The Hoover’s and the Astor, Tientsin

Not many know that the regal Astor Hotel on the banks of the Hai River in the heart of the former British Concession of Tientsin (Tianjin) was the favourite hotel of a young American mining engineer by the name of Herbert Hoover who later became the 31^st President of the United States. In reality the Hoover’s only stayed in the Astor for a few weeks in 1899 but that hasn’t stopped the hotel opening a “Hoover Suite” and intimating he was President when he stayed there – not quite, Hoover wouldn’t be the Commander-in-Chief for another 30 years. Still, he did pick up a little Chinese and reportedly used it in the White House when he wanted a private conversation with his wife.

Herbert and Lou Hoover