Inside Albanese’s stay at world’s ‘most exclusive hotel’

The prime minister’s room, resplendent with four-poster bed, can be warmed by a fireplace and is lit by a fine cut-glass chandelier made in London 200 years ago. The chandelier remains true to its purpose, lighting the room with candles, untroubled by newfangled electricity.

Selwa “Lucky” Roosevelt, who headed up a major refurbishment of the guesthouse in 1989, once observed that foreign visitors of state were accustomed to luxury hotels “so they must have those same conveniences here”.

Unlike Wednesday night’s scheduled state dinner, Albanese’s stay at Blair House is not unusual for Australian prime ministers. Gough Whitlam, John Howard, Julia Gillard and Scott Morrison, just to name a few, have all enjoyed the trappings of Blair House.

Indeed, one of Howard’s stays at Blair House – in January 2009, to receive the prestigious Medal of Freedom – caused quite a ruckus in Washington.

Presidents-elect traditionally stay at Blair House in the lead-up to their inauguration. But because Howard had already booked close to Barack Obama’s big day, Obama and his family had to find accommodation at the nearby Hay-Adams suites instead.

“It’s very comfortable,” Howard joked at the time.

This year, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak were both treated to its sumptuous settings. No doubt the nuclear-submarine pact between the US, Australia and United Kingdom, which deprived the French of a $90 billion submarine contract, was a major topic of discussion.

On his most recent trip, Sunak was told that Winston Churchill’s frequent travels to Washington helped convince then-president Franklin Roosevelt of the need for a place like Blair House.

Before it was used by foreign leaders, many of them would have to stay in the White House or a nearby hotel.

One evening during Roosevelt’s administration, Churchill was found at 3am wandering towards the president’s private quarters inside the White House. With his trademark cigar in hand, he was looking to extend an earlier conversation with the now-sleeping Roosevelt. Churchill was intercepted by the president’s wife Eleanor, who persuaded Churchill to wait until breakfast.

Other guests over time have included Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and even the late Shah of Iran.

It’s not just a place where world leaders can rest their head, but where they also attempt to iron out peace deals and trade negotiations in surroundings unlikely to be found at the Hilton or Four Seasons.

In the Blair House rear drawing room, where Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Obama in 2015, there sits a Georgian armchair whose upholstery was chosen by Jacqueline Kennedy – the mother of the US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy. In another room, there’s a plate with a picture of a ship called the “Caroline”, which delivered convicts to Australia.

Other rooms are adorned with green Chinese wallpaper made in 1760, portraits and busts of military men and entrepreneurs, huge antique Persian carpets, Chippendale sofas, and dining rooms with Beaux-Arts style dinner sets where US secretaries of state would lunch with senior Jordanian, Israeli and Palestinian officials.

An Australian official told The Australian Financial Review that Albanese has been deeply impressed by the historical depth here.

When he signs the guest book – now in its 13th volume – later this week, he will add to Blair House’s rich history, and take away memories of his four nights in the most exclusive hotel in the world.