President Wilson Hotel The Imperial Suite $23,000 per night

At the sleek, modern President Wilson Hotel in Geneva, security takes as much precedence as luxury. Faster than you can say "Frette linens," the hotel's staff reassures guests that the security in the Imperial Suite is among the best in the world, ideal for celebrities or traveling heads of states who visit the United Nations headquarters next door at the Palais Wilson. (Considering how tight-lipped the hotel management was about the suite, guests can be assured of total secrecy.)

The Imperial Suite, which takes up the entire top floor of the hotel, is reached via a private elevator and has four bedrooms, all of which overlook Lake Geneva. The suite is decorated in a contemporary style, with marble and hardwood floors, and the bay windows overlook Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Off of the master bedroom is a dressing room as well as a study, and the suite has five bathrooms, all with mosaic marble floor, and a Jacuzzi and steam bath in the main bath. The living room has a billiards table, a library and a cocktail lounge with a view of the water fountain, and can accommodate 40 people. The dining room seats 26 people around an oval mahogany table. For the security-conscious or merely the paranoid, the Imperial Suite is also equipped with bulletproof windows and doors. The price of the hotel is 40,000 Swiss francs (approximately $23,600).

The Atlantis Atlantis Bridge Suite $25,000 per night

The Atlantis Bridge Suite has the distinction of being the most expensive hotel suite in the world---it's $25,000 a night. So what do you get for that kind of money? For starters, location, location, location. The Bridge Suite is located on top of a bridge that connects the two Royal Towers buildings, so it overlooks the entire resort 
and marina.

The ten-room suite is decorated in red, black and gold (lots of gold) and comes with its own butler, bar lounge and entertainment center as well as 12-foot ceilings. The master bedroom has a sitting area, his-and-hers closets, and hand-painted linens. The bathrooms have chaise lounges, marble baths, and dolphin fixtures. For those who are picky about their personal space, there are two separate master bathrooms. The kitchen also has its own entrance so the butler or cook neverbothers you.

Cannes The Martinez Hotel Presidential Suite $18,000 per night

The Martinez Hotel in Cannes likes superlatives and bills itself as having the biggest, most expensive and only terraced penthouse suite on the Cote d'Azur. Perhaps some of this is Gallic swagger, but the price of the suites--$18,000--certainly makes them one of the most expensive in Europe. Both penthouse suites are 8,000 square feet and are decorated in the hotel's signature Art Deco style, with streamlined furniture, silk curtains and teak parquet floors.

While many of the hotel's rooms are painted in bright colors (peach, lime green), the penthouse suites are decorated in muted, understated tones (brown, cream and tan). Each suite has two bedrooms, a Turkish bath, kitchen, personal sauna and views of the Lerins Islands as well as the entire Bay of Cannes. The wraparound terrace is 2,000 square feet and can comfortably hold 100 people. It also has a Jacuzzi. Technophiles will appreciate the Bose plasma screen televisions and telephones and the DVD library. A private butler is on call 24 hours a day, and other amenities include use of a limousine, open bar and the option to join both suites into one très grand apartment.

The overarching attitude for the suite is "never say no to anything," which we hope is the case when you're paying $18,000. One Saudi sheik liked the suite so much he wanted to rent it for five years. The hotel said non.

Rome Westin Excelsior Villa La Cupola $14,312

Rome's "Villa La Cupola" suite within the Westin Excelsior has all things Roman and excessive--a cupola, a Pompeii-style Jacuzzi pool, frescoes and stained glass windows--except, perhaps, a vomatorium. Located on the fifth and sixth floor underneath the cupola of the hotel (which was made famous by Fellini's movies), the suite covers 6,099 square feet and has an additional 1,808 square feet of balconies and terraces. While it only has two bedrooms, five more can be joined to it. The entire suite was just remodeled in 1998 for a cost of around $7 million.

So what did the face-lift entail? The cupola itself is entirely hand-frescoed, and the fifth floor features the master bedroom, a terraced study that was paneled in Italian walnut and a living room. The stained glass windows in the living room detail allegories of a mythological figure paired with a modern one, such as Atlas and Television, Hypnosis and Neurosis, Hermes and Marketing, and Hermaphrodite and Fashion. The downstairs also has a private kitchen, and the dining room features an antique Murano glass chandelier, a private wine cabinet and an antique mosaic-tile-covered dining room.

And that's just the beginning. What really makes this suite over the top is a private cinema with Dolby surround sound. Such luxury makes even the private elevator that leads up to the fitness area and Jacuzzi--complete with mosaic floors, vaulted ceilings and frescoes--seem ordinary. (The painted horizons on the frescoes were designed to match perfectly with the real Roman one.) Now that's living la dolce vita. The suite with two bedrooms costs 11,400 euros (approximately $9,880); with the five optional bedrooms the price is 16,500 euros ($14,312).

Costa Smeralda Hotel Cala di Volpe Presidential Suite $13,879 per night

The Costa Smeralda ("Emerald Coast"), on the eastern coast of Sardinia, became famous during the 1960s when the Aga Khan bought it and convinced his jet-set friends to start building villas and a yacht club on the beautiful but previously undeveloped island. The coast also served as the backdrop to the 1977 James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me. One of the Aga Khan's acquisitions was the 100-room Hotel Cala di Volpe, where the late Princess Margaret celebrated her 37th birthday in 1967.

The split-level Presidential Suite, which is located in the hotel's tower, has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and two sitting rooms. The highlight is the private, outdoor saltwater pool on the second floor. The style is rustic but luxurious, with whitewashed walls, exposed beams, thick down cushions and wooden accents. The bed frames are wrought iron, and the tiles are hand- painted ceramic. The suite also has its own gazebo and solarium, as well as a DVD library and Bang & Olufsen

San Francisco The Fairmont Hotel Penthouse Suite $10,000 per night

The 6,000-square-foot Penthouse Suite at the Fairmont Hotel on San Francisco's Nob Hill takes up the entire eighth floor of the hotel and has three bedrooms, a dining room that holds 50 people, an eat-in kitchen and a two-story, domed library with a ceiling painted with the constellations. There is also a billiards room covered floor-to-ceiling in Persian tiles, and four fireplaces inlaid with lapis lazuli. The bathroom fixtures are made of 24 karat gold, and a secret passageway is concealed behind the bookshelves on the library's second floor.

Famous guests who have used the suite include former Secretary of State Edward Stettinius, who used the Penthouse Suite in 1945 as his temporary headquarters when the United Nations charter was being drafted, and Sean Connery, who received a memorable onscreen haircut here in the 1996 action thriller The Rock.

Paris Hotel Meurice Belle Etoile Suite $7,300 per night

The most expensive Parisian hotel room is the Belle Etoile Suite at the Hotel Meurice, located on the Rue de Rivoli. This penthouse suite is reached via private elevator, where it opens onto a marble entry hall. The entire suite is decorated in a Charles X style--heavy drapery, intricate wood paneling with gilt edges, chandeliers and murals.

The white-marble bathroom has double sinks and a round Jacuzzi tub, as well as panoramic views of the city (yes, the windows have shades). The 2,960-square-foot terrace has stone tiles, potted shrubs and a 360-degree view of Paris. The rate is 8,400 euros per night (approximately $7,300).

Las Vegas The Bellagio Bellagio Villas $6,000 per night

We were surprised that the most expensive hotel room in Las Vegas--a private villa at the Bellagio--is only $6,000 a night, but hotels in Sin City are always lower than average since hoteliers know the real money will be blown on gambling. The Bellagio has nine separate villas in a quiet corner of the property. Each villa has a private terrace and pool, which is surrounded by topiary shrubs, chaise lounges and outdoor tables. Every villa has a private butler service and private limousine entrance.

The villas are both two and three bedrooms and come with a kitchen, dining room and fully stocked bar according to guests' preferences. The master bathrooms have his-and-hers bathrooms and steam showers and are stocked with Hermes bath products. Whoever designed the guest-to-bathroom ratio, as well as guest-to-telephone, had excess in mind. The two-bedroom suites have five bathrooms and 11 telephones, while the three-bedrooms have seven bathrooms and 12 telephones. Two-bedroom villas are $5,000 per night, while the three-bedrooms are $6,000.

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