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The wow factor of presidential suites

March 29, 2006 |

For a while, presidential suites extravagance went out of style. Now it's back. Suites with fish tanks, TV's that disappear at the push of a button, perks like that. And the can command astounding prices.

Hilton has them in all of its 500 properties in the United States and overseas, while Marriott mostly confines the suites to its top-of-the-line JW brand. Some hotels call them royal suites, appropriately so since “royalty and their bodyguards, along with rock stars, executives and families, occasionally book them,” said Karon Cullen, a hotel consultant and former executive at the Ritz-Carlton chain.

Many companies also consider the presidential suites a good option for their top executives during a convention, trade show or deal-making session. Security concerns, heightened since 9/11, have added to their allure, with underground limousine access and private elevators available at the Waldorf Towers in Manhattan and some other hotels with suites.

The JW Marriott in Washington does not even offer its suite to the general public, making it an exclusive enclave. “When a senior executive isn’t using it, the hotel gives it to a member of its Platinum Elite Marriott Rewards program,” a spokeswoman, Laurie Goldstein, said.

At times, presidential suites turn out to be the biggest and most affordable space that a corporate client can find for a strategy session or meet-the-boss party. The bill may be less than the cost of a meeting room.

Get the full story at The New York Times

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