Mandarin Oriental: $200K for Once-in-a-Lifetime Inaugural Package

Recession be damned—you can get four nights at the Mandarin Oriental for $200,900 during the inauguration. By Emily Leaman

The living room of the presidential suite at the Mandarin Oriental hotel. All photographs courtesy of the hotel

Comments () | Published November 18, 2008

If you’re able to drop more than $200,000 on lodging for the inauguration, the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Southwest DC is offering a luxe Presidential Privilege package that includes four nights in the hotel’s swanky presidential suite. The 3,500-square-foot unit, on the ninth floor, has floor-to-ceiling windows, two balconies, and a telescope to take in panoramic views of the city. The suite’s 14 rooms include three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and dining and media rooms. A grand piano, a chess table, and a 60-inch flat-screen television are among the extra touches.

As part of the inaugural package, you’ll enjoy breakfast in bed every day, a private dinner for eight at the hotel’s restaurant, CityZen, and 24-hour butler service. Daily treatments at the hotel’s spa are also included, as are outfits by Ralph Lauren to be worn to the inaugural balls (tickets to an unnamed “inaugural event” are included). You’ll be driven around town in a chauffeured Maserati Quattroporte, which features a back seat stocked with snacks and Champagne, and you’ll enjoy Champagne and caviar in your suite each evening.

You won’t walk away from the experience empty-handed, either: You’ll leave with bathrobes monogrammed with your party affiliation, keepsakes left during the nightly turndown service, and passes for ten weekend stays at the hotel. A $10,000 donation to the new First Lady’s charity of choice will also be given in the your name.

The fine print states that the $209,000 price tag does not include tax and tip. Add in the District’s 14.5-percent hotel tax plus, say, another $500 in tips—you do have a driver and 24-hour butler service, after all—and you’re looking at a total of more than $238,000 for four nights. That’s $59,500 a night to witness history in top-notch style.

>>All Washingtonian.com Inauguration 2009 coverage

More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Society Photos