Suites have long added an air of luxury to hotels. Today, designers and brands are pushing the boundaries, delivering sprawling flexible spaces for an ultra high-end experience.

“Suites have gotten more significant over time, offering more amenities,” says Greg Keffer, partner and studio leader at Rockwell Group. “The narrative around what they are and how they tell the story of their property and brand has gotten richer. Suites are designed to help guests slow down and tune into their surroundings.”

Rockwell Group, in partnership with Ian Schrager Company, recently completed North America’s largest hotel penthouse at the Riviera Maya EDITION at Kanai, the brand’s first outpost in Mexico. Occupying the entire top floor of one of the property’s three buildings, the 26,900-square-foot Sky Rooftop Villa sleeps up to 12 guests in five bedrooms accessed via a limestone corridor.

The Sky Rooftop Villa at the Riviera Maya EDITION includes an entertaining deck with an elevated pool

The accommodation, along with the rest of the 182-key property, was crafted in the brand’s signature neutral palette. Each of the villa’s guestrooms features wood canopy beds, curved plush sofas, wet bars, and natural stone floors paired with elements that showcase the embroidery and patterning techniques of the Yucatán Peninsula. Private decks—complete with lounge furniture and a raised Jacuzzi with views to the ocean beyond—extend from each of the rooms as well.

Indoor-outdoor living continues in the living room—outfitted with a kitchen, modern furniture, stone floors, and sheer drapery—which is flanked by integrated reflecting pools to make the suite appear to float on water. Through sliding glass doors, an expansive covered outdoor terrace leads to an uncovered entertainment area complete with a raised swimming pool, firepits, and sunken garden lounges with hammocks. Suitable for both large events and individual guests, “there is a lot of flexibility in the use of the room,” Keffer notes. “We were able to conceive the suite as we would a single-family home, with a number of programmatic areas.”

A marble staircase connects the two floors at Rosewood São Paulo’s penthouse suite

Further south, the Rosewood São Paulo in Brazil unveiled its 12,000-square-foot, three-story penthouse suite, which can sleep up to eight guests, earlier this year. Crowning the hotel’s Mata Atlantica tower, envisioned by venerated architect Jean Nouvel, the suite is accessed through a private entrance and stands out with a hidden rooftop garden filled with a variety of plants native to the surrounding rainforest and an infinity pool overlooking the city’s Avenida Paulista.

French designer Philippe Starck crafted the accommodation’s residentially inspired interiors using locally sourced materials to connect guests with the spirit of São Paulo. “The dream is simple: to create an island—to create a paradise in the middle of the city, which becomes the center of life in the city,” Starck says. A floating marble staircase leads guests upstairs, while intricate woodworking is found across walls, ceilings, and bookshelves. Guests staying in the penthouse are also offered complimentary 24-hour butler service, all-inclusive F&B, a private car and driver service, and a team of security agents.

The Royal Mansion at Atlantis the Royal in Dubai features a double-height bar and lounge

At Dubai’s Atlantis the Royal, the luxury experience piques with the Royal Mansion, which spans more than 12,000 square feet and has hosted notable figures such as Beyoncé, royalty, and more.

Designed by London-based G.A Group, the split-level suite is complete with four bedrooms, a more than 5,000-square-foot terrace with an infinity pool and outdoor kitchen, double-height ceilings, and 23-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows that provide 360-degree views of Palm Jumeirah and the Arabian Gulf.

Upon arrival, which begins through a private basement entrance, guests are greeted by a striking foyer flanked by 100-year-old olive trees. The airy living area is adorned with opulent materials like gold onyx marble and a large-scale reflective blue art piece that hangs above the mantel. Meanwhile, guests can enjoy in-room dining from any of the resort’s eight celebrity chef-helmed restaurants in a grand dining room.

The dining room in the more than 9,000-square-foot penthouse at the Delano Dubai

Also in the UAE, the newly opened Delano Dubai just revealed its penthouse suite crafted by Cristina Gallenca and Sahar Al Yaseer of locally based La Bottega Interiors in collaboration with Ennismore’s in-house design team. Much like the original Delano in Miami, the 9,150-square-foot offering artfully mixes opposing elements—light and dark, modern and classic, soft and sculptural—to create a harmonious space that sits at the intersection of tranquility and vibrancy. “The Delano penthouse was designed as a luxury private residence first and a hotel suite second, able to be rented for one night or a year,” says Mark Eacott, global vice president of design at Ennismore, the lifestyle arm of Accor.

The five-bedroom penthouse sits on a private floor and features two expansive terraces, a pool, 12-seater dining room tables, and both informal and formal living spaces. In the master bathroom, a solid, custom-carved Calacatta Borghini bathtub serves as a stunning point of respite to take in the breathtaking views of the city through oversized windows.

Along with around-the-clock butler service, a private chef and a mixologist are also available upon request. With a suite of this caliber, “the revenue return potential can be pushed as far as one can imagine, and we’re creating a must-see space, unrivaled in Dubai, which sets a new standard in the city’s luxury hospitality scene,” Eacott points out. “This might be the only part of the hotel that the public never sees, and that’s quite alluring.”

The result of a $70 million renovation, the reimagined, invite-only villas at Wynn Las Vegas

Stateside, the Wynn Las Vegas wrapped up a $70 million transformation of its invitation-only Spa Villas. The six villas—ranging from 13,000 to nearly 18,000 gross square feet—offer multiple primary suites, media rooms, gym facilities, and pools flanked with verdant gardens. The redesign—which melds Classicism, Cubism, and Fauvism into a timeless yet contemporary look—was made possible by a team led by Todd-Avery Lenahan, president and chief creative officer of Wynn Design and Development.

A dramatic 800-foot-long gallery, filled with various objet d’art like champagne-gilded Murano chandeliers and pieces from the estate of billionaires Ann and Gordon Getty, guides guests to the accommodations. Inside, custom furnishings and rare antique finds sourced from all over the world—including items acquired for the forthcoming Wynn Al Marjan Island in Ras Al Khaimah, UAE—set a sumptuous scene. “You’ll never see us do things that are here today, gone tomorrow,” Lenahan says. “We build for longevity, and we build things that have a story—a heart.”

Indeed, unparalleled stays await well-heeled hotel guests across the globe. “Travelers want exclusivity and money-can’t-buy experiences that no other guest or room has,” Eacott says. Which raises the question: How far will hotels go to deliver the next level of exclusivity?

 

This article originally appeared in HD’s December 2024 issue.