A luxury Edinburgh hotel has allegedly transformed its wine cellar into a ‘nerve centre’ for security agents as they welcome the US President Joe Biden.
The POTUS arrived in the capital on Air Force One ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow on Monday.
The head of state is staying at the Dalmahoy Hotel and Country Club on the outskirts of the city - with extra security measures put in place, Edinburgh Live reports.
The hotel remains open to all guests, but those booked in for a stay would have found it hard to miss the heavy security presence arriving with more than a few modifications to their standard service.
One insider told Edinburgh Live how the wine cellar, which usually holds hundreds of top-end bottles, has been temporarily converted into a makeshift nerve centre allowing agents to monitor activity in the grounds and surrounding areas.
However, the various measures put in place by the hotel are far from purely functional, with bosses also ensuring there were plenty of homely touches to make the President’s stay comfortable.
Hundreds of white hydrangeas, the favourite flower of first lady Jill, were shipped in to spruce up the interior before it was announced she was pulling out of the trip shortly after Queen Elizabeth II was advised to skip the conference on health grounds.
The president will return to the hotel, which boasts an opulent offering of rooms and suites, on Monday evening following a special reception at Glasgow’s Kelvingrove Art Gallery hosted by UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
According to the official White House schedule, that is due to get underway at around 6:45pm.
Biden is expected to depart the hotel again between 8am and 9am on Tuesday morning for the second session of the 12-day conference.
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