Business leader and philanthropist
1955
Seattle, Washington, USA
American
$2,192
Huka Lodge rests beside the turquoise Waikato River in a world of lawns, old trees and quiet dining by the water. Queen Elizabeth II returned four times, favouring its secluded country-house rhythm and a particular seat that reminded her of Scotland.
$2,198
Ellerman House feels less like a hotel than a private Cape Town mansion suspended above the Atlantic, filled with South African art and guarded seclusion. Oprah Winfrey has called it one of her favourite hotels anywhere in the world.
$309
Barack and Michelle Obama made ITC Maurya their New Delhi base in January 2015, occupying the Grand Presidential Suite with its private sauna, study and 12-seat dining room. Barack used the hotel gym each morning, Michelle dined privately at Bukhara, and the presidential limousine waited below. ITC Maurya still feels designed for such arrivals: composed, discreet and grand, with celebrated Indian dining and a diplomatic Chanakyapuri address.
