Presidential suites offer royal treatment

by Joan Tupponce
for Virginia Business
December 2006

You don't have to be the president of the United States to stay in a presidential suite. The premier suites in Virginia's top hotels and resorts offer elegant, spacious accommodations. In fact, some are bigger than a small house. Over the years, many notables have opted for these luxurious home-away-from-home abodes. Guests have included everyone from President Franklin D. Roosevelt to TV weatherman Willard Scott.

THE HOMESTEAD
Hot Springs

The five presidential suites at The Homestead are named after presidents who have stayed at the 240-year-old resort. Each of the 2,283-square-foot suites includes a foyer, a luxurious parlor, two bedrooms, two grandly appointed bathrooms and comfortable porches with spectacular views. Prices for the suites range from $575 to $915 per night.

The Madison Suite has a formal atmosphere with classical wall coverings and mahogany furniture. The McKinley Suite offers a comfy sitting room and bedrooms featuring fabrics from around the world and an extensive library - many of the books are travel related. The Taft Suite has a sporty feel with stained wood walls, richly upholstered furnishings in deep jewel tones, weathered leathers and game tables. The Wilson Suite serves as the honeymoon suite with romantic Southern floral fabrics featuring warm pinks and dramatic rose hues. The Eisenhower Suite is a golfer's paradise, filled with related artwork, course maps and other curios reflecting a lifetime of rounds spent on the links.

THE FOUNDERS INN
Virginia Beach

You may be only minutes away from the ocean but when you step onto the 433-square-foot balcony of The Founders Inn's presidential suite and see the landscaped English gardens, you'll swear you've crossed the Atlantic.

This elegant 1,743-square-foot presidential suite includes a "king" bedroom with sitting area, a smaller "queen" bedroom and a large parlor with a dining room. The traditionally styled suite has two full baths with jetted tubs and a separate standup shower in each bedroom as well as a half bath in the parlor. Gas fireplaces are in the king bedroom and the parlor. The suite also includes high-speed Internet access, a stereo/CD system and televisions in each room. The price for the suite is $1,100 a night.

Guests have included Britney Spears, former President George H.W. Bush and former first lady Barbara Bush, former Sen. Bob Dole, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, former Secretary of State Colin Powell, former first lady Nancy Reagan, and entertainers Mel Gibson, Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. Special requests have ranged from organic, exotic produce to the delivery of birthday cakes in the middle of the night.

THE LANSDOWNE RESORT
Leesburg

When you check into this resort's 1,177-square-foot presidential suite and walk out onto the balcony, you'll get something no other resort guest has - a breathtaking view of the Potomac River valley and a Robert Trent Jones Jr. golf course. Situated on the top floor of the resort, the parlor includes a wet bar, upscale contemporary living area with colors of fall - warm browns, moss greens and burnt orange - dining area, entertainment center and spacious balcony. The king-size bedroom features a four-poster bed and deluxe bathroom with oversize tub, separate shower and marble floors. Price for the suite fluctuates but starts at $500 a night.

Guests of the suite have included Michael Jordan, Tom Clancy and Greg Norman. The staff likes to tell about one romantic evening. The director of an event being held at Lansdowne had not seen her husband for two weeks. He was flying in to see her on Valentine's Day, so the staff filled the presidential suite with white candles and rose petals. A candlelight dinner for two was followed by champagne and strawberries.

THE JEFFERSON HOTEL
Richmond

If you enjoy relaxing to piano music, you'll feel right at home in the posh presidential suite at The Jefferson. With more than 1,800 square feet, it's big enough to accommodate a baby grand piano in the parlor. The suite is divided into four rooms, each with ornate woodworking original to the 111-year-old hotel. In addition to the piano, the parlor features an original fireplace mantel and French doors leading to the marble balcony overlooking Franklin Street, a picturesque avenue lined with 19th century buildings. The adjoining room has a dining area (with a dining table for eight) and an additional seating area. A kitchen with microwave, wet bar and refrigerator is just off the dining area. In the suite's master bedroom is a four-poster, king-size bed and writing desk. The adjoining marbled bath offers an oversize whirlpool tub, separate shower and dual sinks. The price is $2,100 a night.

Presidential suite guests have included Presidents Calvin Coolidge, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, Ronald Reagan, Harry S. Truman and Franklin Roosevelt as well as Elvis Presley.

HOTEL ROANOKE & CONFERENCE CENTER
Roanoke

The penthouse suite of this hotel originally served as the home of the chairman of Norfolk & Western Railroad during the years when the railroad owned the Tudor-style building. The 1,680-square-foot Governor's Suite - the only room on the seventh floor - includes a living room with a working fireplace, dining room that seats six, a kitchen pantry and a rooftop terrace with a commanding view of Roanoke and the Blue Ridge Mountains. The suite includes an elegant master suite with an oversize bath and a second bedroom with two double beds. The price of the suite is $509 per night.

WILLIAMSBURG INN
Williamsburg

The 500-square-foot Queen's Suite at the Williamsburg Inn is aptly named, considering Queen Elizabeth II once stayed there. The suite has a bedroom, marble bathroom and parlor with a wood-burning fireplace. The bed hangings and canopy are made of cream-colored silk sateen and trimmed with handmade silk tassels. The suite is priced at $750 a night.

Along with the queen, guests in the suite have included Emperor Hirohito and Empress Nagato of Japan. In preparation for the emperor's visit, upholsterers were asked to refit a horse drawn carriage with bulletproof material.

Providence Hall House - a separate home - features a master suite, two bed/sitting rooms, parlor, garden room, library and dining room. An adjacent carriage house features two bed/sitting rooms. The house, decorated in the Georgian period, has three working fireplaces and raised paneling in the library and dining room. The home includes a number of 18th-century prints by William Hogarth. Providence Hall rents for $3,000 a night.

Guests at the house have included television personality Willard Scott who stayed for several days during the New Year's celebration in 2000.