Royal Resorts: 10 Outrageous Hotels For The Mega-rich

Most of us have simple demands when it comes to travel lodging– a bed, a bathroom, a TV and wi-fi. There are others, however, whose demands far eclipse the simple convenience of your basic hotel room. When the world’s most wealthy travelers take a vacation for their own, they are treated to suites that cover entire floors of a hotel building, rooms that include a personal butler, hell– some even come with their own private helicopter. Take a peek into the experience of the world’s most wealthy travelers. Here are 10 of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world.

10. $15,500 a night – Imperial Suite, Park Hyatt-Vendôme

Paris, France

Situated on the second floor of the Park Hyatt-Vendôme’s Haussmanian building is the hotel’s 750 square-foot Imperial Suite. Thise pricey suite has high ceilings, a dining room, kitchenette and bar. When visitors tire of toiling, they relax with an “In Suite Spa” that comes outfitted with a steam room, Whirlpool and built-in massage table.

9. $16,000 a night – Royal Suite, Four Seasons George V
Paris, France

The George V in Paris boasts a pair of “sumptuous” Royal Suites that each come with private terraces and rooms filled with antique furniture. Each suite has a marble entrance, a full kitchen, a sauna and a separate bathroom for guests. The expensive 2,600 square-foot suites are split into separate spaces for sleeping and entertaining, both of which also have a private office.

8. $17,500 a night – Royal Armleder Suite, Le Richemond
Geneva, Switzerland

Le Richemond’s Royal Armleder Suite reopened in 2007 after an extensive restoration of the hotel’s seventh floor, which the luxury suite occupies the entirety of. The suite is bedecked in gold, mosaics and parquet floors and has a 300 square-foot terrace with stunning views of Geneva and the nearby Alps.

7. $18,000 a night – Royal Suite, Burj Al Arab
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

A two-story suite that centers around an epic staircase, Burj Al Arab’s Royal Suite has Carrara marble floors, mahogany furniture and a master bedroom with a rotating four-post canopy bed. Guests enjoy Hermes bathroom products, Faubourg fragrances, their own private elevator and cinema and for a bit extra– a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce or helicopter.

6. $18,200 – Ritz-Carlton Suite, The Ritz-Carlton
Moscow, Russia

Floor-to-ceiling windows outline the Ritz-Carlton Suite at the hotel chain’s Moscow location. Imperial furniture fills the 2,500 square-foot suite, which comes with a heated floor, a grand piano and a library. The suite has views of the Kremlin, Red Square and St. Basil’s Cathedral and visitors get to enjoy five meals a day and their very own KGB-approved autonomous energy supply system and secure telecommunications array.

5. $25,000 a night – Bridge Suite at The Atlantis
Paradise Island, Bahamas

The 10-room Bridge Suite at Bahamian resort The Atlantis fills the entire space linking the hotel complex’s two flagship towers. Forbes reports the suite has hosted guests including Oprah and Michael Jackson. [pic via flickr]

4. $33,000 a night – Royal Penthouse Suite, President Wilson Hotel
Geneva, Switzerland

President Woodrow Wilson reportedly suffered from high blood pressure, so it’s safe to assume he would have appreciated a stress-free stay at President Wilson Hotel’s Royal Penthouse Suite. Consuming the entire top floor of the hotel, the four-bedroom suite can hold up to 40 guests in its cocktail lounge and is said to be the best digs for heads of state wanting to make an impression when they’re in town on United Nations business. [pic via guardian uk]

3. $34,000 a night – Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons
New York

The Ty Warner Penthouse practically floats in Manhattan. Floor-to-ceiling windows surround all sides of the massive suite, surrounding guests in 360-degree views of the city skyline from atop Manhattan’s tallest hotel. The nine-room suite has walls inlayed with mother of pearl, gold and platinum-woven fabrics, and the room itself includes a private butler, unlimited global calling and TVs programmed to receive every channel in the entire world.

2. $40,000 a night – Hugh Hefner Sky Villa, Palms Casino Resort
Las Vegas

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy-themed suite at the Palms Casino resort has a $700,000 jacuzzi that cantilevers out above the Las Vegas strip. The 10,000 square-foot, two-story suite comes with around-the-clock butler service and (of course) a rotating bed set beneath a mirrored ceiling. [pic via guardian uk]

1. $50,000 a night – Royal Villa at Grand Resort Lagonissi
Athens, Greece

The Grand Resort’s Royal Villa gives the world’s most exclusive guests a private version of everything imaginable. The only other people lucky guests have to see while secluded in their heated pool, steam room or private beach is the suite’s dedicated butler, chef and pianist.

By Joe Wertz

We're watching Internet more than TV, poll finds

Canadians are spending more time online than they are in front of their television sets, the first time Internet usage has jumped ahead of TV watching, a new survey by the Ipsos Reid polling firm suggests.

But they're still watching TV on their computers as more shows migrate online, said Mark Laver, associate vice-president of Ipsos Reid.

"We're not necessarily watching less television," Laver said Monday from Calgary.

"We're watching television in a different form in a different medium. Some of that increase in Internet usage is coming from people watching shows online."

Overall, Canadians are now spending more than 18 hours a week online, compared with 16.9 hours watching television, says the Interactive Reid Report.

Internet usage is up from 14.9 hours last year, while the number of hours watching television also rose in the last year, from 15.8 hours in 2009. Use of newspapers, radio and magazines have all remained relatively stable in the last year.

Some industry watchers have noted the cost of watching TV is rising as cable TV companies and satellite operators raise the monthly cost of service. As that happens, more people are watching TV online for free.

On Monday, the CRTC gave financially ailing TV networks a victory, ruling that the networks can seek payment from cable and satellite companies for the right to carry broadcast signals.

The CRTC said the networks can even choose to withhold their signals from a cable company if negotiations go bust.

But the federal broadcast regulator said before negotiations can get going, it wants the Federal Court of Appeal to rule on whether the new system is legally sound.

The Ipsos Reid poll was done in the last quarter of 2009 and questioned 839 Canadian adults.

by: The Canadian Press

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