Saudi King Brings His Glitzy Lifestyle on the Road
Large motorcades and red carpets are just a sample.
-- As pedestrians walked by the Four Seasons Hotel in Washington, D.C. on Thursday night, many wondered: “Is a movie star staying here tonight?”
It would seem that way -- with a red carpet literally rolled out, adoring fans mashed up against police barricades, security details running around and even two dueling protests trying to take advantage of all the attention.
But the chaotic commotion wasn’t for the likes of George Clooney or Kim Kardashian. The guest of honor was King Salman bin alAziz of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who is in town to visit President Obama.
It’s the Saudi king’s first trip to the U.S. since taking over the throne after his brother’s death in January. His plans in the capital include meeting President Obama at the White House and getting into the nitty-gritty of the Iran nuclear deal.
Accompanying the king is an epic entourage -- as seen in a photo of a seemingly endless motorcade parked alongside the runway at Andrews Air Force Base.
To accommodate this tidal wave of black cars arriving at the hotel during the peak of rush hour, one of the city’s main commuter arteries, M Street, was closed.
The king’s car was one of the first to arrive at the hotel, with his vehicle sliding into a tent where the red carpet was set up. Security quickly closed the tent’s curtains before anyone could see the king step out.
Security had been tight in preparation for the royal arrival. K-9 units did sweeps and various forms of police and security detail were peppered around the property.
Metal detectors and bag x-rays were also set up in the 5-star hotel’s lobby, looking like possibly the fanciest TSA checkpoint in history.