When President Obama Stays in New York, He Won’t Stay at the Waldorf-Astoria

Concerns about Chinese spying have prompted the White House to change accommodation plans.

DUBLIN, IRELAND - MAY 23: In this handout image provided by The White House, U.S. President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, during his visit May 23, 2011 in Dublin, Ireland. The President extended his condolences to all impacted by the deadly tornadoes in Joplin, Mo. Photo by Pete Souza/The White House via Getty Images

NEW YORK—It has long been tradition for the President of the United States to take up accommodations in the Waldorf-Astoria when in New York. However, President Barack Obama won’t be staying in the presidential suite of the 47-story, historic hotel in Manhattan this fall when he comes to town for the annual United Nations General Assembly.

U.S. officials strongly hinted that the $1.95 billion sale of the Waldorf to China’s Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group earlier this year was the main reason behind the president’s decision to find another place. One U.S. official involved in the decision told Yahoo News that there were worries that surveillance equipment could be installed in a forthcoming “major renovation” of the Waldorf.

The Waldorf-Astoria, the landmark New York hotel, Oct. 6, 2014, the day it was announced that Hilton Worldwide will sell the Waldorf to the Beijing-based Anbang Insurance Group for $1.95 billion. Spencer Platt/Getty Images