Saudi Prince Buys Out Entire Four Seasons Hotel For Royal Entourage
PALO ALTO (KPIX) - Good luck getting a room at the Four Seasons Hotel in East Palo Alto this week. The Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad bin Salman is coming to stay and he's bringing along a very large entourage.
The staff of one of the most prominent hotels in Silicon Valley says they're prepping for a visit from a large VIP delegation, but insist they don't know who it is.
According to Recode, the Saudi crown prince bought out the entire 200-room hotel for the next five nights.
And it's no wonder. His massive entourage was spotted coming through the Seattle–Tacoma International Airport.
Prince Mohammad bin Salman is on a 3-week tour of the US, having met with the CEOs of Amazon and Microsoft while in the Northwest.
He was just in New York, ordering a coffee with Michael Bloomberg, while securing $200 billion in financing for a massive solar and wind project in his home country.
Recode reports the State Department contacted the Four Seasons and told them the hotel met the agency's security needs, and as a result, current guests were bumped to competing hotels.
On Monday, it was mostly quiet all day at the hotel, except for roving private security.
The royal family's wealth will be on display across the street from working class apartments in East Palo Alto.
"I'm not impressed at all," said Pastor Robert Cowan.
While the prince is in town, he said it is an opportunity to help some of the locals.
"Those who have a lot of money, they have the purpose to go all over the world," said Cowan. "And it doesn't really help individuals just because they're here. It would be nice for him to sort of donate and assist the people that are here."
The Crown Prince has also booked the entire Four Seasons Los Angeles Beverly Hills for his tour through Southern California. Rooms at the 16-story luxury hotel start at $625 per night. The presidential suites start at $10,000 a night.