The Plaza’s Eloise may have to start wearing a burqa over her trademark red hair ribbon.
The Sultan of Brunei — infamous for imposing sharia law, which calls for death by stoning of gays and adulterers — is first choice to buy the landmark Manhattan hotel.
As part of an estimated $2.2 billion deal, the sultan would also purchase downtown’s Dream Hotel and London’s Grosvenor House Hotel, all currently on the selling block by owner Subrata Roy, a jailed Indian industrialist, according to the Times of London.
Roy remains in a New Delhi jail on contempt of court charges and needs the money to cover his bail.
The sultan would not have a say in the day-to-day operation of the hotels but would be the controlling owner in partnership with two investors who already have stakes in the properties, Hampshire Hotels and Saudi Prince Alwaleed, said Manhattan-based hotel analyst Sean Hennessey, CEO of Lodging Investment Advisors.
The looming purchase by the sultan outraged hotel guests and charities who stage important galas at the hotel, where a painting of the beloved children’s book character Eloise hangs prominently in the lobby.
“We would not stay here for sure” if the sultan bought the hotel, said Mark Timmis, a 59-year-old lawyer from Victoria, Canada, who was registered Friday at The Plaza with his wife.
Elsie McCabe Thompson, president of the New York City Mission Society, which holds annual galas there to benefit underprivileged children and families, added, “We cannot support doing business with someone who holds such beliefs that criminalize the actions of individuals based on their sexual orientation.’’
The sultan has already caused an uproar at his other US property, the Beverly Hills Hotel, where protesters have picketed with signs reading: “This Hotel is Owned by Homophobes.”
Celebrities including Ellen DeGeneres, Elton John and Vogue’s Anna Wintour have boycotted the hotel, though tourists continue to flock there.