- Ritz-Carlton’s $18,000-a-night presidential suite in Moscow has hosted high-profile guests including Barack and Michelle Obama.
- But perhaps most infamously, the suite garnered international attention after it was mentioned in the Steele Dossier, an intelligence report that included unverified claims of an alleged night’s stay in the suite by Donald Trump in 2013.
- The 2,443-square-foot suite has multiple rooms, a grand piano, a private sauna, a jetted soaking tub, a panic button, and an unbeatable view of the Kremlin.
- On a trip to Russia last year, I spent a night in the suite.
- While it was probably the most luxurious experience of my life, I wasn’t impressed by the food.
- Editorial Note: Business Insider paid full price for a standard room at the Ritz-Carlton, and the reporter received an upgrade to the presidential suite at the time of check-in.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
The Ritz-Carlton in Moscow sits on Tverskaya Street, a stone’s throw from Red Square and the Kremlin.
While the Ritz-Carlton brand is known for its high standard of luxury, the Moscow location’s $18,000-a-night presidential suite has been in the spotlight for its mention in the infamous Steele dossier, a private intelligence report authored by Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer.
The report includes unverified claims that President Donald Trump stayed in the Moscow Ritz-Carlton hotel in 2013 and watched hired prostitutes “perform a ‘golden showers’ (urination) show in front of him” with the goal of defiling the presidential suite bed where Barack and Michelle Obama had previously slept. The dossier indicated that Russian intelligence videotaped this encounter to use to blackmail Trump.
Buzzfeed News released the full report in January 2017, after Trump was elected president and before his inauguration.
The claims in the Steele Dossier are unverified and Trump has denied that such an event happened.
On a trip to Russia last year, I stayed in the $18,000-a-night presidential suite. Here's what it was like.
On a trip to Russia last year, I spent a night in the the most expensive suite at the Ritz-Carlton in Moscow.
The presidential suite costs 1 million rubles, or about $15,365 per night, a reservations supervisor told me.
That doesn't include a 20% VAT, which would bring the nightly total to more than $18,000.
The Ritz-Carlton is in the center of Moscow, a stone's throw from Red Square and the Kremlin.
Source: Google Maps
I used Russia's most popular ride sharing app, Yandex, to get to the hotel.
My driver inexplicably dropped me off on a side street, so I lugged my suitcase through some winding back alleys before finally arriving at the front entrance.
The porte cochere entrance was full of Mercedes and other luxury vehicles.
In the lobby, I was met with towering flower bouquets, elegant staircases, and gleaming marble surfaces.
Calming flute and piano music was playing.
At the check-in desk, I was told that I'd gotten an upgrade and I'd need to wait no more than five minutes while the room received a last-minute check. The concierge took my suitcase to have it brought up to the room.
I sat down on one of the plush lobby chairs and waited for no more than a minute before the front desk woman came to give me my room key. She had a strange smile on her face.
"So, because we're so full, you've been upgraded," she said. "You've been upgraded to our best suite ... You'll be in the presidential suite. It's very nice. It has a lot of rooms. You will like it."
I didn't quite buy that I was getting upgraded to the hotel's most expensive suite because they were "full," but I thanked her and took my room key.
I stepped into the elevator to head up to the suite, which was on the 11th floor, the highest floor before the rooftop restaurant and lounge.
It took me a moment to realize why simply pressing the button for the 11th floor wasn't working: Access to that floor required that I insert my room key.
I stepped onto the 11th floor. It was very quiet, and I didn't see any other guests around.
The hallway was carpeted in blue and gold and lined with glittering chandeliers.
At the end of the hallway was a shiny black door with gold detailing, and a brass plaque with my room number: 1101.
It already looked very presidential.
Upon stepping into the suite's entryway, one thing was clear: It was the largest and most luxurious hotel room I'd ever been in — and probably would ever stay in.
Four different doors opened off the entryway alone, and that didn't include the door I'd just walked through.
One of the doors led to a small yet elegant bathroom.
The lights are controlled by touch panels on the wall.
To my left was a kitchen complete with stovetop, oven, microwave, Nespresso machine, electric kettle, and refrigerator.
I found it odd, however, that there was no sink.
The coffee station had several different types of espresso and decaf, Ritz-Carlton branded coffee cups, teas, and creamer.
Through the kitchen, I found a dining room with a large table and six chairs, although at least four more chairs could be comfortably added.
With the large TV at one end of the table, I could see the space being used as a conference room as well.
The office is outfitted with a fireplace, a stately wooden desk, and a heavy leather-and-wood desk chair.
I couldn't help but imagine Barack Obama sitting at this desk as president.
On the desk were brochures outlining the hotel's spa and dining offerings.
The "Business Spa" menu included a "Leader's Eyes" facial and a "Millionaire's Secret" four-hands massage.
The hotel has an extensive room service menu.
Light breakfast options included a salmon bagel, yogurt and muesli, various cereals, and more.
As I had checked in at about 6 p.m. after a very long train journey, I was starving and planning on a more thorough inspection of the menu after I checked out the rest of the suite.
One of the suite's rooms is dedicated entirely to a Ronisch grand piano.
I took piano lessons for 10 years, so the grand piano was one of the most exciting parts of the suite for me, and I spent a good portion of the evening playing it.
The suite's spacious sitting room comes with its own fireplace ...
... and an unbeatable view of the Kremlin, the complex that serves as the official residence of President Vladimir Putin.
I headed down the hallway toward the master bedroom and bathroom. The first door on the right is a dressing room larger than my bedroom in New York City.
The bedroom is decorated in gold tones.
On the other side of the room is another fireplace and a sitting area.
A flat-screen TV sits across from two comfortable armchairs.
The king-size bed features an elaborate golden headboard.
Touch panels by the bed control the lights and curtains.
The bedroom also has the same view of the Kremlin as the living room.
Next, I went to check out the suite's bathroom.
Unsurprisingly, it's made almost entirely of marble. It includes a double-sink vanity.
The standout feature in the bathroom is the jetted soaking tub sunken into a massive chunk of marble.
There's also a separate walk-in rain shower.
The bathroom includes a bidet with a telephone next to it, and another phone next to the bathtub.
I suppose if you're the president, you need to be reachable at all times, even in the bathroom.
And then there's the private sauna, which I didn't even know existed in hotel rooms.
The sauna is small, but three or four people could probably fit if they got cozy.
Just inside the door to the sauna is a large red button that you would think, looking at this picture, could not be missed.
But as I discovered when I poked my head inside the dark sauna and felt around blindly for a light, the red button is easily mistaken for a light switch.
About 30 seconds after I pushed the button without realizing what it was, I got a phone call from the front desk. They asked me if everything was OK because I had pressed the panic button which automatically alerted the police, who then called the hotel.
"Panic button?" I said, panicking. "I didn't know there was a panic button." I told them I was fine and asked where the panic button was so I wouldn't accidentally push it again, not realizing that was what I'd pushed in the sauna.
I was told there was one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I never found the one in the bedroom.
Next to the tub was a plush bathrobe that I ended up wearing for the entirety of my time in the suite.
The toiletries provided were from the British luxury brand Asprey.
The mini-bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and shower wash, as well as body scrubbers, combs, and nail files, were scattered throughout the bathroom.
I took at least one of everything home with me.
After I took a much-needed shower and put on the fluffy white bathrobe, it was time for food.
I ordered room service for the first time in my life, and it came in about 25 minutes.
I got a Croque Monsieur with fries, a glass of Prosecco, and tiramisu for dessert. The person who brought up my dinner set up the cart in the sitting room so I could eat with a view of the Kremlin.
I'd originally ordered the "Ritz-Carlton Cake," the hotel's signature chocolate-orange cake, for dessert, but they didn't have any left, so I went with the tiramisu.
I was a bit disappointed by the food. It wasn't quite hot when I got it, and the fries were a bit bland and mushy. Yes, I ordered French food in the capital of Russia, but in my opinion, if you're paying hundreds or thousands of dollars per night for a hotel room, the food should be good no matter what you order.
The total came to $63.36, which I paid with my credit card when the food was brought up. I expected the meal to be expensive - it's the Ritz-Carlton, after all - but I don't think the quality quite lived up to the cost.
As night fell over Moscow, the views from the suite were incredible.
I watched a few minutes of CNN on the flat-screen TV in the bedroom and then crawled into bed.
Although there was a touchpad on the bedside table, I had some trouble figuring out how to turn the lights off. I ended up randomly pushing buttons until they turned off.
Sleeping in the bed felt like being wrapped in a fluffy cocoon.
I woke up at about 8 a.m. after the best sleep of my trip. I opened the curtains with a touch of a button and let the morning sunlight stream into the room.
My first order of business in the morning was taking a bath in the suite's spacious soaking tub.
While the tub was filling up, I made myself a double espresso.
I also ordered room service so my breakfast would arrive right after I finished my bath.
I could have spent hours in that bathtub, but I eventually dragged myself out in time for room service round two. I ordered a relatively light breakfast of cereal, toast, fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and a cappuccino.
Breakfast cost $32.54, which seemed steep for some fruit, cereal, and a few pieces of bread. But again, it's the Ritz.
The toast was cold, but everything else was fine.
After breakfast, I spent a few minutes relaxing in the sauna.
I was determined to try out every single amenity in the suite before I had to check out at 1 p.m.
After I had bathed, sauna-ed, and eaten breakfast, I went to go check out some other parts of the hotel, even though I was reluctant to leave my suite.
On the 11th floor, just down the hall from the presidential suite, is the Club Lounge, which is only open to guests staying on the 10th and 11th floors.
The lounge serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner.
Next, I went up to check out the hotel's O2 Lounge, the rooftop restaurant, bar, and terrace.
The O2 Lounge serves seafood, sushi, and caviar, as well as wine and cocktails.
Menu items include a burrata and tomato plate for $18, salted halibut for $28, and a seafood tower with lobster, crab, oysters, and prawns for about $444.
I went out onto the terrace and sat down at a table, planning on getting a quick drink.
But a server told me the O2 Lounge is closed until 12 p.m., which was about half an hour away, so I continued my tour of the hotel.
Below the lobby is the fitness and spa level of the hotel.
The fitness studio, which is open 24 hours, includes a swimming pool, a hot pool, a sauna with Himalayan salt, and a crystal steam room.
Strangely enough, I couldn't find these luxe amenities after wandering around the fitness center for several minutes. There was nobody around to ask, and because I had limited time, I gave up trying to find them.
On the other side of the elevator bank from the fitness center is the Ritz-Carlton spa.
I couldn't see much of the spa area without booking a treatment.
Spa treatments include more than 11 different types of massages, body wraps and waxing, and several different types of facials, including a "Cellular Swiss Crystal Age-Defying" facial and a "Caviar Instant Lift" facial.
I went back up to the lobby area, where well-dressed men and women were lounging and drinking coffee or tea.
Hotel employees were wiping down the lobby's grand piano and other already spotless surfaces.
Just off the lobby is the Ritz-Carlton Lounge and Bar, where guests can enjoy drinks and "an Afternoon Tea ceremony with a Russian touch," according to the Ritz's website.
Guests can choose from the English afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches for $31 (for two people), the Russian afternoon tea with Pirozhki and Russian pancakes for $23 (for one person), or the Tsar afternoon tea with sandwiches, mini French pastries, and two glasses of Champagne for $92 (for two people).
In addition to the O2 Lounge and the lounge and bar in the lobby, guests can eat at the outdoor Novikov Restaurant & Bar, which sits in front of the Ritz's main entrance.
Novikov serves pan-Asian fare, including more than 15 varieties of sake. There's also an indoor VIP room with an extensive whiskey selection.
Back in my room, I had about 15 minutes before I had to check out. I spent my remaining precious moments in the suite lounging in the greatest of all beds.
Ten minutes before my checkout time, one of the concierges came up to get my bag.
"Just one suitcase?" he asked. I suppose I must have traveled lighter than the Obamas.
As I stepped out of the lobby, the doorman offered to call me a taxi, but I had already ordered a car through Yandex.
It was hard to leave the Ritz-Carlton presidential suite for a $35-a-night Airbnb room.
While I had expected more from the food, the pure opulence and top-notch service during my stay made it clear why the Ritz-Carlton is one of the world's leading luxury hotels.