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World's Most Over-The-Top Hotel Suites (PHOTOS)

Believe it or not, luxury hotels can't build suites fast enough to keep up with skyrocketing demand. As a growing international elite takes the lid off luxury, Christian L. Wright checks into some extraordinary rooms for a taste of the really good life.
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Conde Nast Traveler

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Believe it or not, luxury hotels can't build suites fast enough to keep up with skyrocketing demand. As a growing international elite takes the lid off luxury, Christian L. Wright checks into some extraordinary rooms for a taste of the really good life.

Click through to see all of the suites mentioned in her story, then read all about them in the full article.

-- Christian L. Wright, Condé Nast Traveler

This story originally appeared on Condé Nast Traveler: World's Most Over-the-Top Hotel Suites

World's Most Over-the-Top Hotel Suites
HOTEL BEL-AIR, LOS ANGELES(01 of10)
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Presidential SuiteHotels at the highest end of the spectrum are trying to outdo one another with bells, whistels, and over-the-top design. At the Hotel Bel-Air, that means a full-size pool and a grand piano in the Presidential Suite.Read More: 11 Hard-to-Get-to HotelsPhoto: Courtesy Hotel Bel-Air
PALMS CASINO, LAS VEGAS(02 of10)
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Hardwood SuiteThe Palms Casino's trump card: a basketball half-court in the 10,000-square-foot, two-floor Hardwood Suite. You can prep for a game in a professional locker room, then rest in NBA-sized Murphy beds.Read More: 12 Unexpected Room Service DishesPhoto: Courtesy Palms Casino
RAJ PALACE, JAIPUR(03 of10)
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Presidential SuiteThe price tag speaks for itself: $45,000 a night is not a typo—it's the actual rate for less than 24 hours in a maharaja's former residence, which is now the Presidential Suite.Read More: The Best New Hotels of 2012Photo: Courtesy Raj Palace
ROME CAVALIERI, WALDORF ASTORIA HOTELS & RESORTS, ROME, ITALY(04 of10)
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Penthouse SuiteLuxury abounds at this hotel as it is, but in the Penthouse Suite guests lounge on a Karl Lagerfield sofa, stare at Warhol paintings on the walls, and retreat to a rooftop gazebo and solarium.Read More: Best New Hotels Under $300Photo: Courtesy Rome Cavalieri
WALDORF ASTORIA, NEW YORK CITY(05 of10)
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The Presidential SuiteThis suite, on the 35th floor of the Waldorf Towers wing, is the only one where every American president since Herbert Hoover has spent the night. Decorated in Georgian style, the interior is reminiscent of the Oval office. Its palette of creams and golds and blues is inspired by the presidential seal—which is on plates in the dining room's breakfront and etched into glass on the sconces in the living room.Read More: The 8 Best Hotels of All TimePhoto: Courtesy Waldorf Astoria
HOTEL BRISTOL, VIENNA(06 of10)
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The Prince of Wales SuiteThis spacious, masculine one-bedroom sprawls like an aristocratic residence. It has two bathrooms and grand empire furnishings peppered with what Sotheby's would call "important pieces." Our favorite things: The airport pickup in a fancy Mercedes, the frequent replenishment of bottles of Romerquelle mineral water and vases of yellow roses, the chilled Laurent-Perrier on arrival, and the proximity of the State Opera house—so close you can almost hear the swish of the conductor's baton.Read More: 11 Hard-to-Get-to HotelsPhoto: Courtesy Hotel Bristol
HOTEL IMPERIAL, VIENNA(07 of10)
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Royal SuiteGargantuan chandeliers hang from stratospheric ceilings in rooms decorated in a regal white, gold, and navy-blue palette. The living room is big enough for two sitting areas, a desk, and a dining table—all on a parquet floor with intricate marquetry. Bragging rights: The suite has hosted countless luminaries, from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to Lady Gaga, with Brad and Angie in between.Read More: 12 Unexpected Room Service DishesPhoto: Courtesy Hotel Imperial
EMIRATES PALACE, ABU DHABI(08 of10)
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Palace SuitesThe one-bedroom Palace Suite (there are 48 of them) has soaring ceilings that inspire a feeling of privilege. The entry and sitting room are both marked by marble columns; two Doric columns also frame the lush bed. Combine the suite with one or two others to create a self-contained complex.Read More: Best New Hotels Under $300Photo: Courtesy Emirates Palace
HARD ROCK HOTEL, LAS VEGAS(09 of10)
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Provocateur SuiteYou are greeted upon entry by black-vinyl walls and an S&M table. A dark anteroom between the foyer and the master bath features a cage big enough to hold a full-grown man and a set of manacles on chains (but no way to fasten them). The living room has an inlaid carpet made of old black-leather belts. Last June, rumor had it Duran Duran had checked in.Read More: Best New Hotels Under $300Photo: Courtesy Hard Rock Hotel
ARIA RESORT & CASINO, LAS VEGAS(10 of10)
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Sky Villa 12This duplex with a golden curving staircase has three bedrooms, each with his-and-her bathrooms, 36-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, an iMac, a kitchen stocked with waters and juices, a gym with a steam room, and not so much space as acreage. Last spring, a princess from Oman—with three daughters in town—took up residence for a week. All four had their hair styled in the suite's salon every day, to the tune of $220 a blowout.Read More: The 8 Best Hotels of All TimePhoto: Courtesy Aria Resort & Casino

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