the end, when it had already reached astronomical figures, the oligarch’s wife could not stand it, saying: “You don’t want it, but I want it, I’ll buy it in France for the difference.”

Prices for the best 500 square meter Four Seasons rooms. m. start from 1 million rubles. per day., but for the delegation this is not a problem: especially, according to some sources, Saudi Prince Al-Walid, the king’s nephew, owns a share of this hotel chain.

Kommersant FM’s interlocutors say that the special conditions in which the king of Saudi Arabia will live cannot be called a whim: this, according to hotel business experts, is a guarantee of their complete safety.

The Ritz-Carlton in Riyadh returned to normal operating hours on Sunday. For 99 days, from the beginning of November, it served as a detention center for 381 high-ranking officials; Princes, businessmen and officials were detained during Saudi Arabia's largest anti-corruption investigation.

The campaign, led by Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman, began unexpectedly. On November 4, an influential citizen was summoned to appear before King Salman at the Ritz-Carlton. But instead of the king, armed people met him there and took him away. mobile phone and escorted to one of the hotel rooms. “They told me I would be staying there for a while,” he recalls.

The investigators who questioned him had extensive information, presenting large stacks of documents about his financial assets. During the “long, tedious” interrogations, they methodically reviewed them, but did not make any significant claims against the suspect. He was told that he was being detained as part of an anti-corruption investigation, but could be released if he entered into an agreement and paid for his violations, which he eventually did. According to him, some of the detainees tried to dispute the charges, but made concessions when their business partners were brought to the hotel and began to testify against them. “They didn’t expect this,” he says.

The anti-corruption campaign was greeted with enthusiasm in Saudi society. According to the government, agreements with detainees have been concluded for $106 billion, and several dozen people may face trial.

Interviews with detainees and their loved ones shed light on the actual conditions of detention. Some had their meals prepared by royal chefs, but were only allowed one telephone conversation per day. Others had to endure hours of interrogation, but for a certain price, all corruption charges were offered to be dropped.

Saudi Arabia's Treasury Ministry has hired consulting firms in Europe and the Middle East to track the assets of wealthy Saudis such as billionaire Mohammad al-Amoudi and Prince Bandar bin Sultan, a former ambassador to the United States, people familiar with the matter said. Al-Amoudi was held at the Ritz-Carlton in November and his current status is unknown, his spokesman said, adding that the businessman has not admitted wrongdoing. A spokesman for bin Sultan, who was not detained, did not respond to a request for comment.

Among the prisoners were Saudi Arabia's richest businessman, Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal; Bakr bin Laden, head of the Saudi Binladin construction company; owner of the largest media company in the country, Waleed bin Ibrahim; several ministers.

$13 billion

- That's how much Saudi Arabia hopes to replenish its coffers by the end of the year thanks to payments to those detained as part of an anti-corruption campaign, the Financial Times reported, citing a senior Saudi official. This will be money, real estate and corporate assets. These funds will help the government limit the growth of the budget deficit, which is expected to reach $52 billion this year.

The Ritz-Carlton was built in 2011 and has more than 500 rooms, including 48 presidential suites, a 24-hour medical aid station and olive trees that are approximately 600 years old. The hotel is located near the seat of the Saudi government.

Some prisoners say they were treated well. Thus, Al-Waleed bin Talal, in a video interview with Reuters, which was shown on television, said that in the kitchen in his room there are several special coffee pots for traditional Arabic coffee and the authorities allow him to adhere to his usual vegan diet. Near the entrance to the room there is a vase with tulips, and on the wall there is a large-screen TV. “I play sports, swim, walk. I eat as always. I feel at home,” said bin Talal (pictured below is the living room in his room).

/Reuters Staff

High-ranking prisoners were kept in so-called royal rooms, a hotel employee explained. Each of them has two bedrooms, a dining room, two living rooms, an office and a kitchen.

The Saudi Arabian Prosecutor General said at the end of January that most of the prisoners had already been released: evidence could not be found against some, and most agreed to a deal with the authorities. They demanded $6 billion from bin Talal, The Wall Street Journal reported. But even the billionaire prince found it difficult to pay such a sum. He was released in January after reaching a financial agreement with authorities, according to people familiar with the situation; its size is not reported.

65 people refused to pay; they are in custody, the location of which has not been disclosed.

The first guests to stay at the hotel on Sunday after it reopened say little has changed. However, “The Ritz will now always be associated with luxury prison in Saudi Arabia,” says Simon Henderson, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. Some Western analysts see what happened as a campaign by Crown Prince Salman to consolidate his power. "If you're a potential investor, this doesn't bode well for you," says Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institution.

Translated by Varvara Podrugina