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U.S. books all 570 guestrooms at Taj Palace for Obama visit

MUMBAI U.S. President Barack Obama and his delegation will have Taj Mahal Palace & Tower all to themselves when they visit Mumbai next week.

The U.S. government has booked all 570 guestrooms at the hotel, ostensibly as a security measure, The Economic Times reports. Although the luxury hotel has played home to many heads of state in the past, the choice is both symbolic and rife with security concerns, as it was one of the main targets of the 26/11 terror attacks that devastated Mumbai in 2008.

Obama is expected to occupy the 5,000-sq.-ft. Tata Suite, named for Indian Hotels Co. Ltd. Chairman Ratan Tata. The opulent suite is still under construction, but hotel officials are racing to conclude work before the world’s most powerful man checks in on November 6.

It is unknown how much the U.S. government is spending to reserve the hotel for three nights, but standard rooms at the hotel are currently priced at about 12,000 rupees (US$270) per night.

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