E-Tourism

Perhaps the last hotel you stayed at was overpriced – but it was probably quite a bargain compared to the cost of a room at the world’s most expensive hotels. The world’s most expensive hotel room seems to be either the Penthouse suite at the Hotel Martinez in Cannes, France or the Bridge Suite at the Atlantis resort in Paradise Island, the Bahamas.

I’m not sure how much the Penthouse suite costs as two different web sites list two vastly different prices – $37,200 a night and $18,000 a night. Regardless, the price includes four luxuriously furnished bedrooms and a private terrace. Considering you could probably comfortably fit 20 of your family members and friends in there with you, it doesn’t seem quite so expensive if you split the cost!

The Bridge Suite at the Atlantis resort costs $25,000 a night and includes a personal bar lounge, entertainment center, kitchen and butler. There are two master bathrooms and the entire suite is built on top of a bridge that connects two towers. It supposedly offers spectacular views over the Atlantis resort and marina – I would settle for nothing less than a spectacular view if I were paying that much money to sleep there.

The other expensive hotel rooms around the world are located in predictably expensive cities – Geneva, Rome, Los Angeles, London, Hong Kong and Las Vegas. And Las Vegas now has 19 of the world’s 24 largest hotel rooms as well as some of the most expensive.

One of the most intriguing expensive hotels is the Burj Al Arab hotel on the coast off Dubai. This hotel is considered to be the world’s only 7 star hotel – with spacious luxury suites and gourmet restaurants, one of which is under the water. The hotel was cleverly designed to reflect the character of the area, and resembles a huge billowing sail. At night, the 1000 foot high building is surrounded by spectacular choreographed displays of fire and water, making it visible from miles around. Oh, and the cost of one of the better suites will set you back almost $7,000 a night.

Top Ten Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in the World
Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab

Demand for the top end of the luxury hotel market has been unaffected by the credit crunch, keeping prices for the best rooms at very high levels : the superrich are still willing to spend huge sums on staying at the best hotel rooms in the world, paying as much as $34,000 a night to lodge at the most luxurious suites, according Wealth-Bulletin’s survey of the Top Ten Most Expensive Hotel Rooms in the World.

Also worth noting is the appearance of Dubai (the Burj Al Arab’s Royal Suite, above) and Moscow hotels on the list, which would have been unheard of just a couple years ago. Here are the Top 10:

1. The Warner PentHouse, Four Seasons; New York, $34,000 per night.

2. Royal Penthouse suite, President Wilson Hotel, Geneva, $33,000 per night.

3. The Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala Di Volpe, Costa Smeralda, Italy $21,000 per night.

4. Royal Suite, Burj-Al-Arab, $18,000 per night.

5. Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richmond, Geneva, $17,500 per night.

6the ritz carlton moscow suite The Worlds 10 Most Expensive Hotel Suites 2008.
The Ritz Carlton Suite, The Ritz Carlton, Moscow; 16,500 per night

7. The Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V, Paris; $15,500 per night

8. The Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt Vendome, Paris; 15,500 per night

9. Brook Penthouse, Claridges, London, $10,000 per night

10. Penthouse Suite, Hotel Martinez, Cannes, $9,300 per night (During the Cannes film festival week in May the price rockets to $48,000 a night).