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EXCL: The US Govt has spent £1m+ on 5* London hotels tied to Qatar’s ruling Al Thani family for @realDonaldTrump’s UK state visit, with the bill to US taxpayers standing at £2.7m+. My @TheScotsman story on the money behind all the pomp & circumstance: scotsman.com/news/politics/…
The US Govt has booked rooms across at least four luxury London hotels for rhe presidential entourage, all clustered together in Mayfair, near Hyde Park. They include: Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane; Hyatt Regency London; Hard Rock Hotel London; and Grosvenor House Hotel.
Here’s a graphic, compiled by my colleague @TimHopkinson, detailing the hotels in Q, and the amount spent on each in connection with what the US State Dept records refer to as the “VIP visit”: 
To date, the total spend by the @StateDept on the trip (inc Ireland) is $3,512,288, according to dozens of procurement records which refer to ‘POTUS’ & ‘VIP’ visit - many US taxpayers may be fascinated by the pageantry of @realDonaldTrump’s UK trip, but it comes at a price.
Given the size of @realDonaldTrump’s entourage has been put as high as 1,000 people, it’s no surprise that the hotel bookings make up the lion’s share of the spending. And these are some very desirable hotels indeed.
Federal spending records show the @StateDept made a delivery order worth $1,223,230 for accommodation at the Intercontinental Hotel Park Lane. The order was made on 20 May to its operating co, Constellation Hotel (Opco) UK SA.
Constellation is owned by Luxembourg-based Regis Hotel (Opco) UK SA. Its directors include Sheikha Lulwah Bint Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the 34-year-old daughter of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, a member of the Qatari royal family and Qatar's ruling emir from '95 to '13.
.@StateDept also made a 25 May purchase order for $47,311 to Hyatt Regency London, part of the Churchill Group, the ultimate parent co of which is the Luxembourg-based Prime Capital. Its beneficial owner? Sheikh Hamad bin Jassam bin Jaber Al Thani, the ex Qatari prime minister.
As I note in the story, the spending records reveal as much about Gulf state ownership of prime London assets as they do the vast entourage travelling with POTUS. One contact joked to me: “On a clear day, you can just about make out something the Qataris don’t own in London.”
They also raise Qs about the US-Qatar relationship, one of the most interesting and important dynamics in the Middle East, particularly where Iran is concerned.
The data also throw up some quirks. For @realDonaldTrump’s Ireland visit, the @StateDept' paying $935,033 for vehicle hire & chauffeur services from JP Ward & Sons - a funeral directors in the Co Wicklow town of Bray. So if you live there, er, try not to die in the next few days.
I asked the @StateDept if it was aware of the Qatari links to the hotels booked for the trip and how they were chosen. It referred me to the @WhiteHouse, which hasn't responded to my request for comment.
I’ll be keeping an eye on further spending, and of course, none of this includes the vast security and policing operation, which is expected to run comfortably into eight figures, and all at the expense of UK taxpayers.
If you have a story about @realDonaldTrump’s state visit to the UK, or his businesses in Scotland, my DMs are open, and you can contact me by encrypted email - martynmcl at protonmail dot com /ends
