The Line We Turned onto at No. 73: The Ritz-Carlton London City West (Paramount Suite)
On air travel hell is plentiful, with plenty of routes and countless airlines to choose from. And yet there are some places that offer particularly luxurious accommodations. In this case it’s the Ritz-Carlton London City West, an iconic property in the heart of London with four floors offering absolutely one-of-a-kind accommodations: the restaurant at the top, the lingerie room at the top, the cigar shop at the top.
Drinking in the flavor of paradise is back at the swanky new “suite bar,” courtesy of Shiro. Created by executive chef Alessandro Bragalone and bar manager Dominic Hallahan, the spot mixes the best of Japanese and British traditions, meaning travelers will be a tantalizing sight to savor. There is also a separate $10,000 bar set aside for rooms with unique furniture, state-of-the-art sound and lighting, and mind-blowing outdoor access: a retractable roof and an elevator conveniently pulls you into the bar at the moment you need it.
We’ve ceded chauffeur-driven transportation to AirBnB travelers who find staying at the lavish Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 an exhilarating experience. So, an adventure in the air will be enjoyed most exuberantly in the ultimate room: The Suite in the Sky in St. Petersburg, Russia, where star names like Jennifer Lopez and Jamie Foxx can be found at the Goldring Penthouse, where guests have their own bedrooms, complete with bellinis on tap.
From luxurious bathrobes to coveted sunglasses, luxury branding is everywhere. This piece explores the offerings for those who are cajoled to board a private jet, but the ultimate desire is to feel the one-of-a-kind luxury that comes from being on an Air Force One.
“With the plane sitting there like this — just a V8 engine and a few masts — the problem is that it doesn’t really look like a jet,” says Jack Sparks, the former chief financial officer of Palm Beach’s Mar-a-Lago Club and a former chief financial officer for luxury watchmaker Rolex. “It’s like it was designed for a little old lady to get around town.”
Many personal jet companies talk about offering clients, who often include celebrities, art collectors, and those who can afford to fly while flying head-to-head with outer space and outer space-like high-performance jet travel. But it’s not just the people who can afford to fly high who take to private jets. “Guests really want to fly first class,” says Chris Schwager, founder of Semperjet, a luxury charter business that focuses on short-term flights for organized groups. “But they’ll send the person who will come up next in line for the next flight to first class.” They may not have a Swiss watch on their wrists, but a personalized one-of-a-kind experience is certainly something these folks are after.