Flights in all classes

Chancellor and Staff Stayed at a Luxury Hotel in the U.S.

The chancellor caught up in World Cup fever: Stocker and his staff stayed at the same hotel as the Austrian national team.(Bild: Krone-Collage/facebook.com/stocker.christian)

Preaching frugality, booking luxury hotels. Chancellor Christian Stocker and his oversized delegation stayed at the “W Hotel” during their World Cup trip to the match against Argentina—the same place where the Austrian national team was staying.

Veteran politicians are familiar with the inevitable question that follows nearly every trip abroad by a government official: How much did this little adventure cost taxpayers? There have already been dozens of parliamentary inquiries on this topic in the past, and Chancellor Stocker will likely have to field questions as well. After all, as reported, he had ten accompanying persons with him on his visit to the U.S.

The head of government has been back in the country since early Wednesday morning; incidentally, the ten-member “delegation” flew across the Atlantic in different classes of service: “All booking classes—Economy, Premium Economy, and Business—were utilized for the trip,” according to the Federal Chancellery. This was in accordance with internal guidelines and was adjusted to account for seat availability, scheduling commitments, overnight flights, and security requirements.

When eleven people then stay at the high-end “W Hotel” in Dallas, it quickly becomes expensive for taxpayers. 

Rooms cost up to 860 euros per night 
Rooms at the luxury hotel, which belongs to the “Marriott International” group and where the national team was also staying, cost between 460 and 860 euros per night. It’s understandable that such expenses would cause outrage in times of austerity measures. Especially since Vice Chancellor Andreas Bablerhad alreadytraveled with four staff membersto the opening match against Jordan and was criticized for it.

“No costs for soccer tickets were incurred that would be paid for with public funds,” a spokesperson told the “Krone.” “The chancellor’s invitation to the game came from FIFA and at the request of the ÖFB national team.”