A night in lap of luxury, at Rs 4 lakh

The recently launched Sahara Star, just 100 m from Mumbai's Santacruz domestic airport, boasts of India's most expensive suite at Rs 4 lakh a night.

The room rate for the presidential suite, spread over 12,000 sq ft and with an exclusive entrance and a private elevator, is exactly double that of most other expensive suites in India.

The Taj Mahal Resorts and Palace, for example, charges Rs 2 lakh a night for its presidential suite in the Capital. The ITC Grand CentralSheraton Hotel and Towers charges Rs 1 lakh a night. 
 

COSTLIEST PRESIDENTIAL SUITES THE WORLD OVER
Hotel	Charges/night  (Rs lakh)
The Palms (Las Vegas)	10.18
President Wilson Hotel (Geneva, Switzerland)	9.37
Badrutt's Palace (St. Moritz)	6.80
Emirates Palace (Abu Dhabi)	6.19
Mandarin Oriental (New York)	6.11

So what's on offer at the Sahara Suite? A private lounge on the top floor with a clear-to-sky glass roof having facility for artificial rainfall and services like a personalised spa station equipped with branded Armani furniture, attached boardroom, voice congress network and what the hotel curiously calls a "floatation (sic) tank". Unsurprisingly, the target clientele are corporate leaders, not to mention sheikhs.

"It's about a style quotient that one wants to have. The idea is to give guests the ultimate in luxury, besides the comfort to function well," said Vivek Kumar, CEO, Sahara Star.

Despite its steep price, the Sahara Suite is cheaper than presidential suites elsewhere in the world. The price of presidential suites abroad varies between Rs 6 lakh and Rs 10.18 lakh. The Palms in Las Vegas, for instance, offers 9,000-sq-ft area, including three bedrooms, a butler, poker table, private gym and media room at the princely per-night price of $25,000 or Rs 10.18 lakh.

The Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi offers services like fancy bathing in champagne, scented sheets and cooling off round the pool with the help of hotel staff armed with water sprays. A night's stay at the hotel costs Rs 6.19 lakh.