I have never had the good fortune of staying in a presidential suite, but that hasn’t quelled my interest in them. In fact, during our recent trip to Hawaii I got the rare opportunity to tour the presidential suite at a luxury resort on the Big Island (thanks Erika!) and learned there is a lot more to these opulent pads than fancy furniture and expensive building materials.
Did you know the term “presidential suite” was actually derived from Europe? It came from the European tradition of royal suites, but since we don’t have a royal family in the United States, hotels call their best room the Presidential Suite. It doesn’t mean a president has slept there, but it would be fit for him (or her) should he (or she) ever visit.
Just because the commander-in-chief has never stepped foot in a hotel’s presidential suite doesn’t mean the room’s inspiration is compromised. For example, Ulysses S. Grant Junior built the presidential suite at the U.S. Grant Hotel in San Diego, in honor of his father, who never once visited the property.
However, the same can’t be said for some presidential suites such as New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria. According to the hotel’s website, every president since Herbert Hoover has slept in its presidential suite. The first-class accommodations include eight rooms featuring four bedrooms and baths, a formal dining room, a living room with a fireplace and even comes with some signature items donated by former presidents, including one of John F. Kennedy’s rocking chairs. In addition, the Willard in Washington, D.C. proudly boasts that every president since Franklin Pierce has spent time in its nearly 3,000-square-foot, marble-decked presidential suite.
Which just goes to show that when designating a room “presidential,” what’s inside of it is often more important than who has been inside. These massive lodgings are all about luxury. Amenities, such as a private swimming pool, highlight the presidential suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel while personal chefs and private butlers are standard services at others.
The presidential suite at the InterContinental in Chicago include two-story windows that offer breathtaking views of the city, and that’s in addition to the Italian marble, silk rugs and high-thread-count linens. If that’s not opulent enough, the presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Dallas features his-and-hers in-mirror TVs over the vanities in the master bathroom.
Not a bad way to travel.
Have you ever stayed in a presidential suite?
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