Exclusive hotels you can stay at by invitation only
Even having sufficient money is no guarantee you’ll be granted a stay at a certain tier of exclusive hotels
We’ve all heard about luxury hotels offering five- or six-star accommodation. No problem if you’ve got the spending power to afford the sky-high rates. Now, a certain tier of hotels exist where even having the money doesn’t guarantee you’ll be granted a stay. If you haven’t been invited or approved by hotel management, there’s no room at the inn.
They’re the preserve of the superclass – special VIPs, celebrities and royalty who move in exclusive circles and, as it turns out, stay in hotels that the rest of us cannot.
“It’s a money-can’t-buy-experience that we’re offering,” says a spokesman for Hotel du Marc, the private hotel owned by French Champagne house Veuve Clicquot in Reims, France.
“People often ask how we choose which guests get invited to stay. It’s all to do with the relationships that we establish over time between the house and specific people. It usually comes up in a conversation where we say, ‘oh, well you must come and visit us next time you’re in France at Hotel du Marc’, that’s how it works.” If you are one of the special VIPs, celebrities or heads of state invited to stay at Hotel du Marc then, according to Veuve Clicquot, “a world of dreams” awaits you.
“For our guests, the hotel becomes theirs for the evening,” the Hotel du Marc says.
“We have the library, the living room, two dining rooms – one that seats 20 people which is an epic regency-style dining room.” It’s in this lavish dining room that guests are treated to a gala dinner by the hotel’s two full-time chefs, who create seasonal and weekly menus. “Our aim is to give guests an understanding of the history of Veuve Clicquot, as well as having a tasting and gastronomical experience that’s the same level of excellence that we’re known for.”
“The villas are by invitation only, but the other units can be booked by the public,” says Olivier Bottois, vice-president of operations. The 32-suite resort sits on the former Rabot Estate, which was one of Soufrière’s oldest cocoa plantations.
“The two Paradise villas are assigned to celebrities or rented by the month with butler service,” Bottois says.
“All villas welcome a private jet and yachting clientele looking for luxury experiential hospitality.”