US Officials Run Venezuela From 300-Room Caracas Hotel After January 3 Maduro Ouster
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 20
US Officials Run Venezuela From 300-Room Caracas Hotel After January 3 Maduro Ouster
8 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 20
US officials, diplomats and intelligence personnel are using Caracas’s 300-room JW Marriott as the operational hub for Washington’s post-Maduro role, with marines, bulletproof SUVs and Trump envoy John Barrett visible on site.
The hotel has effectively replaced the US embassy, which has been shut for seven years and is still being fumigated, as officials discuss elections, political fragmentation, oil growth and repairs to Venezuela’s failing power grid.
At the $600-a-night Cayena hotel, foreign investors and billionaires are pursuing mining and privatization opportunities, betting Venezuela can boom even if interim president Delcy Rodríguez delays any democratic transition.
That US-led presence has stirred backlash in Caracas: elites who welcomed Maduro’s removal resent protectorate talk, and May 1 protesters denounced Rodríguez’s government for “neocolonial collaboration” with Trump.
The split between buoyant dealmakers and critics warning of resource plunder underscores the central question after Maduro’s January removal: whether Venezuela is heading toward recovery, tighter US control, or both.
As US firms rebuild Venezuela, is the nation on a path to prosperity or becoming America's newest economic colony?
With a US-backed leader and elections a year away, is this a transition to democracy or a permanent takeover?
The 2026 US Takeover of Venezuela: From Maduro’s Capture to the Marriott Embassy and International Backlash
Overview
As of May 2026, US influence in Venezuela is centered around the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Caracas, which now serves as the effective US embassy and the main hub for Washington’s efforts to steer the country. This unique arrangement began after former President Trump decided to remove Nicolás Maduro and reset relations with his successors. The hotel has become the nerve center for US administration and oversight, leading some to describe Venezuela as a US protectorate and even sparking talk of it becoming the '51st state.' This setup highlights the direct and profound nature of American involvement in Venezuela’s current political landscape.