Hotel insiders have lifted the lid on the most outrageous requests from billionaire clients, including demands for fizzy water to wash hair and an indoor patch of grass for a dog. Employees at luxury establishments from Costa Rica to Switzerland shared their stories with the Washington Post, coinciding with the release of the second series of the satirical drama White Lotus.
New York City tour guide Christina Stanton described working with a Russian oligarch and his wife. On one occasion, the wife spent $4 million at Bergdorf Goodman after the store closed especially for her. When the family dined out, only their bodyguards spoke to the waiters.
Travel planner Sandra Weinacht recalled a hotel where staff had to order cases of Sanpellegrino sparkling water for a Russian client, who refused any other brand and used it to wash his hair. Another request came from a guest renting a Los Angeles mansion who demanded a mermaid costume with gills be delivered within an hour for a pool party.
A user of private jet hire company Monarch Air Group once spent $60,000 to fly a Pomeranian and Siberian Husky mix named Bella from Santa Barbara to Vancouver. At the Dolder Grand hotel in Zurich, a Russian guest asked staff to bring a square of lawn to her suite so her dog could relieve itself indoors. Hotelier Jens Maier managed to find artificial grass at short notice.
