Barack Obama hit gym daily at ITC Maurya, thanked staff

NEW DELHI: One of the first things that Barack Obama did after landing in New Delhi was hit the gym at the ITC Maurya, the luxury hotel where he stayed.

"This was his way of beating the jetlag," sources told ET. While he spent almost an hour at the gym, First Lady Michelle Obama went up to Grand Presidential Suite to relax. She spent better part of the day in the suite, done up in warm Indian hues of red and orange. Obama, 53, is known for his sense of discipline and fitness re gimen. He made it a point to visit the gym for his workout on each of the three days that he spent at the hotel.

According to sources, the US President was a regular at the hotel gym even during his previous visit to India in 2010. Before they left on Tuesday after a two-night stay, the Obamas met the entire hotel staff on duty and complimented them. "Awesome hospitality, ITC Maurya," was what the President told the staff.

The hotel presented them with some accessories that had adorned the bedroom of their suite: photo frames, made of edible chocolate, containing Obama family pictures and special candles with images of the President, the First Lady and their daughters.

"The frames and the candles were gifted to the President and the First Lady when they left," sources added.

It was a packed schedule for the US President, who was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations on Monday. Within hours of landing in New Delhi on Sunday morning, Obama attended the ceremonial welcome at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan and visited Raj Ghat. That was followed by a working lunch, more meetings and a joint press conference with Narendra Modi, where he joked about the hours of sleep the two leaders got. Wrapping up the first day was the banquet hosted by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The First Lady skipped some of the official functions and is learnt to have stayed at the hotel and "simply relaxed." During their stay at the hotel, Michelle Obama is believed to have stuck to eating healthy food—fresh seasonal fruits and salads made from organically produced vegetables.

Both the President and his wife also sampled dishes such as Sikandari raan, murgh malai, seekh kabab and naan Bukhara from the award-winning Bukhara restaurant.