Athens: Royal Suite, Hotel Grande Bretagne
EThere are many fine hotels in Athens, most of which are recent. The only one that feels like it has always been there and can compete with the palace hotels in Vienna, Madrid or Paris is the “Grande Bretagne”. The building was built in 1842 on behalf of a wealthy Greek businessman. A good 30 years later, Efstathios Lampsas, the forefather of the Greek hotel industry, also known as the “César Ritz of Athens”, bought it and transformed it into the glamorous “Hotel Grande Bretagne”. Since then it has been the lynchpin of society, residence for monarchs, heads of state, industrialists, artists and movie stars.
Today the hotel belongs to the shipowner Thanasis Laskaridis, who furnished the 400 square meter Royal Suite with his own classically elegant furniture and also uses it for private receptions. The names of famous hotel guests cannot be elicited from anyone in the house, but it is no secret that celebrities such as Roger Moore, Bing Crosby, Winston Churchill, the Kennedys and Elizabeth Taylor have stayed in the suite.
Beige and brown tones in the Hotel Grande Bretagne
What: PR
Only two people can stay there, but there is a table for 16 people in the dining room and the various lounges are enough for a nice party. You sit by the fireplace between valuable antiques and works of art, group yourself around a pianoforte that Maria Callas played, or take a seat on the chaise longue in the blue marble bathroom.
One of the suite’s highlights is the view: Syntagma Square, the Parliament and the Acropolis can all be seen, even from the windows of the suite’s own spa. But the nicest lookout is the small balcony. You can retreat to it, for example, with a bottle of wine from your own well-stocked wine cellar or with a Montecristo from your private humidor (from 15,000 euros, grandebretagne.gr).
Paris: State Apartments, Hotel de Crillon
When the doors of the Parisian luxury hotel on the Place de la Concorde reopened in 2017 after a four-year renovation, expectations were gigantic. Even before the renovation, the “Hôtel de Crillon” was considered by many to be the best hotel in the French capital – what could possibly be improved on from this ideal?
The former noble palace was commissioned by King Louis XV in 1758. built and converted into a hotel in 1909. Since then it has been known for exquisite hospitality, celebrity guests and stately splendour. So the operators had to think of something to surprise when it reopened. They therefore hired a contemporary king of good taste – Karl Lagerfeld – in addition to well-known architects and designers.
At the Hotel de Crillon, Karl Lagerfeld did the interior design
What: PR
Suites 401 and 404 bear the signature of the fashion designer, who died two years after the reopening. They were not called “Grands Apartments” for nothing. They are located behind an imposing double-leaf entrance door on the fourth floor and, on almost 300 square meters, reflect Lagerfeld’s understanding of Parisian chic. Salons, bedrooms and bathrooms shimmer in shades of gray and silver, antique armchairs and sofas stand next to new, custom-made velvet divans, large-format fashion photographs taken by Lagerfeld himself hang on the walls.
The gray and black bathrooms boast marble tubs, and the shell-shaped washbasins in the guest toilets are originals from Versailles. There are also toiletries from Officine Universelle Buly, beautiful books and a view of the Eiffel Tower. The intended wow effect has set in (from 15,000 euros, rosewoodhotels.com/en/hotel-de-crillon).
Monte Carlo: Prince Rainier III Suite, Hotel de Paris
The “Hôtel de Paris Monte-Carlo”, opened in 1864, is a place of superlatives: best location on the legendary Place du Casino, almost half of the 208 rooms are luxury suites, top chef Alain Ducasse rules over the restaurant, which has been crowned with three Michelin stars “Le Louis XV”, the wine cellar with almost 350,000 bottles is one of the largest in the world.
Nevertheless, improvements have been made. Thanks to a redesign that took four years and was completed in December 2018, new areas were created behind the Belle Époque façade: a magnificent inner courtyard, the “Ômer” restaurant, also designed by Alain Ducasse, and a wellness area measuring more than 1000 square meters. The showpiece of the new opening, however, is the Prince Rainier III suite, whose luxury is unparalleled on the entire Riviera.
Hotel de Paris offers a private pool and views over Monaco
Source: hotels
An elegant lounge with bar, two spacious bedrooms with marble bathrooms and a dining room with space for ten people await you on a sun-drenched 830 square meters – 350 of which are outdoors. Everything, of course, at its best.
However, what makes the suite really interesting is that of Prince Rainier III. personally designed sculptures, the pictures from his personal collection and the original photographs from the princely family album. And through the sensational terrace with infinity pool and cinemascope view. The suite on the top two floors of the hotel, which is also new and dedicated to Princess Grace, is almost as magnificent (from 35,000 euros, montecarlosbm.com).
New York: The Jewel Suite, Lotte New York Palace
It is an icon of New York’s luxury hotel industry: The “Lotte New York Palace Hotel” in East Midtown – consisting of a building erected in 1882 in the Italian neo-Renaissance style and a 55-story tower with a view of St .-Patrick’s Cathedral.
The three-story, approximately 450 square meter Jewel Suite was created in collaboration with star jeweler Martin Katz and lives up to its name, glittering everywhere. Right in the entrance area, a fantastic crystal chandelier shines over two floors, next to it valuable pieces of jewelery by Martin Katz shine in a showcase. Just beyond is the elegant living room with four and a half meter high, mostly glass walls, a grand piano and a fireplace.
The Jewel Suite Lotte New York Palace overlooks the city
What: PR
In the dining room, which offers space for ten guests, you dine under a large Katz glass mosaic – the meals can be prepared by the hotel chefs in the suite’s own kitchen on request. Though most guests may prefer to sit on the sensational rooftop terrace and gaze out at Manhattan’s skyline. Two bedrooms with ensuite marble bathrooms are available for the night, and there is space for wardrobes in a walk-in closet the size of an average hotel room.
And as if that weren’t enough, guests in the suite receive a diamond ring as a gift, which is one of Katz’s most famous designs (value: 2200 euros). If you want more jewelry, you can get a personal consultation from the celebrity jeweler (from $22,600, lottenypalace.com).
Jaipur: Presidential Suite, The Raj Palace
This suite is more like a mansion – four stories, 1,500 square feet, with a private entrance, private elevator, and four bedrooms. It is located in a Maharaja’s palace built in 1727, one of the first in Jaipur, India, from the Mughal era.
After it could no longer be maintained by the descendants, it is now also accessible to mere mortals as a guest house. The “Raj Palace” is one of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World and offers the appropriate service: excellent cuisine, classy spa, a cinema and a pool in the palace garden.
Like the rest of the hotel, the suite is furnished with valuable Indian antiques, the walls are adorned with antique paintings and generous gold applications, the floors are covered with oriental carpets, the chandeliers cannot be too big.
The Raj Palace is the former palace of a Maharaja
What: PR
In the Maharaja’s former private rooms on the first floor, the walls are decorated with mirror mosaics and gold leaf, the bedroom resembles a ballroom, and the original throne of the ruler can be seen in the suite’s own museum. One floor up is the magnificent dining room with a never-ending table and the bedchamber of the then prince, decorated with war scenes.
The one above Pleasure Pavilion with private spa and fantastic roof terrace is decorated with silver and gold furniture, miniature paintings on the walls give a glimpse of the earlier erotic palace customs. A whirlpool is available for cooling off (from 16,200 euros, slh.com).