Passport, foreign cash, and a laptop are some of the travel essentials you might expect to find people taking on an overseas business trip.
But if you happen to be the King of Saudi Arabia, that list will also include 1,500 staff, furniture, carpets, 1,800lbs of food and a golden escalator.
That is the astonishing array of items that traveled with King Salman when he arrived in Moscow this week for the first ever visit by a Saudi monarch to Russia.
An anonymous insider told Bloomberg that the King’s entourage is so big that he has booked out two entire hotels in order to house them.
Saudi King Salman paid the first ever official visit by a Saudi monarch to Russia on Wednesday as he met Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Pictured, the pair pose for a picture inside the Kremlin
King Salman arrived in Russia on Wednesday in his private jet, accompanied by some 1,500 staff, including a reported 25 crown princes and 150 chefs and their security detail
In order to house the delegation, the king is reported to have rented out the entirety of the Ritz Carlton (pictured) and Four Seasons hotels in Moscow until Sunday, at a total cost of $3million
The King is also known to travel with two Mercedes S600 stretch cars in order to ferry him around. He took the vehicles with him when he visited Indonesia earlier this year
Guests at the Ritz Carlton and the Four Seasons had their bookings canceled and permanent residents were even moved out to make way for the King’s guests, who arrived on Wednesday and will be staying until Sunday.
His entourage occupied all the available hotel rooms in five-star hotels around the Kremlin, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported. The total bill for hotels is thought to be around $3million.
On previous occasions his entourage has included 25 crown princes, who often serve as government ministers, alongside 125 chefs, their personal assistants, and security, the Telegraph previously reported.
Many of the princes also replaced hotel staff with their own servants so they could have their coffee made just the way the like it.
Furniture and carpets were also replaced with items from the Saudi royal household in order to ensure the King was as comfortable as possible.
A plane is thought to be flying back and forth to Riyadh each day in order to ferry goods, which includes and enormous amount of fruit and halal meat to ensure the delegation are properly fed.
Another of the king’s signature possessions is a golden escalator he uses to descend from his private plane (pictured)
All did not go well with the escalator on Wednesday, however, as it stopped when he was halfway down it. After several moments waiting for it to start again, he finished the journey on foot
The king is also reported to have brought 1,800lbs of food for his visit, including fresh fish, fruits and plenty of halal meat, with a plane traveling back and forth to Riyadh each day to top up supplies
King Salman is also known to bring 459 tonnes of luggage whenever he goes on official state visits, along with his own furniture and carpet in order to keep himself comfortable
While the cost of the visit is large, it pales in comparison to the value of deals he is expected to sign while in Russia. In total, energy, arms and petrochemicals agreements are expected to be worth $5billion
When the King traveled to Indonesia earlier this year he took two Mercedes Benz S600s with him, along with 459 tonnes of luggage.
Not everything went to plan, however, as the golden escalator malfunctioned as King Salman was coming down it.
Video of the moment shows the King descending from his private plane on the escalator before it stops halfway down. After a wait of several moments it becomes apparent that the stairway is broken, and he descends himself.
While the trip is undoubtedly expensive, the amount spent pales in comparison to the arms and trade deals that King Salman and President Putin are believed to have signed between them.
A deal for Russia to supply Riyadh with S-400 missile defense systems and other hardware is expected to be worth $3billion alone, while energy and petrochemicals deals are expected to add another $2billion to that total.
While King Salman is one of the wealthiest monarchs in the world, with an estimated personal fortune of $17billion according to Forbes, Vladimir Putin is believed to be the world’s richest man.
Though his wealth is not officially recorded, as much of it is believed to come through extortion rackets, it is thought the Russia President could have a personal wealth approaching $80billion.