WASHINGTON - THE mystery guest who denied the Obamas the comforts of an official residence forcing them to stay in a Washington hotel has finally been unmasked - as former Aussie prime minister John Howard.

President-elect Barack Obama and his family have been staying at the Hay-Adams hotel since moving to the capital from Chicago at the weekend to enable their daughters to start their new school at the beginning of the term.

Curious observers who asked why the Obamas were not invited to stay in Blair House, the usual official residence for visiting dignitaries, in the run-up to the Jan 20 inauguration had merely been told it was unavailable.

Now all is revealed. Mr Howard, a long-standing ally of US President George W. Bush, will be staying there next week when he is due to receive the nation's highest civilian order, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from his old friend.

The Obamas will only be able to move into Blair House on Jan 15, just five days before the inauguration. Until then they are staying in the luxury Hay-Adams hotel overlooking the White House.

A spokesman for First Lady Laura Bush said the media was making a story out of nothing. 'The media is making a story out of, I think, a no-story,' Sally McDonough told AFP.

'Due to the previously scheduled events and to allow president and Mrs Bush the flexibility to host foreign guests it just wasn't available for occupancy prior to that date,' she said.

'There is no controversy. There absolutely is no controversy. Our transition teams have been working very closely and it was expressed to us that President-elect Obama and his family were very understanding of this.'

It is an ironic twist of fate for the president-elect though, who was sharply criticised by Mr Howard in February 2007 at the start of Obama's presidential bid.

Mr Howard rounded on Mr Obama's then proposal to get US troops out of Iraq by March 31, 2008 saying it would seal a US defeat and be welcomed as a victory by terrorists.

'If I were running Al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory not only for Mr Obama but also for the Democrats,' Mr Howard said.

Ms McDonough confirmed though that once the Obamas move into Blair House they will be royally pampered.

'Every guest of the president and Mrs Bush's gets special treatment and they will get the very same,' she said. -- AFP