$28,000 a Night: Hotels Race to Attract Superrich Clientele
Jan 21, 2014, 7:41 pm
#1
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$28,000 a Night: Hotels Race to Attract Superrich Clientele
There are luxury hotels and then there're...
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/21...superrich.html
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/01/21...superrich.html
“There is a very narrow market who want nothing less,” said Scott Berman, the United States hospitality and leisure practice leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers. “Price is not an issue. We’re talking about the jet set of the jet sets — high-net-worth individuals, generally foreign travelers in the U.S. who are accustomed to opulence.”
Jan 21, 2014, 11:34 pm
#2
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I read it today, most of the article was a puff piece for a single suite being built at the NY Palace. Nary a mention of the Ty Warner suite at the FS which used to garner all the publicity way back when.
Jan 22, 2014, 12:22 am
#3
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On a side note, am I alone in finding the Jewel Suite's design really boring? For $28,000-a-night, it should be pretty spectacular. http://www.newyorkpalace.com/towers/suites/jewel-suite
Last edited by Shangri-La; Jan 22, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Jan 22, 2014, 12:23 am
#4
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I agree. There have always been super-expensive suites.villas at high-end hotels. Nothing new here.
On a side note, a, I alone in finding the Jewel Suite's design really boring? For $28,000-a-night, it should be pretty spectacular. http://www.newyorkpalace.com/towers/suites/jewel-suite
On a side note, a, I alone in finding the Jewel Suite's design really boring? For $28,000-a-night, it should be pretty spectacular. http://www.newyorkpalace.com/towers/suites/jewel-suite
Jan 22, 2014, 1:07 am
#5
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Agree with everything
It`s always the same with this subject. Ooooh, most expensive Hotel of the world with a 60000 $ Suite or something like that. I also love this TV-reports. "Oooh, this is real luxury". They like to Report about "rich" People in more or less expensive Hotels or on ships in Germany. Real luxury is, if you drink Champain on a surfboard in the Carribean´It`s always fun.
Back to Topic it`s really nothing new,this suites exist since the beginning of hotels. The Suite is OK, but doesn`t blow me away. It`s like the PResidential Suite at FS Washington. Not really build to stay inside. For what reason do you nee 3 sitting areas?
It`s always the same with this subject. Ooooh, most expensive Hotel of the world with a 60000 $ Suite or something like that. I also love this TV-reports. "Oooh, this is real luxury". They like to Report about "rich" People in more or less expensive Hotels or on ships in Germany. Real luxury is, if you drink Champain on a surfboard in the Carribean´It`s always fun.Back to Topic it`s really nothing new,this suites exist since the beginning of hotels. The Suite is OK, but doesn`t blow me away. It`s like the PResidential Suite at FS Washington. Not really build to stay inside. For what reason do you nee 3 sitting areas?
Jan 22, 2014, 1:32 am
#6
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I agree it's a fluff piece article.
I think the main purpose of these suites is publicity. I would be curious as to how many people pay rack rates for these suites. My guess is that most guests in the market for these suites are smart enough to negotiate more reasonable rates.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were in the market for such a penthouse suite I would want to be paying no more than half of these inflated rack rates, if not considerably less. It also would surely not be at the New York Palace...
I think the main purpose of these suites is publicity. I would be curious as to how many people pay rack rates for these suites. My guess is that most guests in the market for these suites are smart enough to negotiate more reasonable rates.
Hypothetically speaking, if I were in the market for such a penthouse suite I would want to be paying no more than half of these inflated rack rates, if not considerably less. It also would surely not be at the New York Palace...
Hotel industry professionals say these over-the-top suites serve a dual purpose. “A large part of what we do is creating an image,” Mr. Tisch said. Super-suites cater to the needs of billionaire travelers as well as the imaginations of middle-class tourists.
“This hotel already had a fantastic flow of high-net-worth people using our suites,” Mr. Chase said, listing Saudi diplomats and royalty, as well as Hollywood and sports stars, as regular guests.
They also indirectly attract a middle-class, aspirational traveler, Mr. Chase said. “It is the attention — the halo effect — doing a suite like this brings,” he said. Even if they’ll never be able to drop the cost of a new compact car on a night’s stay at a hotel, some travelers want to brush elbows with that level of wealth.
“This hotel already had a fantastic flow of high-net-worth people using our suites,” Mr. Chase said, listing Saudi diplomats and royalty, as well as Hollywood and sports stars, as regular guests.
They also indirectly attract a middle-class, aspirational traveler, Mr. Chase said. “It is the attention — the halo effect — doing a suite like this brings,” he said. Even if they’ll never be able to drop the cost of a new compact car on a night’s stay at a hotel, some travelers want to brush elbows with that level of wealth.
Last edited by MikeFromTokyo; Jan 22, 2014 at 1:57 am
Jan 22, 2014, 4:47 am
#8
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What do you think: How many People really staying at a hotel (in a "normal" room or Suite of course) because it has a "mega-Suite"? I can imagin that some People are affected by such things. For me it`s irrelevant which Suite is available, I (like more or less all People here) only look at my own Suite. Also it`s not interesting which celebrity stays at the Hotel, because I don`have an Advantage from it. To be honest it`s always a Problem if such People, in paticular politicans, stay at your hotel.
Jan 22, 2014, 11:43 am
#10
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The photos in the NYT article are absolutely horrible, especially the one of the bedroom. If you're selling what is supposed to be the suite to end all suites perhaps you should have a little more attention to detail.
Jan 22, 2014, 1:57 pm
#11
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charter yachts can run up to half a million dollars per day plus expenses
charter jets can run tens of thousands of dollars per hour
$30K+ FS NY penthouse >
jun 9 2010 WSJ article >
Jun 17, 2010 posts >
$18K+ FS NY presidential >
apr 19 2006 forbes article >
= $17,090 max for 50th floor which could also probably be viewed as ~10>15 rooms (vs double that for two floors above)
and, most expensive hotels >
€5164+ north - 12 villas
€3850+ fregate - 22 villas
$5040+ laucala - 25 villas
charter jets can run tens of thousands of dollars per hour
$30K+ FS NY penthouse >
jun 9 2010 WSJ article >
re US billionaires >
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/10/wor...2010_land.html
US residents 396 (39%)
US citizens 403 (40%)
http://www.forbes.com/2010/03/10/wor...2010_land.html
US residents 396 (39%)
US citizens 403 (40%)
apr 19 2006 forbes article >
FSNY >
52nd - 1 penthouse ($35K)
51st - 2 presidential ($18K)
50th - 2 studio suites ($3550 > $3700) + 6 tower rooms ($1350 > $1615)
one floor down, there are eight units whose combined revenue is less than that of the two Presidential suites--even accounting for the higher occupancy rates of the smaller rooms.
51st - 2 presidential ($18K)
50th - 2 studio suites ($3550 > $3700) + 6 tower rooms ($1350 > $1615)
and, most expensive hotels >
€5164+ north - 12 villas
€3850+ fregate - 22 villas
$5040+ laucala - 25 villas
Last edited by Kagehitokiri; Jan 23, 2014 at 8:40 am
Jan 22, 2014, 4:42 pm
#12
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Suites not only used for "living"?
What do you think: How many People really staying at a hotel (in a "normal" room or Suite of course) because it has a "mega-Suite"? I can imagin that some People are affected by such things. For me it`s irrelevant which Suite is available, I (like more or less all People here) only look at my own Suite. ....
One time I was at a luxury hotel and I asked to see one of the top suites. The duty manager thinking that the suite was "unoccupied" (according to the computer at the front desk) took me there. However, upon inserting the "master key card", he was not able to open the door as the deadbolt was activated.
Later in the evening I got a call from the front desk saying that I could take a look at the suite and warned me that a lot of the furniture has been moved around.
Once inside the suite, all of the furniture in the living room had been moved to the master bedroom. In place of the normal living room furniture were a series of tables and chairs along with a projector setup for a meeting. It appeared as if a group of executives from one of the investment banks were having a meeting there (from the notepads they left behind).
Maybe some of these top suites are sometimes used for other purposes (company meetings, special events etc.) when not occupied by actual overnight guests?
Jan 23, 2014, 3:47 am
#13
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Most hotels will show you the boardroom setups of their suites/etc.
I have used them several times for meetings, breakout rooms, negotiations, etc.
Certainly I have never spent $28000 USD though.
Jan 23, 2014, 4:13 am
#14
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This is often the case for top suites, but the Ty Warner penthouse is used exclusively for guest occupancy.
Jan 23, 2014, 4:15 am
#15
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Granted while I have stayed at the FSNY I have never stayed in this particular suite and strangely enough it didn't seem to be in the upgrade pool that I participate in.