19 Heads of State to Attend G20 Summit: Who Stays Where & Their Travel Arrangements | Explained

Global leaders and delegates including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and others arrived in New Delhi earlier today for the G20 Summit, starting from Saturday.

The government has made stringent security measures for the guests and around 3,500 rooms across hotels in Delhi and Gurugram have been booked to accommodate the delegates. Moreover, several luxury hotels in the national capital have keep kept exclusively for the heads of state.

India is expecting 19 heads of state and their spouses from the G20 countries and some non-G20 member countries are also invited as guests – Bangladesh, Egypt, Mauritius, Netherlands, Nigeria, Oman, Singapore, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates.

Here is a list of hotels that have been booked for the heads of state and important delegates:

1. ITC Maurya Sheraton: US President Joe Biden will stay at the ITC Maurya Sheraton. There will be secret service commandos present on every floor of the hotel. The hotel will also have a special lift installed to take Biden to his room on the 14th floor. So far, 400 rooms have been booked in the hotel to this end.
2. Taj Palace: The Taj Palace hotel was earlier booked for Chinese President Xi Jinping. But the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson confirmed that Xi will not attend the summit and instead Premier of the State Council Li Qiang will attend the high-profile conclave. The hotel is now likely to host Li Qiang for the G20 summit. The Brazilian delegation is also likely to stay at the Taj Palace.
3. Shangri-La Hotel: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is staying at the Shangri-La Hotel in Cannaught Place. The German delegation which includes Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also expected to stay at the hotel.
4. Claridges Hotel: French President Emmanuel Macron is staying at the Claridges Hotel.
5. Imperial Hotel: Australian Prime Minister Albanese will stay at the Imperial Hotel.
6. Oberoi Hotel: The Oberoi Hotel has been booked for Turkish delegates including President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. It is also expected to host the Russian delegation that will be represented by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
7. JW Marriott and Hyatt Regency: The Italian delegation will be staying in two hotels.
8. Le Meridien: The hotel, located in the heart of the national capital in Janpath, will house delegations from The Netherlands, Nigeria and the European Union.
9. The Lalit: The Lalit Hotel will host the Canadian and the Japanese delegations.
10. Oberoi Gurugram: The Oberoi Hotel in Gurugram will host the Korean delegation.
11. Leela Hotel: The Saudi Arabian delegation will stay at the Leela Hotel in Gurugram.

How Will G20 Leaders Travel to Delhi?

The 19 heads of state will travel to New Delhi in 50 VVIP jets. Several flights in the Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport have been cancelled over the weekend to keep the airspace and terminals free of congesting.

According to reports, ceremonial lounges have been prepared to receive the heads of State. The VIPs will land at the technical airport but the aircraft and private jets will be parked at the Delhi airport.

Joe Biden, who is travelling in Air Force One, is expected to reach New Delhi on Friday and special arrangements have been to park his aircraft at the Palam Air Force Station. Delhi airport has around 220 parking stands, but around 50 aircraft of Go first have been parked there as the company has got bankrupt.

Luxury Rental Cars

Apart from luxury hotels, the government has also arranged luxury cars for the head of states and their delegation. The presence of a large number of global leaders and top delegates have led to a rise in demand for luxurious cars to ferry the delegates.

According to a report in India Today, cars like Mercedes Maybach, BMW and Audi are in high demand for the summit and their rental price are expected to go up to Rs 1 lakh for a day.

According to reports, the US has proposed to bringing at least 75 vehicles of its own while China is expected to bring 46 vehicles. The delegation from Turkey, the UAE, the European Union and France have also planned to get their own cars for the Summit.