The five-star Shangri-La hotel in downtown Singapore is widely expected to host the upcoming June 12 summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean ruler Kim Jong Un.
The area around the hotel, consisting of the Tanglin, Newton and Orchard districts, has been designated a “special event area” from June 10 to June 14, the Singaporean government said in a Sunday statement about the high-profile event.
The area is home to several luxury hotels such as the Grand Hyatt and St Regis, but the Shangri-La boasts certain security advantages that make it the most likely choice, according to experts.
The Shangri-La is located in a residential neighborhood surrounded by small roads, which makes it easier to control road and pedestrian access, said Ong Kok Leong, chief operating officer of security agency Secura Group.
Being in a residential area also means “the threat posed by neighboring buildings would have been mitigated through security screenings prior to the event,” he continued. Moreover, “with the hotel positioned on a hill top, its vantage points offer good visibility on surrounding activities,” allowing security forces to position themselves at various strategic positions, he added.
Also working in the Shangri-La’s favor is its proven track record of hosting heads of state.
The 792-room property was the site of a milestone 2015 meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou. It has also previously hosted former Presidents Barack Obama and George H.W. Bush in addition to multiple defense officials from across the globe for the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a defense summit that had Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as this year’s keynote speaker.
A Shangri-La spokesperson told CNBC that it wasn’t currently in a position to comment on matters related to the June 12 event.
Washington and Pyongyang have yet to provide confirmation regarding the venue of the meeting. In the latest update, the White House on Monday said both leaders will meet at 9 a.m. Singapore time on June 12, adding that preparations were still ongoing.
Aside from the Shangri-La, other likely venues include the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, which hosted the 2006 IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings, as well as the Grand Hyatt, according to R. Krish, director of operations at security services firm Armour Security.
If the summit venue is a hotel, it’s not clear whether Trump and Kim will stay overnight or retreat to different hotels.
Another potential site is the Capella Hotel, where North Korean official Kim Chang Son and Joe Hagin, the White House deputy chief of staff for operations, recently held talks. Delegations from both countries arrived in the city-state last week to finalize planning.
Kim Chang Son is staying in the Fullerton Hotel with his team, a potential indicator that Kim Jong Un himself might sleep there.
