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How many have stayed in a room next to a President or Vice President of a country?

How many have stayed in a room next to a President or Vice President of a country?

Old Apr 19, 2007, 7:28 am
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How many have stayed in a room next to a President or Vice President of a country?

I had a very interesting last night at the hotel I have been staying at for the last 3 weeks, the Wuhan Reniassance. It seems that Wuhan is hosting a Women's Worldcup Soccer event this weekend. So some country dignitaries have come to the city with their teams. And one such dignitary, the Vice President of Gabon decided to stay at the Wuhan Ren last night.

Of course the VP wanted the big suite room on the Club Floor. Yes, the one next to my room. Well, I left for a dinner party yesterday and noticed a couple of big rough looking fellers just walking around the floor. I didn't think much about it and went on to dinner. When I got back about 5 hours later, they were still there. One of them was standing next to my door and the other standing next to a different door. Of course, the one at my door gave me a good looking over as I entered my room, but he didn't say anything. I'm really wondering what is going on now. So I'm in my room and notice that things aren't quite where I left everything. Someone had been in my room. I wasn't very happy now.

So I try to talk with the guy outside my door to find out what he is doing there, but he didn't speak English, so that didn't provide me any insights. So I call down to the front desk. And the lady there, just couldn't understand that I was trying to tell her there were two guys just hanging around the floor doing nothing, except maybe looking mean. She said she would send somebody up to find out what I was trying to tell her. Her English wasn't much better than the guy outside my door.

After waiting about 10 minutes, I finally said enough and went to the Conceirge Lounge and had them call the hotel manager. Well, he came up and apologized saying tha they tried to call me earlier, but I had already left. It seems the Gabon VP really wanted the whole floor to himself. Unfortunately, there were already two people on the floor including myself. So what the Gabon security did was have two of their security guards to stand watch over each of our rooms all night, just in case we weren't the fine upstanding citizens we were pretending to be. And they had their security with dogs and all, go through every room on the floor including mine (the hotel manager stated that the hotel security was with them the whole time.) That made me feel a lot better. And that was why some of the items were a little out of place.

So how many of you have had the pleasure to have a country President or Vice President stay next door to your room before? I'm not sure I need that type of noterity again myself.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 7:46 am
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Great post by the OP! ^

I actually thought this was a bla_somebriteavril thread.

The closest I got was attending a company meeting the same day that GWB was arriving at the same hotel. (Inverness in Englewood, CO) It was the same day that my wife got our new horse, and was picking me up at the hotel after the meeting. The secret service found it strange that someone would bring a horse to a hotel.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 8:35 am
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In the late 80s my family was staying in the El Cid Hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico. Our usual beachfront suite was unavailable, so we were upped into the penthouse suite on the top floor of the El Morro Tower. Place was huge, multi-level, had like 4BR, workout room, jacuzzi on wrap-around balcony, and rooftop tennis court and helipad.

Turns out the hotel had two Penthouse suites up there, and that the other was occupied by either the prez or VP of Mexico at the time (don't recall quite which, as I was 8 at the time). Somehow I managed to get locked out of our room whilst on the roof-top tennis courts. I managed to slide a window open to get back in, only to notice that the room looked a bit different than I recalled, and that there was an armed guard at the bottom of the staircase to the lower level . Thankfully, I wasn't spotted, and managed to climb back out the window and find an alternate route back into our suite. Found out later during our stay (from overhearing conversation of my parents) that it was either the Mexican prez or VP next door. In retrospect, kinda makes you wonder about how good their security was if an 8-year-old could mistakenly klutz his way into the Veep or Prez' digs.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 8:42 am
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Originally Posted by Anglo Large Clawed Otter
I managed to slide a window open to get back in, only to notice that the room looked a bit different than I recalled, and that there was an armed guard at the bottom of the staircase to the lower level . Thankfully, I wasn't spotted, and managed to climb back out the window and find an alternate route back into our suite. Found out later during our stay (from overhearing conversation of my parents) that it was either the Mexican prez or VP next door. In retrospect, kinda makes you wonder about how good their security was if an 8-year-old could mistakenly klutz his way into the Veep or Prez' digs.
I love this story
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 10:47 am
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i didn't have a president or vp, but what about a congressman? don young stayed in the room next to ours on our wedding nite! i was still busy gathering my stuff after the party and cleaning up when i was told to hurry up because the secrety service/security/whoever had to check the place out.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 1:51 pm
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Not really, but reminds me of a funny story...

I was visiting a friend of mine at a new home he had just built in the West African country he came from. He had gone to the most prestigious high school in the country before leaving for College and then a life in the US.

One morning, I stumble down for breakfast in boxer shorts and a t shirt and he's sitting there with three other men. He introduces them by first name and tells me they were all close friends in HS.

As we sit there, I learn that I'm sitting next to the Defence Minister, the Minister of Tourism and a MP.

Still in my boxer shorts.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 1:57 pm
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Hilton in Nicosia.... Even double parked next to the President's car...
I found out when I asked a friend why that car had a Cypriot flag.

By the way.. Great question by OP ^
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 2:02 pm
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Didn't know it when I booked the room, but I stayed at the Regent in KUL during a trade conference. Plenty of security downsairs and my room was a door or two down from one of the trade ministers. Plenty of guards roving around at night.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 3:02 pm
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Not in a hotel but on an airplane. Last year I was booked on a CO flight FC from IAH to EWR. Arriving at the airport, my boarding pass showed a reassigned seat from row 2 to 4. I was not exactly pleased but not annoyed enough to bother and thought nothing of it.

On the airplane I saw who had taken my seat: Prince Hakon, the Crown prince of Norway, accompanied by his guard officer in parade uniform - Only recognised him as he had been quite often on TV all over Europe in the past 2 years due to the fact that he had married a beautiful commoner lady who had already a child from her former partner. Passed his seat twice on the way to the restroom but did not really feel like starting a conversation ... Would have surely been different if I were Norwegian

Last edited by noturbulence; Apr 19, 2007 at 3:35 pm
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 3:27 pm
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Not a Prez, not Marriott or other 5* but Holiday Inn Express in Krakow, Poland (Europe).

Ppl from Israel were so afraid of their lives that they had the whole floor for themselves, LOTS of security with guns (we don't see that often in Poland) etc.
And we in the room on the same floor as they! (the room which we have booked was not ready- some problems with bathroom and as those ppl didn't pay for the whole floor, no other rooms left, guess what...)

They have asked manager to move us to the different floor but manger has refused as we were already in and my missus was sleeping. Also, GM known me and told them that I'm a good citizen and nothing is going to happen. They were not happy about this and put one big bloke on the chair NEXT to our room with the gun attached to his belt and watching our room. I called reception that I'm not happy about someone sitting and watching my doors and they removed him. Not for long. My missus went to bed, I went to the city + some fun in aqua park before morning flight to UK.
When I've came back from the aqua park (take your kids there!) bloke was sitting in his room with doors wide open - just next to the lift and two rooms from our room.

Whoa.

They've also asked GM that:

- all bins will be checked every 2-3 hours (parking outside the hotel + nearby street, one of the mains street in the city)
Management has refused so they have paid for extra security - priv company- to do this.

- buses will be around the hotel during meals (also they've refused)

- main doors will be shut (also refused- so another two chaps with guns on chairs... GM asked them that guns will remain hidden under cloths so ppl will not get scared)

Anyway, the bloke on my floor was sitting there probably whole night 'coz when I've wake up at 6am he was there like nothing has happened.

Yeah, try to imagine big fella sitting on the chair in his room (technically) with doors open and watching the whole floor.

I've to mention that it was a normal school trip from Israel to Auschwitz (German concentration camp). And no, in Poland we don't have terrorist, we don't have ppl with guns and we don't have that many bombs (few per year).

Pure stupidity. I'm not too sure who had all those ideas, but definitely this person was mentally sick.

It was safest night ever in any hotel I've ever been to

Cheers
Chris
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 7:23 pm
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What is interesting is that one of the three elevators was held on the floor for the VPs personal use. I wonder what would happen if a couple more Ps and VPs decided to stay there at the same time? I guess everyone else would have to take the stairs in that case.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 8:39 pm
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I was staying at a hotel on Prince Edward Island and Pierre Trudeau came in to hold a meeting with some people. But he didn't stay overnight. Still, it was pretty exciting because it was a total surprise to see the Prime Minister just appear all of a sudden in what seemed to me to be the middle of nowhere. It must have been the late 60's. I don't know what PEI is like now, but there weren't many people back then.
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Old Apr 19, 2007, 9:46 pm
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Stayed at the Ritz in Madrid at the same time that the King of Morocco was a guest. The King was on a State visit to Spain. According to sources at the Ritz, the King brought in his own mattresses (to be changed daily), and took over 2 or 3 full floors of the hotel. Moreover, all of the Monarch's meals were prepared on those floors. The hotel smelled overwhelmingly of Moroccan spices. It was an interesting stay.
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Old Apr 20, 2007, 7:34 am
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Years agao, probably in the 80's was in the Bahamas staying on Cable Beach, when it was first developed. They were having a presidents meeting of all Caribean nations and they were all staying at the hotel. One of the presidents (I cant remember which island) was staying on our floor, on our wing of the hotel. So we passed security guards blocking the hallway each morning and then again when we came home each night. They were always polite and if we had been shopping and had bags, they always asked if we needed help. Guess it just made me feel safer.
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Old Apr 20, 2007, 7:44 am
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On my parent's wedding night they stayed at the Plaza in NYC. Turns out that was the same night that Julie Nixon married David Eisenhower. I'm not sure whether the reception was at the Plaza or not, but I believe that the married couple stayed there along with either Richard Nixon (President-Elect at the time) or Dwight Eisenhower. There was very heavy security and my parents had to use the service entrance to gain access to their honeymoon suite.
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