The United States Secret Service spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on accommodation, vehicle rental, hard drive removal, and emergency vet care during the visit of President Joe Biden to Ireland with their “hub” hotel in Dublin getting paid more than €205,000 alone.
More than a dozen hotels across the country were booked for lodgings and conference space, with the Secret Service accidentally double-booking rooms at one luxury hotel at a cost of more than €3,000 after a breakdown in communications.
A log of expenditure details how hotels in Dublin 4 did particularly well, with the Clayton Burlington “hub” paid around €207,000, the nearby Herbert Hotel receiving an estimated €143,000, and the Conrad getting almost €70,000.
The largesse wasn’t confined to the Irish capital however, with hotels in Mayo, Sligo, and Galway picking up valuable business during Mr Biden’s visit to the west of Ireland.
Other costs included:
- Spending of €85 on “trash cans” and another €72 for “paper and tape” from Woodie’s DIY.
- A €6,810 bill with glaziers for security screens, €10,454 paid out to a company that specialises in elevator technology, and €1,800 spent on K Lifts for Dublin Airport.
- Expenditure of €142 for hard drive removal from a photocopier.
- A medical bill of €858 for veterinary services after a K-9 dog suffered “profuse vomiting”.