What’s your idea of a luxurious hotel package? The inclusion of a few spa treatments, maybe access to the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet?
I frequently fill this blog with news about affordable travel packages, but rarely do I cover the “fantasy-type” packages offered by seven-star hotels like Dubai’s Burj al Arab, which offer guests gazillion thread-count sateen sheets, which are burned after each use and replaced with silk ones. (I’m kidding.)
Ultra-luxe travel packages that cater to the billionaires of the world do exist, and since it is the holidays I thought it would be nice to detail trips that most of us could only dream of partaking in… unless of course we were tight with a dotcom billionaire or a successful hedge fund manager.
Take a look at the types of hotel packages people with unimaginable wealth are taking advantage of:
You’ve heard of resorts that offer private dinners cooked up by celebrity chefs, well, the James Hotel in Chicago takes the concept to new heights with a unique $60,000 package. For 60-grand you receive luxury accommodations and David Burke, a five-diamond celebrity chef, takes time off from his on-site David Burke’s Primehouse restaurant to personally prepare, present and explain a meal he whips up especially for you and your special someone. In addition, a quartet from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays for the duration of the meal, and a 1.5-carat Van Cleefs & Arpels diamond comes at no extra charge.
At the Hotel Palomar in Washington, D.C. aspiring ballerinas are given private in-room lessons with a member of the Washington Ballet. The $10,000 package also includes accommodations decorated with autographed ballet shoes and vintage posters, attendance at a rehearsal, a souvenir T-shirt and CD and tickets to a performance.
Other ritzy hotels offer us mere mortal guests the same packages typically reserved for VIP clients, including Patrick Swayze, Oprah Winfrey, Molly Ringwald, Kevin Bacon, Emeril Lagasse, Joan Collins, Larry King, and Florence Henderson. The aforementioned celebs have all booked the Memphis Peabody Hotel’s Ducky Day Family package. The package puts you in the spotlight alongside the hotel’s famous waddlers. As spectators cheer, guests lead a red-carpet parade of the hotel’s resident ducks either from their evening residence, the rooftop “Duck Palace” to the lobby fountain or back up.
Other hotel packages give you the chance to top off your stay with a unique souvenir. For example, the Fairmont Monte Carlo has partnered with a local perfumery, Galimard, for the Scent’sational package. Guests attend an all-day workshop and create a 15ml bottle of their own signature scent and are treated to a VIP tour of the property. Meanwhile, at the Art Deco Hotel Montana in Lucerne, Switzerland your trip includes some major bling. The hotel has partnered with Baumann jewelers to give you a chance to create a custom watch. Starting at $15,000 you work directly with a watchmaker to create a one-of-a-kind customized timepiece that includes diamonds and gems.
Any takers?
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