The hotel where the king of Saudi Arabia is staying. The Saudi king made a cashier for Moscow luxury hotels

Meeting the Guardian of two Islamic shrines, as the kings of Saudi Arabia are often called, on the one hand, is easy, and on the other, difficult. Easy, because they always bring everything they need with them, including servants, but difficult, since Saudi monarchs are not only some of the richest people on the planet, but also the most demanding. Moreover, not so much because of their exclusivity and wealth, but because of their old age (Salman is 81 years old) and poor health.

The first visit of the Saudi monarch to Russia, which has already become the rule, was no exception. According to tradition, we can say that Salman ibn Abdul-Aziz al Saud brought with him a thousand and a half retinue and everything necessary for a four-day visit, from carpets with furniture to servants who know the habits and tastes of their master and replace individual hotel employees. Salman settled a couple of hundred meters from the Kremlin, in the Four Seasons Hotel Moscow, better known to Muscovites as the Moscow Hotel (demolished and rebuilt in the last decade).

The hotel was closed for four days to other visitors, including even those who live there permanently. The Saudis also rented all 334 rooms in the nearby Ritz-Carlton for 14 million rubles a day, booked rooms in the neighboring National and Marriott.

Fans of statistics have calculated that living in Moscow alone will cost Riyadh at least 250 million rubles. For a Saudi monarch, this is very little. If only because his summer rest in Moroccan Tangier this year cost his subjects $ 100 million.

In addition to furniture and carpets, King Salman brought to Moscow a special gilded escalator with which he travels around the world. The same one, in whose work on Wednesday at the airport "Vnukovo 2" there was some kind of failure. The escalator stopped halfway, so the monarch had to go down, as they say, on his own. Naturally, Salman moves around Moscow in his cars. By the car fleet that arrived in the capital of Russia from Saudi Arabia, you can recognize all the brands of the most expensive and luxurious limousines.

The king and his entourage eat exclusively Saudi products. Every day, a special plane brings 800 kilograms of food and drinks from Riyadh.

It is difficult to name the exact number of Saudi aircraft that arrived in Moscow on October 4. There are obviously many of them. It is known, for example, that in March, King Salman flew on an official visit to Japan on 10 airliners, which brought almost half a thousand tons of luggage.

When it comes to travel abroad, Salman is no different from his predecessors. King Fahd (1982-2005), for example, loved to relax in Spanish Marbella. The number of his retinue sometimes reached two or three thousand people. In 2002, he flew to the seaside resort on 7 planes: the royal entourage of four hundred traveled in five, and the other two carried exclusively food, armored limousines and luggage. On average, King Fahd left about $ 100 million in Marbella over the summer season. However, in 2002 he set a record and left the Spaniards almost a third of a billion.

This time, the Saudis will not have time to fork out such an amount in Moscow, but it is already clear that the Russian side earned decent money on the arrival of the king, even regardless of the business contracts that are discussed during the visit.

On October 4, Business FM received information that during the visit of the King of Saudi Arabia and his retinue to Moscow, they will occupy all free five-star rooms around Red Square and the Kremlin. One of the hotels is 100% booked.

The royal will be in the capital until October 7th. During this time, several very important meetings should take place. Already now we can say with confidence that in the area of ​​Lubyanka, Kuznetsky Most, as well as Manezhnaya Square, it will not be possible to find a free place in a top-level hotel. The important guests decided to pay special attention to Four Seasons, St. Regis and National. It was these objects that were considered the most worthy for receiving the delegation from Saudi Arabia. Work in hotels is in full swing, as everyone needs to please. In general, the Saudis arrived in large numbers - about 1000 people. For the most important of them - the king - all rooms at the Ritz Carlton were booked by October 7th.

According to Yunis Teymurkhanli, general director and owner of one of the St. Petersburg hotels, such measures are mandatory, since they are part of the requirements of the protocols for accommodating persons of this level. VIPs should get what they expect. If the king thinks that the hotel should be filled with his suite for the duration of his stay, so be it. Important guests - special rules. In practice, in most cases, guests of this level are accommodated in official residences countries they visit. In this way, the maximum level of security can be ensured.

But, the decision on which accommodation facility to choose is determined only by the protocol of the two countries. The delegation of the monarch can perceive transport accessibility as well as safety in its own way, and therefore the choice may well be different. As happened in the case of the visit to Moscow. If we talk about hotels that have become the choice of the delegation, their cuisine even exceeds the capacity of a state residence, which is usually offered to important guests. Most likely, the king will invite various guests, including journalists. During the visit of politicians, his own chefs will treat not only the large delegation, but all those invited.

Already on October 4, it was possible to notice that there are unusually many traffic police officers on the roads of Moscow, which, most likely, was dictated by increased security measures. The king must understand that in connection with his visit, all necessary measures... The vice-president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers of the Russian Federation believes that the movement in the center during this period can be considered significantly complicated, but Moscow has long been accustomed to this. Capital city accepts often distinguished guests, therefore he will work at his usual pace. The delegation is actually very large. There is also a nuance, all guests wished to stay exclusively in top-level hotels, the latter were happy about it.

The Ritz Carlton hotel on Booking.com lists the room rate from 35 to 112 thousand rubles per night on October 8. In total, the hotel has 334 rooms.

It is worth recalling that at the beginning of 2017, the Saudi king has already undertook a 31-day trip to Asia. To make the trip the way the king had planned for himself, it was necessary to take 459 tons of luggage, which included 2 elevators, as well as 2 Mercedes-Benz S600 cars and a retinue of 1,500 people. The monarch is 81 years old.

The King of Saudi Arabia Salman bin Abdel Aziza Al Saud is accommodated in Moscow with oriental luxury. MIR 24 correspondent Vladimir Seroukhov visited luxury hotel, which was completely redeemed by the monarch.

The King of Saudi Arabia at night at the Ritz Carlton Hotel on Tverskaya Street with his large delegation - more than a thousand people. This is the first visit of the monarch to Russia, and the luxury with which he passes is simply amazing. The delegation will travel around the city in cars of the most prestigious brands - top-end Mercedes, BMW, Jaguars and other executive cars. The cost of each varies from 6 to 10 million rubles - one might say, an apartment on wheels. There was even a story that the number of cars in the escort is equal to the number of letters in the king's name, and it is rather complicated - Salman bin Abdel Aziz al-Saud.

The dear guest himself stayed in one of the most prestigious hotels in the capital - "Ritz Carlton", and simply bought all 334 rooms. The most luxurious of them costs 112 thousand rubles a day. The monarch will most likely be cramped in one, albeit a suite, room. He probably bought himself a whole floor. By the way, the interiors of the Ritz were redesigned to fit the Arabian style, many of them brought their own carpets and furniture with them. The entire hotel per day will cost the king 14 million rubles per day, for 4 days (this is how long his visit will last) - about 60.

However, one "Ritz", of course, is not enough, therefore, for the duration of the visit, all hotels in the center of Moscow - both "Four Season", and "National", and "Marriott", have been booked for the accompanying persons.

It is estimated that the placement of the suite will cost an additional 160 million rubles. We add the price of "Ritz" and we get that the delegation's accommodation alone amounts to a quarter of a billion rubles.

Although this amount looks small in comparison with the multi-billion dollar contracts and investments, which will be discussed at the Kremlin, which, by the way, has a beautiful view of the sheikhs, princes and ministers who will live near Red Square all these days.

It is believed that the king of Saudi Arabia descended from the prophet Muhammad himself. The monarch arrived in Moscow in keffiyeh - a scarf made of cotton or silk with a colored pattern, traditional for oriental men.

King Salman's clothing is always the national loose ankle-length shirt. It is called "tobe". And a long cloak - mishlah, without which the king never goes out. The king's cloak is most often gold in color, but it is green and brown.

Interestingly, all Saudi Arabian officials are required to wear national dress when visiting abroad. This is done in order to emphasize national identity and introduce the world to the traditions of the kingdom.

Saudi Arabia occupies about 80 percent of the Arabian Peninsula. Due to the fact that its borders are not clearly defined, the exact area of ​​the country is not known. According to various sources, it can range from 1,960,582 km² to 2,240,000 km². Which puts it in 13th place in the world in terms of size.

Saudi Arabia is often referred to as the land of the "two holy places". There are two main cities for Muslims - and Medina. By the way, Saudi Arabia is one of three modern states named after their rulers. In this case, we mean the Saudi dynasty.

The Kingdom is the world leader in the sale and production of oil. So, only the largest field in the country - Gavar - is capable of accommodating almost 5 million Olympic pools. The country's oil reserves are 260 billion barrels.

It is profitable to take in Saudi Arabia. Banks issue them only at 2% per annum. Since the Koran prohibits usury, this percentage is only used to cover the bank's operating expenses.

In Saudi Arabia, everything that is directly or indirectly related to witchcraft and magic is prohibited. This is considered a serious crime and can be punished with the death penalty. The government takes the magic threat so seriously that it even banned the Harry Potter books.

In Saudi Arabia, it is widespread. In 2015, the authorities saw them off every other day. In most cases, execution is carried out by cutting off the head with a scimitar. Diira Square in the center of Riyadh - famous place public beheadings, known locally as "chop-chop square".

On Thursday, October 5, the King of Saudi Arabia was received in the Kremlin. The arrival of Salman Ben Abdel Aziz Al Saud is significant not only because this is the first visit of the monarch, but also because negotiations with the Guardian of the two shrines (al-Haram mosques in Mecca and the Prophet's Mosque in Medina) were supposed to dot the i's in questions, related to the oil market and military-technical cooperation. Amid the Kremlin's gilding, the luxury-accustomed Saudis were deciding the fate of a package of arms contracts worth more than $ 3 billion. And the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, who was celebrating his birthday, photographed with interest the place for the throne in the Andreevsky Hall.

Kings Can Do Anything

Muscovites could learn about the upcoming visit of the king not only from the news. In early October, the Russian-Suad Investment Fund placed posters on the highway from Vnukovo airport with a greeting "To the Keeper of Two Islamic Shrines, His Majesty the King of Saudi Arabia." The delegation, numbering almost a thousand people, rented all the suites in the most expensive hotels. the Russian capital... In an effort to please the guests accustomed to oriental luxury, the furniture was changed in the rooms, carpets were laid and low trestle beds were placed. The king himself stayed at the Four Seasons. This hotel chain is partly owned by his nephew, Prince Alwaleed.

There are legends about how the king and his retinue travel. The amount of baggage transported is especially impressive - the bill goes into hundreds of tons. They transport equipment, cars, elevators and even a ladder-escalator, the length of which is 15 meters when folded, by air. It was with him that the trouble came out. The technicians who arrived as part of the delegation collected this royal know-how on their own. But something went wrong on Russian soil. The 81-year-old monarch stepped onto the escalator, drove a third of the way, and the ladder jammed. The elderly king, leaning on a wand, barely climbed several steps on his own.

The Kremlin has gone smoothly. Since a state visit - highest level of all possible - implies a magnificent ceremony of the meeting, taking into account the age of the monarch, it was nevertheless reduced. Traditionally, the delegations of the two countries lined up along the Andreevsky Hall. In this ceremonial room of the Grand Kremlin Palace, restored in the 90s, the place for the throne is also designated. More precisely, a throne with replicas of the royal armchairs. It was in this direction that Vladimir Putin led his guest, circling the arches of the hall with his hands and telling something with the help of translators.

When the king and the president left the hall, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, approached the throne. He stood out against the general background with his paramilitary outfit - a dark green jacket. Left alone for a few moments, Kadyrov took out his phone and photographed the place for the throne. And then he also posed for his Instagram with the leaders of Ingushetia and Tatarstan. All three were from the Muslim part of the Russian Federation.

Arab journalists, meanwhile, warned their Russian colleagues against a mistake: the name of their king should have been pronounced in full and only in full. “No way shorter! Only Salman bin Abdel Aziz! " - One of the guests, raising his voice with respect, spoke in perfect Russian.

Waited ten years

Relations between Moscow and Riyadh have not always worked out smoothly. The first official visit of representatives of Saudi Arabia to Moscow after the collapse of the USSR took place in 2003. For the current king, who took the throne in 2015, this is the first visit in a new capacity, but he already visited Moscow in 2006, as the ruler of Riyadh.

But Vladimir Putin visited this Arab country only once - ten years ago, but he remembers that trip with warmth. He was greeted like a king, with a cannon salute and a cavalry escort. The monarch placed the whole palace at the disposal of the guest and generously invited him to change the schedule of the visit at his discretion. The road in front of Putin was strewn with rose petals, and the dancers effectively presented a dagger (one can imagine what the president's personal security had gone through at that moment). The outfits of Russian journalists added color - they had to wear hijabs.

Just a few years before that visit, Russia accused Saudi Arabia of financially supporting Chechen terrorists. Riyadh has expressed dissatisfaction with Moscow's attitude towards the Muslims of its country. But in the name of a joint fight against terrorism, the parties entered into a dialogue. Then Putin left the kingdom with the highest award of the kingdom - the Order of Abdel Aziz. Finally, he invited the then King Abdullah, the half-brother of the current ruler, to pay a return visit to Moscow. The visit had to wait ten years - Riyadh preferred to look towards Washington.

Kalashnikov and wheat

Before the visit of Salman Ben Abdel Aziz, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that the meeting of the leaders will become “a turning point in relations and will bring cooperation to new level providing a fruitful contribution to stability in the Middle East and North Africa". Sources working in this area told the Kommersant newspaper that Moscow really has great expectations, especially in terms of military-technical cooperation.

According to the interlocutors of the publication, the Russian side has prepared a package of arms contracts worth over three billion dollars, including for the supply of several divisions of the S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems. For ten years Moscow tried to enter the arms market of Riyadh, but it never came to contracts.

As a result, Rosoboronexport signed only an agreement to organize licensed production of AK-103 assault rifles and cartridges for various purposes in the kingdom. Of the 14 papers certified by delegations, one can single out an agreement on research and cooperation in outer space and a program in the field of the use of atomic energy. Moreover, the Ministry of Agriculture has agreed on the supply of Russian wheat to Saudi Arabia, although the export of Russian barley already accounts for almost half of the bilateral trade, worth more than $ 200 million.

Salman bin Abdel Al Saud praised Russia's efforts to resolve Syria. And he did not fail to prick Iran. “We emphasize that the security and stability of the Gulf and the Middle East will require Iran to refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of states, refusing to act to destabilize the situation in this region,” the king said slowly, referring to the large-print papers. Adjusting his gold-framed glasses, he noted that relations between Moscow and Riyadh, according to his estimates, "are characterized by a coincidence of views on many regional and international problems."

“It was a friendly, detailed conversation, based on the mutual desire of Moscow and Riyadh to consistently build up mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas,” Lavrov said after the talks. His colleague Adel ibn Ahmed al-Jubeir used stronger expressions. In his opinion, "relations between the two countries are reaching new horizons that we could not even imagine before."

Finally, King Salman Ben Abdel Aziz invited Vladimir Putin to visit. The Russian president accepted the invitation and promised to visit Saudi Arabia again. But he didn’t set the date.

During the visit, the delegation of the King of Saudi Arabia will live near Red Square. Already today rent a room at the National, Four Seasons or St. Regis will not work: in one of the hotels, journalists were told about the full load, which, according to employees, happens extremely rarely. Reservations will reopen after October 8th.
Some hotels had to cancel scheduled weddings and banquets; the main task now is to strengthen security: the building can only be entered after presenting a guest card.

Sergey Kolesnikov, vice president of the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers, told Kommersant FM that this is a 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. The representative of the special services selects not just a hotel, but specific rooms, this happens in a week or two. After the advance group, the day before arrival, special regime events are held: the number 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 whimsy: 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 either. Especially for the delegation, the hotels are changing the furnishings of the rooms: the usual European furniture is sent to the warehouse, and in return, the carpets brought from Riyadh are spread; in addition, pork dishes will be excluded from the hotel menu.

This is not all that hotels can do for the sake of their customers, said Kirill Ryabkov, Marketing Director of the Quintessentially Russia Concierge Club:
“I worked at the Hyatt where Madonna lived, and we did a private room for her to do yoga. The room had to be connected to her presidential suite, this was a must. One Australian pop star demanded that a certain scent of lilies be present wherever she passes. "

The delegation of Salman Al Saud has a thousand people, and they were apparently lucky with the accommodation. Although it happened that wealthy guests bought the best rooms from their 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 someone from Russian oligarchs, and representatives of the Arab sheikh contacted the Russian with a request to give up this number. He categorically refused, trading began, and as a result, 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 this difference in France.”

Prices for the best 500 sqm Four Seasons rooms m. start at 1 million rubles. per day., but for the delegation this is not a problem: all the more, according to some sources, the Saudi prince Al-Walid, the king's nephew, owns a share of this hotel chain.

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

The trouble started on arrival. The King of Saudi Arabia, Salman Ben Abdel Aziz Al Saud, who arrived in Moscow on a state visit, when leaving the plane at the capital's Vnukovo airport, found a breakdown of his escalator.

The golden ladder escalator has recently accompanied the Saudi monarch during his official visits. So, on March 1, 2017, Indonesian observers paid special attention to this detail. They marked 1000 accompanying persons in the king's retinue, and the weight of his luggage was estimated at 500 tons. Two weeks later, reporting on the luxurious trip of the Saudi king to Japan, RT TV noted that the monarch's visit was served by two golden escalators, 10 planes, and 500 limousines. To accommodate the royal suite in Japan, 1200 luxurious hotel rooms were prepared.