193 U.N. delegations are in New York City for the General Assembly — but where do they all stay?

(Image credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for The New York Palace)

published 28 September 2015

For the first time since the United Nations was founded in 1945, the American delegation chose to cancel its reservation at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel, instead moving down the street to lodge at the New York Palace. The reason? The Waldorf is now owned by a Chinese company with links to the Communist Party.

This kind of politically fueled hospitality conundrum is only the tip of the iceberg: After all, when 193 U.N. delegates visit New York City for the General Assembly, "there are only so many Presidential suites" available, The New Yorker points out.

The Americans' move set in motion a game of musical suites. The Indians, who typically stay at the Palace, switched to the Waldorf — perhaps in a show of intracontinental solidarity. Every Chinese leader since 1974 has stayed in the Waldorf, and Vladimir Putin was there, too. The Pakistanis were also in the hotel, which made for sensitive movements in elevator banks, though they were dining at the Palace on the day that Prime Minister Modi arrived [...] Despite the Americans' defection, the Waldorf was hosting more than twenty-five delegations — occupying three-quarters of its rooms. (Conveniently, it offers twenty-six "presidential-style" suites.)"This is our busiest time of year," Carlos Cabrera, who coordinates floral arrangements for the hotel, said on Friday, after sending a bouquet of hydrangeas and calla lilies to a Balkan leader's suite. One avenue over, the Shelburne had eight delegations; the Benjamin had six. Most bookings were in Manhattan, but B & Bs elsewhere have cause for hope: in 1995, the senior diplomat from Palau stayed at a Super 8 on Governors Island. [The New Yorker]

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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