Kevin Rudd holed up in Washington hotel The Willard after resigning as foreign minister

Mr Rudd's staff is refusing to take calls from the media gathered in the foyer, but it is expected he will make an exit within a matter of hours to catch a flight home to Brisbane.

Mr Beazley entered The Willard at around 8.30am, US time, and spent an hour and a half with Mr Rudd. He emerged saying little about the meeting.

"These things all get worked out in Australia by people who are well and truly above my pay grade," Mr Beazley said.

He said he thought the matter would be resolved quickly.

It is understood Mr Beazley was taking care of formalities relating to Mr Rudd's late night resignation, which came after Mr Rudd had a working dinner at the Pentagon with Mr Beazley and US Secretary of Defence, Leon Panetta.

Mr Rudd asked that his resignation not become formal for 48 hours, until he returned to Australia, but it is possible he has already been stripped of his duties on the orders of Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Mr Rudd has indicated he will say nothing more until he gets back to Australia, on Friday morning, but is nevertheless trying to carefully stage manage his exit from The Willard and will cooperate with photographers and film crews.

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Television crews from Los Angeles had joined Mr Rudd in Mexico City for a G20 meeting but he gave them no indication of what was coming.

At his late night resignation speech, at the Douglas Room on the second floor at The Willard, he gave the appearance of being cornered by the Prime Minister and having no option other to resign.

The Willard is only two blocks from the White House and is Mr Rudd’s preferred address in Washington, where an executive suite is between US$500 to $800 a night.