BIDEN’S $1 MILLION 2 DAY STAY IN LONDON AND PARIS
Biden’s $459,388.65 Hotel Bill in London
‘Approximately 136 hotel rooms for 893 room nights.’
Jeryl Bier
Vice President Biden and his entourage spent a little time in London in early February during his first foreign trip of the second term of the Obama administration. A document released today revealed that the cost of lodging in London alone was close to half a million dollars. The contract was awarded on January 30, 2013 to the Hyatt Regency London for a total of $459,388.65.
Due to obvious security concerns, such contracts are not open to the competitive bidding normally required on government contracts. The accompanying document justifying the “sole source” contract notes that the vice president’s group required “approximately 136 hotel rooms for 893 room nights.” Based on these figures and the total contract price, each hotel room at the five star hotel cost the U.S. government about $500 per night.
Published on The Weekly Standard (www.weeklystandard.com)
Biden’s One-Night Paris Hotel Tab:
$585,000.50
Jeryl Bier
March 22, 2013 10:50 AMAs it turns out, Vice President Joe Biden’s London stay in February was not the most expensive part of his trip. A government document released on February 14, 2013 shows that the contract for the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand came in at $585,000.50.
The documentation for this contract is not as detailed as the London one, so the cost per room is not available. However, just like his London hotel, the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand is a five star hotel. Again, security concerns prevent these type of contracts from being open to bidding, but if the government was able to do some comparison shopping, the Hotel Intercontinental has a special offer, “Find a lower price elsewhere and your first night is free.” The Vice President stayed in Paris for one night.
