Presidential turkeys live it up in 4-star luxury

For Turkeys in the USA, November is a rough month: It’s when most Americans celebrate Thanksgiving by roasting them up with a side of green bean casserole. The silver lining? The President of the United States performs a ceremonial pardoning of one lucky bird.

In a tradition dating back to 1947, the president pardons a turkey, but spares the two wingmen from becoming a Thanksgiving Day feast.

The 70^th anniversary of said ceremony is happening this week, and the two turkeys – Drumstick and Wishbone – were put up in four-star digs in anticipation of the event.

The special turkeys checked into their luxury double abode at the historic Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C., a hotel usually accustomed to housing dignitaries.

The White House shared the arrival on its official Snapchat account, and the pictures are as excellent as you'd imagine.

Image: White House Snapchat

Drumstick and Wishbone – whose favourite musicians are Journey, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, respectively – are staying in a deluxe, two-bedroom suite that has been suitably ‘turkey proofed’.

What, exactly, does a turkey-proofed hotel room involve? Apparently, it includes using folding tables and brown paper bags to create blockades between rooms, and covering the place in pine shavings to make it feel ‘more like home’.

The hotel has hosted fowl before, and it’s become a bit of a tradition. According to Time, the hotel welcomed the White House's pre-pardon turkeys in both 2014 (Tater and Tot) and 2016 (Mac and Cheese), while President Obama was in office.

President Barack Obama 'pardons' Abe, a 42-pound male turkey in the Rose Garden at the White House November 25, 2015 in Washington, D.C. Image: Getty.

A stone’s throw from the White house, the Willard InterContinental is ‘steeped in 200 years of history’ and has multiple dining options including a full French brasserie. There’s also a full-service Red Door Spa by Elizabeth Arden, so hopefully the turkeys made the most of their stay.