_ Shangri-La,
Sentosa designated as 'special event areas'
By Kim Jae-kyoung
SINGAPORE _ The U.S. delegation for the June 12 summit with North Korea will be unpacking their bags at the Shangri-La Hotel, a hotel official said Monday.
Located in one of the more luxurious residential areas of the city state, the hotel had been considered one of the most likely places for the historic meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
"Most rooms have been booked by the U.S. embassy for the period of June 8 to 14, and the hotel has blocked reservations during that period," the official told The Korea Times on condition of anonymity.
But she said it was still unclear whether Trump will also stay at the hotel.
"We haven't got a detailed itinerary and names yet but I can say that the U.S. delegation will be staying here," she added. "We haven't heard from management that our hotel has been chosen as the venue but we are preparing anyway."
The remark by the Shangri-La official was supported by a Singapore-based travel operator.
"Under our room availability screening, rooms at the Shangri-La for that event period are open but when we call to book rooms, the hotel say there are no rooms available at all," an official at the operator said.
"It seems that some hotels do not lock reservations on their computer system because they don't want people to assume that they have been chosen as the venue due to a flurry of inquiries."
The U.S. embassy's reservation has raised the possibility the Trump-Kim summit will take place at the Shangri-La, the 792 room five-star hotel sitting on land off Orchard Road, which has a proven track record for hosting prominent events,.
NK, US leaders may have multiple summits 2018-06-05 18:43 | North Korea
The hotel hosted the meeting between China's President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's President Ma Ying Jeou in 2015.
Since 2002, it has hosted the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's highest-level annual security summit attended by defense ministers and military chiefs from 28 Asia Pacific states. This year's summit ended Sunday.
It is widely believed the Shangri-La is a suitable hotel due to its unique location and experience. Its staff better understands how international political events are managed and they would be familiar with the security arrangements needed for world leaders.
On Sunday, the Singaporean government declared the area surrounding the Shangri-La Hotel, which is bordered by the Dunearn, Paterson, Grange and Cluny roads, as a "special event area" from June 10 to 14 for the summit.
The special event area includes the U.S. embassy, Chinese embassy and Singapore's foreign ministry but excludes the Istana, the Singapore president's official residence, another location considered as a possible venue for the landmark meeting.
On Tuesday, Sentosa and the links to the island from Harbourfront were also designated as a special event area for the summit by the government here through a public order published online in the?Government?Gazette.
The special zone covers an area that includes the Capella Hotel, one of the leading candidate venues for the summit.
Over the time period, people and vehicles entering the areas might be subject to spot checks and inspections.
Hotel for North Korea
The delegation from North Korea, in the meantime, is expected to stay at the Fullerton Hotel where Kim Chang-son, a top aide to Kim Jong-un, stayed during his recent visit to Singapore for a site inspection.
"The hotel has completely blocked its rooms for the period of June 9 to 14," the official at the travel operator said.
But the hotel refused to confirm this. When asked if the delegation from the North will stay at the hotel, an official said, "We are not allowed to share any information about our guests."
On June 1, The Washington Post reported that Kim Jong-un wants to stay at the Fullerton Hotel.
Rooms at other likely venues for the summit, including Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and the Ritz Carlton Millennia, were available as of Tuesday, according to the travel operator and checks by The Korea Times.
