12. The “world’s most exclusive hotel”, Blair House serves as the Presidential Guest House and plays host to visiting heads of state during their respective visits
Following introductions at Joint Base Andrews, visiting heads of state are transported to the President’s Guest House, also known as Blair House. Located in Washington D.C, the present building, an amalgamation of Blair House, Lee House, Peter Parker House, and 704 Jackson Place, is actually larger than the White House. Constructed in 1824, Blair House was sold to the U.S. government in 1942 for use by visiting foreign dignitaries. A key motivation behind the purchase was the intrusive familiarity of Winston Churchill during his frequent stays at the White House; the British Prime Minister would, allegedly and to the dismay of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, wander into the private apartments and attempt to engage in conversation in the middle of the night.
During renovations of the White House under the Truman Administration, President Truman elected to reside at Blair House; it was in the course of this stay that Griselio Torresola and Oscar Collazo attempted to assassinate Truman in November 1950. Whilst a head of state is a guest at Blair House, their national flag or personal standard is flown atop the building as a reflection of their status. Should two foreign visitors of equal rank, for example two heads of state, be invited to Washington D.C. at the same time, neither is offered Blair House to avert any inference of personal favoritism.