Caracas JW Marriott Hotel in Venezuela Transforms into U.S. Diplomatic Hub

(Seoul=News) The JW Marriott Hotel in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, is effectively serving as the headquarters of the U.S. embassy, The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 6th (local time).

According to the report, the hotel has recently been bustling with American diplomats, intelligence operatives, and businesspeople. As the political and diplomatic environment in Venezuela rapidly changes, the U.S. has been utilizing the hotel as a base to substitute for official embassy facilities.

The NYT reported that "U.S. government officials are holding meetings with local figures in the hotel lobby and guest rooms, with intelligence gathering and diplomatic activities being conducted simultaneously." Some floors are reportedly effectively occupied by U.S. personnel, with access controlled by security staff.

Such scenes are seen as a clear illustration of the shifting political landscape in Venezuela. Since diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Venezuela were effectively severed in 2019, official diplomatic channels have not been functioning. However, as contacts between the two countries have recently increased, a center for unofficial diplomatic activities has become necessary, and a luxury hotel has filled that void, according to analysts.

The hotel is reportedly attracting not only American diplomats but also investors and consultants seeking to capitalize on Venezuela's political and economic changes as business opportunities. So-called "fortune seekers" are using the hotel as a base to build local networks.

A diplomatic source assessed that "the JW Marriott in Caracas is not merely an accommodation facility but a venue where U.S. policy on Venezuela is being shaped and executed in real time." Experts view the emergence of this unofficial diplomatic hub as being intertwined with the U.S. pressure strategy surrounding Venezuela's Maduro regime.