The Five Most Luxurious Hotel Suites in New York

Forget Versailles. Versailles is a suburban country home. Versailles didn’t even have running water until relatively recently in its existence and its significance is mostly historical. So what, you could say the same thing about The Plaza Hotel. The great palaces of the new world rate per night, because staying anywhere for too long is boring, and all the fancy accoutrements that money can buy are only worth anything if they’re disposable. The fancy accoutrements, of course, can range from original artwork curated by the Met, a bathroom formed out of rare Chinese onyx and rock crystal, a hand-picked Taj Royal Attaché who comes from a long lineage of noble butlers, to a personal staff. Welcome to the new Versaille, where billionaires retreat to their shimmering glass castles in the sky via a private elevator in the back of the lobby of the poshest hotels in the world. For a glimpse into the accommodations of the new aristocracy, check into these five luxury suites.

Beyond Parisian chic at The Dior Suite at The St. Regis New York

via their Flickr

**** THE HOTEL IS NOT ON HOPPER ****

There are certainly larger suites in the city, and in fact, there are larger suites at the St Regis New York, but stepping in the Dior Suite high atop 5th Avenue and Central Park feels like stepping into an upscale Parisian atelier with the vast expanse of the world at the tip of your Louboutins – technically in front of you, but far, far below. The muted color palette of grey, eggshell and light pinks pair tastefully with the updated Louis XIV style furniture in the grand living room underneath a print of Dior’s sketches, while a 10-person dining room offers a grand opportunity to host a salon dinner party. At around 2,000 square feet, there’s ample room for a chic soirée worthy of New York, but with the elegance of Paris.

All wrapped up in cashmere at The Empire Suite, The Carlyle Hotel

The Empire Suite at the Carlyle Hotel is perfect for James Bond types who need to lay low in the inner circle of the global elite. For one thing, at a mere $15,000 a night, it’s pretty much a steal compared to other high-rolling hotel rooms of this caliber, and the Art Deco ‘30s inspired original artwork and design is well suited to the sensibilities of the international globetrotter: clean lines, explosive color and a panty-dropping view from 28th floors above Central Park through floor-to-ceiling windows. This 2,600 square foot three-bedroom duplex was designed by Thierry Despont, with artwork and photographs curated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the details are immaculate. The walls are upholstered in cashmere, everything that sparkles is crystal, and, more practically, there’s a full kitchen, exquisite sitting room, three bedrooms and an office equipped with an Apple computer for hacking confidential government websites or whatever it is that secret agents do when they’re not sipping scotch and eyeing blushing waitresses or just, y’know, chillin’ in a cashmere wrapped suite.

How to do luxury, Taj-style at The Pierre

via their Flickr

In terms of lavish suites for the 1% of the 1%, the The Tata Suite at The Pierre has a few surprises up its sleeve. This 1,980 square foot suite on the 39th floor has all of the typical super-suite amenities: two bedrooms with king-sized beds, custom baths, a large eight-seater dining room with custom silver leaf table, convenient comfort perks like Bose home theater system, in-house laundry and dry cleaning service, complimentary fitness center, a 40" flat screen HD television and more. Yes, it’s sumptuous, with unique Indian-inspired details in soft shades of beige and cream; yes, the views of Central Park are spectacular; yawn, over it. Oh hey, did you know they also had an iPod dock?OK, but what sets theTata Suite, and by association The Pierre, apart is that all guests who stay there have access to the hotel’s Taj Royal Attaché, hand-picked from thousands of highly skilled butlers in India, each of whom come from long lineages of butlers, trained in majestic palaces all over India. It really doesn’t get more luxurious than an imported manservant.

For a quick escape, hit the Royal Plaza Suite at The Plaza

via their website

At $30,000 a night and with some of the rather curious details of the digs (because the word "excessive" doesn’t mean a thing on this list), it seems unimaginable that people who are not Kanye West would stay here. And yet, somehow, the the 4,400 square foot three-bedroom suite is almost always booked. So, the facts: leading to this palace in the sky is a private elevator away from the regular riff raff on the lobby floor. There are multiple foyers, a 12-person dining room with a complimentary personal chef, three bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, each with gold-leaf Cheryl Wagner gold-plated fixtures and hand-laid mosaic Italian tile; a personal gym with a personal trainer; a state of the art study; a master bedroom the size of a typical Manhattan apartment and the master bathroom even has a secret panel for a quick and extremely private exit for guests to sneak out of. One of these things is not like the other…

Take a break at The Ty Warner Penthouse at Four Seasons Hotel New York

via their website

It’s kind of like that thing how most people who can’t or don’t want to spend their weekly paycheck on a full meal for two at The Rose Club can just hit the Champagne Bar for a Hot Toddy and a dessert for a nice treat – only this time, it’s Four Seasons style. If you don’t necessarily want to furnish your house with textiles made of woven platinum and gold, an indoor/outdoor Zen garden, cathedral ceilings, a master bathroom outrageously formed from rare and custom slabs of rare Chinese onyx and rock crystal, a Bosendorfer grand piano, state-of-the-art invisible audio system and chandeliers befitting of a ballroom in heaven, then you can just shell out $45,000 to check in at the Ty Warner Penthouse. You know, just treat yourself, because you might have had a rough week at the office and maybe the nanny’s out sick and who else is going to feed the kids? Having it all! This 4,300-square-foot suite claims the title of the highest hotel room in all of Manhattan, so it’s a good thing they thought to install those floor-to-ceiling windows because it could have turned out to be a missed opportunity. Beyond the actual pad, guests of the suite are treated to a staff that includes a personal butler, Rolls Royce chauffeur, an art concierge (because who doesn’t need one of those, amiright?), a personal trainer and nanny service.