Butlers. Ocean views. Helicopter charters.
It’s how the rich stay at Orange County’s top coastal hotels. They’re businesspeople and celebrities. Many come from elsewhere, from Hollywood to New York. Others are well-to-do locals out for a weekend of luxury.
“Our guests run the gamut from titans of industry and Hollywood celebrities to simple people you wouldn’t know (by sight) and who prefer to stay under the radar,” said Jeff Johnson, director of marketing for Montage Resort & Spa in Laguna Beach.
Catering to the wealthy is demanding and takes creativity.
When the drummer for Blink 182, Travis Barker, made reservations at the St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa in Dana Point for his anniversary, he mentioned he and his wife were big fans of Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas.”
So the staff decked out the suite with fake caskets, Jack Skellington-themed decorations and spider webs.
Barker loved it.
The wealthy “are looking for rich experiences,” said Milton Pedroza, chief executive of the New York-based Luxury Institute LLC, which publishes the Wealth Report and conducts surveys of the nation’s wealthiest 10%.
At the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel, pampering of the wealthy comes at the presidential suite. At $4,000 per night, the 1,840-square-foot, oceanfront suite is on the club level with its own butlers.
“It’s the service that makes it special,” spokeswoman Deanne French said.
The Ritz-Carlton has a team of employees who call wealthy guests beforehand to help arrange everything from restaurant reservations and spa appointments to activities.
Some guests ship their clothes ahead. When they arrive, it’s neatly arranged in the walk-in closet.
Above all, privacy is protected, French said.
The Ritz-Carlton has had its share of celebrities, sports figures, models and dignitaries.
Celebrity guests at the St. Regis have included Barbra Streisand, Kathy Griffin, Barker, Pierce Brosnan and John Travolta.
Up the road in Newport Beach, Paris Hilton, Gwen Stefani and Matt Leinart have been recent guests at the Balboa Bay Club.
“We get a cross-section of political, corporate high-end executives and sports figures,” said George Lysak, director of sales and marketing.
During Balboa Bay Club’s early days as a private club, its most famous member was John Wayne, who sometimes tended bar.
Naturally, rich guests sometimes have requests that send hotel workers scrambling to accommodate them.
The Island Hotel Newport Beach has had requests for everything from office space and helicopter charters to pet sitters and tickets to big games such as the Rose Bowl.
The most typical request at Balboa Bay Club is for meals that meet special dietary requirements, Lysak said.
Travolta requested blackout drapes in the presidential suite at the St. Regis so he could sleep well into the day.
The St. Regis has been the site of film and TV shoots, including scenes from NBC’s “Las Vegas,” which turned the ballroom into a casino.
So is it all worth it?
It pays for resorts to go the extra mile to cater to wealthy guests, said Bruce Baltin, senior vice president at the Los Angeles office of PKF Consulting.
Few resorts track individual guest spending, but “spending is definitely higher” among those who stay in the top suites, Baltin said.
“They use pricier food, wine and liquor and have a higher level of service,” he said.
The Suite Life
The top suites at the county’s luxury resorts will set you back $3,000 and $4,000 a night.
They all have similar levels of opulence, though each adds its own twist to the ultimate in luxury. The suites range from 1,800 square feet to 3,100 square feet.
The suites typically have the latest tech toys, ranging from multiple DVD and digital music players to flat screen TVs and speedy Internet access.
They have multiple bathrooms and sinks, marble floors or counters. They can include a formal dining room for anywhere from eight to 12 people. A kitchenette or service pantry with a separate entrance is designed for service staff to use when catering in-room dining or parties.
The best bathroom amenities and linens are part of the mix, as are upscale furnishings.
At Laguna Beach’s Montage Resort & Spa, there’s a two-sided fireplace, his and hers bathrooms and two oversized soaking tubs.
“The suite is built for comfort,” said Jeff Johnson, the Montage’s director of sales and marketing. “It’s not the scale of the room as much as the panoramic view that brings a sense of privacy.”
At Balboa Bay Club, there’s a baby grand piano.
The Ritz-Carlton’s newly renovated suite includes a wet bar and wood-burning fireplace.
The St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort & Spa has two presidential suites decorated in part with art from artists such as Henry Moor and Pablo Picasso and a flat screen TV that rises up at the foot of the bed in the master bedroom.
The Island Hotel Newport Beach’s presidential suite has five balconies, a marble bar and private study off the bedroom.
,Sandi Cain
