A $75,000 expression of love

(EPA)   

What, you ask, could be so amazing that it justifies a 76-fold price increase? The answer is… a rose.

Each of the four presidential suites will tomorrow contain an Eternal Rose  a red bloom jetted in from the best growers in the Netherlands and draped in a 50-carat diamond necklace. The Valentine’s Day promotion is the brainchild of the hotel’s Executive Assistant Manager, Sanjog Modgil.

“We have flown the roses in from the Netherlands and they are the top of the crop over there. They are grown in limited amounts and the bud is very big, so it’s quite a luxury item.

“The necklace has A-grade, hand-crafted diamonds from Belgium. There is a dealer here who deals only in high quality diamond necklaces and he has four of them for us, so I didn’t have to order them specially.”

So far three true romantics with deep pockets have booked presidential suites for Valentine’s Day. They are all Thai nationals who are likely to remain anonymous, Modgil told Emirates Business.

The package includes a six-course gala dinner in the hotel’s Italian restaurant, Vivaldi, with lavish menu items such as Beluga caviar, Brittany lobster and Matsuzaka beef. It also includes breakfast in bed and all the luxuries on offer in the presidential suites.

The 577-room hotel caters to all markets but Modgil aims promotions such as this at the luxury market, which he says is growing in Asia. “We always like to target the top five per cent of people who understand luxury lifestyle,” he said. “Of course with a large hotel like this we can’t always attract the top crowd.”

Modgil admits to being surprised by the response to his promotions. His Valentine’s Day offering last year  a $550,000 Martini with a heart-shaped 5.2 carat ruby  was also a big success.

“That was pretty spectacular,” said Modgil, who is already feeling the pressure to think of something even more dazzling for next year. He refused to give any clues  but added: “I’ve definitely got to take it up a notch next year.”