Steamboat Bill

I saw a report about a $40,000 per night hotel room at the Four Seasons in New York. It got me thinking, why would someone pay that much if they could join a Destination Club and get a much better deal. Even the most expensive club in NYC costs less than $2,000 per night and may even be a better property.

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Ty Warner's Luxe Penthouse Suite - Four Seasons New York

Located in the trendy and upscale Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan, which happens to be the tallest hotel in the city, the Ty Warner Suite is considered the most expensive penthouse in the United States for which guests are actually charged.

To illustrate, while the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa in the Palms Casino Las Vegas has a $40,000 per night price tag, instead of being rented out, the suite is given to the casino's highest rollers. The Four Seasons, on the other hand, will never "comp" this room or offer any discounts.

Ty Warner, the billionaire toy manufacturer who is best known for his company's role in the Beanie Baby craze, is the man behind the venture. His sole goal was to create the best suite in the world, one in which he would want to stay when traveling. He took this so seriously that he even flew to Italy to personally select the pieces of Chinese onyx to be used in the bathroom. He certainly spared no expense when taking on this feat; everything in the room was custom designed.

One of the suite's most astonishing and breathtaking features, which sprawls across the entire 52nd floor, is the 23-foot-high bay windows. Special architectural elements, including glass balconies, were developed so as to prevent obstruction of any view of the city. From one side of the suite, you can view Central Park; on another, the windows gloriously frame the Chrysler and Empire State buildings. Some of the suite's other one-of-a-kind elements are walls inlaid with mother-of-pearl, gold-threaded curtains from Morocco, a shark skin-covered coffee table, antique lamps from the Han Dynasty, and a Lalanne chandelier.

In addition to the room's extravagant décor, the behind-the-scenes features are also extremely integral to the Ty Warner Penthouse experience. Guests receive unlimited free room service, a personal masseuse, a personal butler (on call 24 hours per day), and a personal driver who will take them around the city in a Rolls-Royce, allowing them to experience all New York has to offer.

All of these elements work in tandem to provide you with an unforgettable and lavish weekend full of breathtaking views of New York, unparalleled customer service, and the type of comfort and opulence you expect, even when you're away from home.

Unfortunately for truly extravagant individuals, however, the Ty Warner Penthouse, which is the most expensive suite in the United States, isn't the most expensive in the world. That title belongs to the Royal Penthouse Suite, located in the Hotel Wilson in Geneva, which costs about $54,000 per night. So if that disclosure disappoints or intrigues you, you always have the option of flying to Switzerland next weekend.

Steamboat Bill

Ty Warner Penthouse

This highly anticipated suite at the pinnacle of Manhattan's tallest hotel is a collaboration between owner Ty Warner, designer Peter Marino and architect I.M. Pei, who came out of retirement to join in the creation of America's most exclusive accommodation.

With cantilevered glass balconies and floor-to-ceiling bay windows, set beneath 25-foot (7.6-metre) cathedral ceilings, the Ty Warner Penthouse offers a breathtaking 360-degree view of all Manhattan. Custom-commissioned in every detail, from semi-precious stone surfaces to fabrics woven with platinum and gold, the nine-room suite creates the sense of living within a multilayered work of art. It raises the bar for even the most seasoned travellers.

Penthouse guests enjoy amenities as impressive as their quarters: TVs programmed for every channel worldwide, unlimited global telephone calling, the services of both a personal butler and a personal trainer/therapist, and a private chauffeur for unlimited travel during your stay in your choice of a Rolls Royce Phantom or a Mercedes Maybach.

* Covering the entire top floor of the Hotel, the nine-room Ty Warner Penthouse is accessed by its own private elevator.
* Every space is distinctively designed and is made to feel even more expansive with immense bay windows, vaulted ceilings and skylights.
* In the living and dining area, cream-coloured walls are richly inlaid with thousands of pieces of mother of pearl. A dramatic 4-foot-high (1.2-metre-high) cut-glass chandelier by Deborah Thomas sparkles above the bronze table by designer François-Xavier LaLanne. Seating is grouped around a marble fireplace, and four French doors open to glass railings.
* The library is illuminated by a LaLanne chandelier in gilded bronze. The extensive book collection is set in bookcases framed with an elaborate bronze vine-and-leaf motif, again by LaLanne. The library is also furnished with a chess table and a Bösendorfer grand piano.
* The centrepiece of the master bedroom is a Thai canopy bed threaded with gold. Accents include two lacquer cabinets with cracked eggshell panels, and walls of straw marquetry. Four French doors reveal a view of Central Park that is almost surreal in its perfection.
* An indoor-outdoor Zen garden with a green bowenite waterfall overlooks downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty.
* The breakfast room is furnished with a LaLanne tree table and opens to its own large balcony 700 feet (213 metres) above Central Park.
* The Penthouse also features a private spa room with a serene screen of living bamboo.
* Adjacent to the spa room is an oversized dressing room clad entirely in leather.
* With its ceiling, walls and floor gleaming with onyx, the master bathroom includes another outdoor balcony overlooking Central Park. Among the pampering features are an infinity-edge bathtub complete with chromatherapy, a separate glass-enclosed rain shower, radiant-heated floors, and sinks carved from a solid block of rock crystal.

Room details

Location - 52nd floor

View - 360-degree view of the city – Uptown, Downtown and Midtown, including the Statue of Liberty, all bridges and Central Park

Décor - French and Italian artisan created wall designs, bronze statues, mother-of-pearl inlays, rock crystal sinks and a guest powder room completely clad in semi-precious tiger's-eye stones.

Beds - One king bed

Extra bed (by request) - One king bed; rollaway and crib requests also accommodated

Bathrooms - One full marble bathroom, plus guest powder room

Maximum occupancy - King bed: 4 adults and 2 children

If the number of guests travelling exceeds the maximum occupancy stated, please book more than one room or contact the Hotel directly for alternate accommodation options and assistance.

Size (sq.ft.) - 4,300

Size (m2) - 400

To reserve this room, your choices are:

* Call your travel consultant
* Contact our worldwide reservations office
* Call the hotel reservations department at 1 (212) 758-5700

Kagehitokiri

its only $30K >
Four Seasons Hotel New York - Rates and reservations : Standard Rates

detailed post >
NYC FS Penthouse Suite - FlyerTalk Forums

so you were disabused of your notion that a destination club could compete after reading the details, right? it makes ciel's MO condo look like HCC's.

the coolest thing is the standing table at atelier. i think there are 2 tables for 3 in addition to the 3 long booths and bar, so it must be one of those.

the universal television is also fairly unique. i seem to remember reading the president has that at the white house and camp david.