President’s Day is a week away, and this year, we’d like to take a moment to tip our hats to one of our favorite presidents: Woodrow Wilson, the rumored creator of the “Presidential Suite.” Apparently Wilson was a bit of a finicky traveler (we can relate), and on his trips away from Washington he required his hotel rooms to meet certain specifications: They had to have en-suite bathrooms (not a common treat back in 1913), walk-in closets, and south-facing orientations. Today’s VIP travelers have gotten, if anything, even more demanding, and so long as they’re willing to pay the price of a new Toyota each night for a suite that has everything, the top hotels will continue to deliver. Which begs the question – what exactly does one get for that kind of cash? To find out exactly how much bling you get for your buck, we’ve found five of the most drool-worthy presidential suites in the country, the cheapest of which starts at about $4,559 per night.
- Price: $4,559 – 10,000/night
- Square feet: 2,500 sq. ft.
- Notable features: Central park views, a 24-hour butler, a security room with video surveillance, a specially curated art collection
- Celebrity sightings at hotel: Angelina Jolie, Sheryl Crowe, Reggie Jackson
The Jumeirah Essex House Presidential Suite overlooks Central Park.
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"I dropped $200 a night for this?"
The 15 or so oyster-borne food-poisoning deaths that occur every year are caused by a bacterium called Vibrio vulnificus, which thrives in the Gulf of Mexico. We haven’t endured anything quite that heinous on our trips, but we’ve certainly experienced our unfair share of soiled sheets, unwanted guests, and, well, unwanted guests. Not that we enjoy it, exactly, when we end up at fleabag hotels – but they do yield some good stories. And here, in “Rotten Oysters,” is where we tell those stories.
With our first destination of 2010 launching soon (here’s a hint apropos of Rotten Oysters: think, a mouse you do want in your hotel…), we decided to cull reviews of the nearly 850 hotels we covered during our first year and bestow upon each of the following our distinguished mark of shame, a Rotten Oyster.
Strangest Bathing Policy: No shampoo or conditioner allowed at the Runaway Bay Heart Hotel in Jamaica
Yes, you read that right. Because the shower run-off is used to irrigate the hotel’s grounds, the Runaway Bay Heart doesn’t allow you to use anything other than the bar soap they provide.
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Imagine puffing on a stogie in a tub like this...
Smokers, New York City is against you. A recent tax hike now puts a pack at about $11. It’s illegal to smoke in most bars and restaurants (and, if Mayor Bloomberg gets his way, beaches and public parks too.) About every 15 minutes or so, a profoundly disgusting TV ad airs, telling you why to quit in gory detail. If you’re looking to quit, a Big Apple visit might be the kick in the pants you need. But far be it from me to judge. If you’re just looking for a clean smoking room without the stale nicotine funk or the chemical sting of lemon freshener, we’ve got you covered.
Where to stay if you smoke…
- Clove cigarettes: Hotel Chelsea, Chelsea: art house cool for lawless smokers (congress recently outlawed the sale of these crackling babies)
Plants galore at the Ritz-Carlton Coconut Grove?
Not when Oyster visited
Welcome to the latest installment of Photo Fakeouts, a series in which we show you the difference between hotel marketing photos and the real thing. Often we bring you examples of deceptive cropping or fancy camerawork — but sometimes the discrepancy is simpler than that.
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The Oak Bar at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, which serves a $12,750 martini (not pictured, because, well, Oyster reporters' per diem is only $12,500 per day).
We were amused and intrigued last week when we saw this story about a $10,000 “proposal martini” available at the Algonquin Hotel’s Blue Bar, especially in light of the Great Recession. A little digging of our own – investigative, not gold – turned up a couple of interesting footnotes. First, that the Algonquin’s is not the only absurdly extravagant cocktail out there. (Not even close: We found at least two more drinks that cost as much as a Nissan.) And second, that people have actually purchased these drinks. In fact, according to Alex Aubry, Food and Beverage Director at the Algonquin, six men used the bar’s “Martini on the Rock” to pop the question in 2005, the year the hotel debuted the cocktail. Since then, that figure has fallen to two or three per year, perhaps because of the economy.
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by Sara on February 4, 2010
The Sofitel New York has one Les Clefs d'Or concierge.
In an episode of NBC’s The Office, Steve Carell’s Michael goes on a business trip to Winnipeg along with his colleagues Andy and Oscar. The crew checks into a hotel and soon Michael starts crushing hard on Marie, the attractive concierge, a.k.a. “Concierge Marie.”
Later that night, over drinks, Michael attempts to stump Marie with a service question. “It’s midnight on Christmas Eve and you need to get dry-cleaning done. What do you do?” He later makes out with her.
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Colts: The Marriott Harbor Beach Resort
Saints: Intercontinental Miami
This Super Bowl Sunday, Colts and Saints fans will be watching with bated breath to see which team reigns supreme on the football field. But at Oyster, we have another contest on our minds: Which team scored the nicest hotel? The question matters more than you might think — a more relaxing hotel stay just might translate into a better performance on game day.
Get ready to place your bets.
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Area 31 at the Epic Hotel
As foodies flock to South Beach on February 25 for Food Network’s South Beach Wine & Food Festival, they’ll be excited to find a burgeoning restaurant scene awaiting them. As Frank Bruni recently wrote in the The New York Times, chefs are the new stars in Miami.
So while we’ve already told you where to stay in Miami for the festival, now it’s time to think about dinner reservations. Sure, not every must-try restaurant is in a hotel (our area of expertise), but you may be surprised to find how many of the city’s top eateries are. Two of the five spots Bruni recommended in detail were in popular (and hip!) hotels – Hakkasan in Fontainebleau and Area 31 in the Epic Hotel – and below we’ll expand on his list.
Here are the hotel restaurants that foodies shouldn’t miss while visiting Miami:
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Scenes from Lost have been filmed at Turtle Bay Resort on the north shore of Oahu.
It’s almost here, so close you can taste it. Lost’s final season, the one that will finally answer all of your lingering questions, kicks off tonight with a two-hour premiere. To the Lost superfans who dream of getting stranded with Sawyer or Jack, this may be your last chance to head to the real-life Lost island and make it happen.
It’s probably old news to most Lost fans that the show’s desert island (or alien landscape, or dream scenario) is in fact none other than Oahu, Hawaii – which has considerably more inhabitants, and considerably fewer monsters, than the setting of the show. The only legendary creatures here are the show’s stars, who over the past several years could be spotted filming at the island’s hotels, or eating at the hotel restaurants, in the flesh. Flashback with us, if you will, to the places they have been before.
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Watch out for the "free tickets" in Times Square
1. “Free” Comedy
It’s virtually impossible to walk through Times Square without being offered free tickets to a comedy show. First: It’s not really free. A mandatory two-drink minimum is the norm, and each of those sugary cocktails might run you $15 a pop. Second: It’s rarely funny. Most clubs advertise a celebrated legacy, but where so-and-so “got his start” doesn’t mean much in a city where every well-known comedian plays just about every low-level stage at some point in his career. For a real dose of the city’s humor, seek out some off-off Broadway that tickles your fancy (there’s always ample downtown), catch some improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, or browse the funny happenings during your stay in any of New York’s free weekly papers, such as the Village Voice.
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