Putting up a fight: Mr Salmond, pictured at the Ryder Cup handover during the trip, defended its cost Alex Salmond yesterday dismissed criticism of a taxpayer-funded £51,000 trip to a five-star hotel in America as 'ridiculous frippery'. The Scottish First Minister confirmed that he stayed in the luxury Peninsula Hotel in Chicago during a trip to the Ryder Cup last year. It is one of the of the most exclusive hotels in the city and Mr Salmond has come under-fire for the stay which came during the official handover ceremony of the trophy. Golf fan Mr Salmond and his wife Moira were accompanied by Sports Minister Shona Robison, a team of 12 government officials and 22 workers from publicly funded agencies.
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Mr Salmond was at Peninsula Hotel, Chicago, for Ryder Cup handover
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It is popular with Hollywood stars including Brad Pitt and Beyonce
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He stayed at £1,205-a-night hotel while his delegation took cheaper rooms
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Labour: Week-long trip cost more than the average Scot earns in two years
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Alex Salmond
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'@placeholder cannot account for how thousands of pounds of public money was spent.
Peninsula Hotel
Peninsula Hotel
'There were various business meetings which were held at the Peninsula Hotel and there was a block booking made at the @placeholder in order to get best value for that.