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FOR THE WELL-WELL-WELL-HEELED TRAVELER, $50,000 a night for a hotel suite doesn’t bring a second blink. Athletes, movie stars and Martha Stewart (pre-2002) are accustomed to excess. So what makes a hotel’s presidential suite sweeter than the standard suite? How about private bowling alleys, libraries, wine “cellars” and even personalbath butlers? Here are some of the most impressive hotel rooms we found in the United States, and the amenities worth their weight in gold.
FOUR SEASONS RESORT HUALALAI, HAWAII
The Presidential Villa is secluded on beachfront property here on the Big Island. It’s 4,900 square feet and includes a furnished lanai and outdoor shower. After returning from a private snorkeling trip or helicopter tour —— comped for bungalow guests——relax in a marble soaking tub, or get a massage within your room’s Polynesian ambience, scented daily with fresh, tropical floral arrangements. $5,400-$6,960 a night; 800-819-5053; www.fourseasons.com
HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO, LAS VEGAS
The Penthouse Suite’s single-lane, automated bowling alley will impress even the highest of high-rollers. For guests throwing gutter balls, the suite’s lounge comes with a fully stocked bar and pool table. Or revel in the sinfully stirring mosaic hot tub with a sexy view of the Strip. Spend $50,000 on food and beverage and the room is yours for a night; 800-HRD-ROCK; www.hardrockhotel.com
HOTEL BEL-AIR, LOS ANGELES Oprah Winfrey calls the newly renovated Chalon Suite her manse-away-from-manse. The cozy, 1,350-square-foot suite overlooks a courtyard and fountain. It has a living room with wood-burning fireplace, and a hand-painted ceiling mural that mirrors the Persian rug. The room’s French doors open onto a private garden patio with outdoor spa and meticulously manicured landscape with 200 species of perfumed flora. $3,000 a night; 800-648-4097; www.hotelbelair.com
MANDARIN ORIENTAL, MIAMI
A true Zen experience can be found in the suite’s spa serenity room. It’s accented by bamboo floors, Mexican river stones, Spanish marble and Japanese tatami mats. On a 44-acre island, this 2,000-square-foot suite has an infinity-edge tub with color-therapy lighting and teardrop ceiling fountain. Spa therapists and a bath butler are available 24/7. The bathroom has an oversized rainwater shower and personal television. $5,000 a night; 866-888-6780; www.mandarinoriental.com
PALMS CASINO HOTEL, LAS VEGAS Real life usually doesn’t include a 2,900-square-foot Vegas penthouse suite. However, seven lucky cast members called the MTV Real WorldSuite home for five months in 2002. The hotel has kept the suite as is, including three bedrooms, billiard table, communal shower stalls built for two (or more!) and full, working kitchen. The infamous “confession room” is here, so what’s confessed in Vegas might stay in Vegas. $7,500 a night; 866-942-7770; www.palms.com
THE BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL, LOS ANGELES
A haven for the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor, the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Presidential Bungalow has its own lap swimming pool and Jacuzzi. Surrounded by lush gardens and tropical palms, this is a remote sanctuary with a 2,500-squarefoot interior and a 800-square-foot patio. $4,590 a night; 800- 283-8885; www.thebeverlyhillshotel.com
THE BILTMORE HOTEL, CORAL GABLES
The Everglades Suite, a.k.a. the Al Capone Suite, is in a palatial tower. Two floors, totaling 1,830 square feet, are crowned by hand-painted domed ceilings and antique Spanish woodwork. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Bill Clinton and actors Lauren Bacall and Robert Redford have cooled their heels here . . . as did Al Capone, of course. $2,850 a night; 800-727-1926; www.biltmorehotel.com
THE FAIRMONT, SAN FRANCISCO
The 6,000-square-foot Penthouse Suite boasts a two-story circular library, crowned by a rotunda decorated with goldleafed constellations. It conceals a secret passageway used by Prince Charles, JFK and Mick Jagger. The billiard room, covered in Persian tile from floor to vaulted ceiling, offers a view of San Francisco Bay. $10,000 a night; 800-257-7544 or 415-772-5000; www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco
THE PLAZA, NEW YORK CITY
Within the 7,800 square feet of the Presidential Suite are five bedrooms, five and a half baths, a library, wine “cellar” and sauna. And there’s your staff: a butler, private chef and, of course, the chauffeur——to go with the gratis Rolls-Royce. No wonder Eloise (the hotel mascot) exclaims, “Oooh, I absolutely loveThe Plaza.” $15,000 a night; 800-527-4727 or 212-759-3000; www.fairmont.com/theplaza
WILLARD INTERCONTINENTAL, WASHINGTON, D.C.
Two blocks from the White House, this 2,280-square-foot suite has truly earned the moniker of Presidential. It’s hosted nearly every U.S. president since Zachary Taylor. In its sitting rooms, Julia Ward Howe wrote “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” and Dr. Martin Luther King finished his “I Have a Dream” speech. $3,800-$4,200 a night; 866-801-8880 or 202-628- 9100; www.Washington.intercontinental.com
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