Courtyard Virginia Hotels|"The World's Most Luxurious Hotel Suites"

Source              :   online.wsj.com
Category         :   Courtyard Virginia Hotels
By                   :   SARA CLEMENCE
Posted By      :    Hotels in Virginia Beach North Courtyard

Courtyard Virginia Hotels

IN THE QUARTERS at the top of a Victorian-era building overlooking London's Thames River, no detail has been overlooked. The two-bedroom, duplex space has bathrooms clad in honey-colored onyx and Skyros marble, with shelves lined in leather. There is a semicircular living room, a walk-in wine cellar and a spa suite. If stairs are not your thing, an elevator will gently lift you to the upper level. High-end hotels are unveiling fresh or refurbished super-suites that are huge, decadent and can cost tens of thousands of dollars a night. Sara Clemence and Cornell School of Hotel Administration Associate Dean Steven Carvell discuss. Photo: Mandarin Oriental. It's not a billionaire's pied-a-terre—at least, not for keeps. The Corinthia Hotel London's Royal Penthouse suite (not to be confused with the Whitehall Penthouse or the five other slightly less luxurious penthouse complexes) goes for around $28,000 a night.

Over the past few years, the world's fanciest hotels have been introducing a new generation of incredibly posh suites. These signatures spaces have eye-widening views and couture furnishings, and they are immense—in many instances, bigger than the average American home, which is about 2,200 square feet, according to the U.S. Census. In tourist magnets like New York, Paris, London and Dubai, the suites can be priced at tens of thousands of dollars a night. As part of a roughly $100 million makeover, the Connaught created the top-floor Apartment. The 3,000-square-foot space has marble baths and two landscaped terraces. The space features a chandelier custom-designed by French sculptor Philippe Anthonioz and a bespoke lacquer-and-brass table topped with antique glass. "These are for people who don't pay their own bills," said Steven Carvell, associate dean for academic affairs at the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. "They have people who pay their bills for them."

Some of these super-suites are the crowning glories of new, haute hotels hoping to make a splash; others are being carved out of existing space by properties seeking to raise their profiles in the luxury market. And plenty are remakes of older suites that had faded and grown dated over the years. In the first category are the suites at the Corinthia, which opened its doors in 2011. That same year, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group unveiled its first outpost in Paris, which included a 1930s-inspired duplex Royale Mandarin Suite with a double-height living room and a private terrace. This March, the Waldorf Astoria Berlin made its debut, complete with a Presidential Suite that takes up its entire 31st floor. Bonus: A gilded wall that reflects light into the bedroom.

Source : online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324747104579024671168518290.html