Sultan of Brunei denies report of bid for New York, London hotels

A general view of the Plaza Hotel in the Manhattan borough of New York August 18, 2014 - one of three hotels which the Wall Street Journal online said the Sultan of Brunei had made a US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) bid for. A spokesman fo
A general view of the Plaza Hotel in the Manhattan borough of New York August 18, 2014 - one of three hotels which the Wall Street Journal online said the Sultan of Brunei had made a US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) bid for. A spokesman for the Sultan has dismissed the report. -- PHOTO: REUTERS 

BANGALORE (REUTERS) - A spokesman for the Sultan of Brunei dismissed a report by the Wall Street Journal online that he had made a bid for New York's Plaza Hotel, Dream Hotel and London's Grosvenor House hotel.

The Journal's website edition reported on Saturday, citing people familiar with the situation, that an investment firm affiliated with Brunei had offered to pay US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion) for the three hotels, which are currently owned by India's Sahara conglomerate.

"Neither His Majesty, the Brunei Investment Agency, nor the Government of Brunei are involved in any way in the purchase of the Grosvenor House in London or the Plaza and Dream Downtown hotels in New York," a spokesman acting on behalf of the Sultan of Brunei wrote in an email.

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