The global financial crisis has seen most of us tighten our belts and cut back on the little luxuries when it comes to hotel rooms.
But it seems as though not everyone is prepared to swap their spa treatments for a camping trip — and some hotels are still managing to charge sky-high rates for a night's stay.
There's expensive and then there's eye-wateringly expensive.
Last month, online financial news site Wealth-Bulletin.com picked out the most costly places to stay around the globe. And, for a couple of years' salary, you too can spend a night in these ultra-luxurious suites.
Where: Geneva, Switzerland
How much? US$65,000 (AU$77,300) per night
Reserved for seriously cashed-up celebrities and heads of state (preferably ones with giant oil wells), the Royal Penthouse Suite is a place that mere mortals will never get to step inside. The hotel's website isn't so vulgar as to give any information away: it just says "details available on request". But reports from the privileged few who have been inside give a rough idea of what to expect.
The suite takes up the entire top floor of the President Wilson Hotel, is just five minutes away from the United Nations Building and has imperious views out over Lake Geneva towards Mont Blanc. There are four bedrooms, six bathrooms, a 26-seat dining room, a grand piano and a billiard table.
Perhaps more interestingly for, say, an unscrupulous dictator whittling away his nation's tax revenue, the suite comes well protected. It has panic buttons, bulletproof windows and armoured doors. Not that this will do you much good if the sniper takes you out while you're sunning it up on the private rooftop terrace.
More information: www.hotelpwilson.com
Where: New York, United States
How much? US$35,000 (AU$41,600) per night
This would have to be the ultimate urban penthouse suite; it's at the top of New York's tallest hotel and offers awesome 360-degree city views from its cantilevered glass balconies.
There are nine rooms in the suite, and the walls are lined with mother of pearl (thousands of pieces of the stuff). If the architecture doesn't impress you, then the service and facilities will. TVs are programmed to receive every channel worldwide and guests get a private butler, personal trainer and chauffeur.
Throw in bed linen with threads of gold in it, a private spa room, a grand piano and an extensive library, and you're unlikely to be doing much quibbling.
More information: www.fourseasons.com
The Presidential Suite, Hotel Cala di Volpe
Where: Costa Smeralda, Sardinia, Italy
How much? US$34,000 (AU$40,400) per night
This multiple-level suite has two living rooms, three bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus all manner of other stuff that the occupants probably couldn't get through if they stayed for months. The Cala di Volpe's Presidential Suite has multiple balconies and a rooftop terrace with private swimming pool, plus a fitness suite and steam room.
Also present are an exclusive wine cellar, two 42-inch flat-screen TVs, a massive CD collection and handcrafted Sardinian furniture, made especially for the suite.
With all of this thrown in, and the price so sky-high, the most absurd thing is that guests are still charged extra to access the internet.
More information: www.starwoodhotels.com
Villa La Cupola Suite, Westin Excelsior Hotel
Where: Rome, Italy
How much? US$31,000 (AU$36,800) per night
In terms of lavish decoration, it's tough to beat this two-floor suite. Four-poster beds are just the start of it. There are artworks and specially commissioned paintings all over the walls, while the cupola (domed roof) has a Michaelangelo-style all-over paintjob.
The suite covers 1100 square metres, has two bedrooms — with an extra six available on request — and seemingly hundreds of terraces and balconies.
Just a look at the floor plan is enough to give an idea of how ridiculously over-the-top the Villa La Cupola suite is. It includes a butler's pantry (24-hour butler service is part of the deal), a relaxation and jacuzzi area, a private eight-screen cinema, plus a sauna and steam bath.
More information: www.starwoodhotels.com
Where: Tokyo, Japan
How much? $25,000 (AU$29,700) per night
It says a lot about the general prices in Tokyo when the specifications for the Presidential Suite at the Ritz-Carlton aren't nearly as jaw-dropping as those of its competitors in the most expensive hotel rooms list.
There's a dedicated concierge, a four-poster bed, two bedrooms and a fabulous view out over Mount Fuji and the Imperial Palace. Guests can enjoy watching a flat-screen TV in the oversized bathroom and plush terry-towelling gowns in their 220 square metres of luxury at the top of Tokyo's tallest building.
Still, anyone disappointed by the lack of utter extravagance can shell out another US$18,000 (AU$21,400) for the hotel's special Diamonds Are Forever martini, which is served over a real diamond posing as an ice cube.
More information: www.ritzcarlton.com
