5 Presidential Suites You Can Book Now Where US Presidents Have Actually Slept

When it comes to hotels, the presidential suite represents the cream of the crop. Regardless of whether any American president actually slept there, it's the name that earns the respect. For example, at the Four Seasons' presidential suite in New York City, this translates into a Steinway grand piano, bedroom walls wrapped in Thai silk, and a private terrace overlooking Central Park. Check into the presidential suite at the Hassler in Rome and find Roman artifacts, an 18^th-century desk, and handcrafted wood paneling. The same goes for the ultra-private presidential suite at the Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas.

When it comes to suites that hosted actual U.S. presidents, the luxury may not always reach such heights (although it often does). But it's more than made up for by the history made there, which is sometimes world-changing. Some even come with actual items and artifacts used by the presidents, putting presidential history in guests' reach. That's gotten many on the official list of National Historic Landmarks, adding mystique to the appeal of the rooms to guests, who generally need to book them far in advance and pay top dollar. Here are five true presidential suites that hosted the commander-in-chief and can claim the elite status.

At the top of any list of true presidential suites must be the Waldorf Astoria, less than a 20-minute walk from the scenic park named the best tourist attraction in America. The famed presidential suite can claim more presidents than almost any other. In fact, every president from Herbert Hoover to Barack Obama checked in to it, and a plaque at the entrance of the suite pays tribute to them, as well as the many other A-list guests who have slumbered inside, including Queen Elizabeth II, Charles de Gaulle, Nikita Khrushchev, and Emperor and Empress Hirohito. At several times during the 20^th century, guests using this room even ran into former presidents living in this section of the hotel — known as the Waldorf Towers — including Herbert Hoover and Dwight Eisenhower.

The "Waldorf Presidential Suite" spreads across 2,245 square feet — enough to accommodate 50 guests. This encompasses three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a boudoir, 10-seat dining room, kitchen, and fireplace. The suite also features some presidential artifacts that bring the history and pedigree to the fingertips. Chief among these is President John F. Kennedy's rocking chair beside the fireplace, now on loan to the JFK Hyannis Museum during the Waldorf's ongoing restoration by Hilton. Guests can find wall sconces donated by President Richard Nixon. There's also a desk owned by Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who briefly ran for president in 1952 after being fired by President Harry Truman.

The Blackstone Hotel on Chicago's "Magnificant Mile" — just a few blocks from the one-of-a-kind waterfront with some of the world's best architecture — has watched the comings and goings of history for more than 100 years. Since 1910, it's hosted a who's who of 20^th-century titans, including opera legend Enrico Caruso, who sang at the opening day festivities. Al Capone held meetings in the barber shop during haircuts, and Charles "Lucky" Luciano hosted the first-ever crime convention in the Crystal Ballroom. They were joined by decades of A-listers, including Marilyn Monroe, Louis Armstrong, Lena Horne, Nat King Cole, and Rudolph Valentino, not to mention any number of Astors, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts. The guest list also includes 12 presidents of the United States, including every one between Theodore Roosevelt and Richard Nixon, plus Jimmy Carter.

All stayed in the "Suite of Presidents" on the 10^th floor. The suite splays out across a master bedroom inspired by the Kennedy's White House bedroom, marble-coated master bathroom, eight-seat dining area, and adjacent parlor. The accommodation is 1,300 square feet with expansive views of Grant Park and Lake Michigan. There's presidential history in the air, too. It is where President Harry Truman gave private piano performances of the "Missouri Waltz," President Eisenhower watched his nomination on TV in 1952, and President Kennedy got word of the Cuban missile crisis while eating a bowl of clam chowder.

Few presidents traveled as much as the first, George Washington. As leader of the new country, he set out to see as much of it as he could. He made three presidential tours, first to New England in 1789, Long Island in 1790, and the southern states in 1791. This came after crisscrossing much of the colonies attacking and retreating from British armies during the Revolution. Before that, he spent time fighting and surveying in the future states of Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. As president, his accommodations improved significantly and included dozens of inns throughout the colonies. Unfortunately, missing or unclear evidence consigns many claims of "George Washington slept here" to legend, and even a running joke. 

The Merchant in Salem, Massachusetts is one hotel that can back up the claim. Washington specifically requested the room now styled "George Washington King Deluxe" during his 1789 New England tour. Originally built as a private home for successful Salem sea merchant Joshua Ward in 1784, the Federal-style brick building featured fine interior woodwork by Samuel McIntire, who later gave his name to Salem's McIntire Historic District. His work also remains in the suite's original paneling, window seats, and woodwork details, and the windows Washington looked through still display the front yard. Otherwise, the room has been given a fully modern gloss, with heated floors, gas fireplace, and 21st-century technology, not to mention private bathrooms.

This Italian Renaissance-style building sheathed in Colorado red granite and Arizona sandstone stands as one of downtown Denver's chief landmarks. The hotel is also the embodiment of the American Dream, built by Henry Cordes Brown, who rose from orphaned farmhand in Ohio to real-estate mogul in Denver. It was his land that Colorado's state capitol building was built upon, as were the fashionable neighborhoods around it, earning Brown millions. He put $1.6 million of this Fabergé-level nest egg — about $55 million today — into building one of the best hotels in the country. Less than 20 years after opening in 1892, it was checking in its first president, Theodore Roosevelt.

He's been followed by every president since, except Calvin Coolidge, Barack Obama and Donald Trump. In tribute, the hotel lists three presidential suites — Reagan, Eisenhower, and Roosevelt — however, only the first two can boast commander-in-chief heads on their pillows. President Reagan stayed in his namesake suite in 1981, inspiring its 1950s ranch design. It's gussied up to presidential levels by a grand bedroom with a four-poster king bed, amber marble bathroom, French doors, and a fireplace. President Eisenhower spent the entire summer of 1955 in his suite, earning it the nickname "Western White House." This is echoed in the blue carpeting, white panel walls, cherry wood table, and crystal chandelier. There's even a little bit of Ike's golf game left by a dent in the fireplace mantel.

When President Biden and Vice President Harris arrived at the Fairmont San Francisco in November 2023, every other guest of the hotel had to vacate the 606 rooms for their entourage of officials, staffers, and security. They also followed a long line of chief executives to check into this historic property on Nob Hill — every one since William Howard Taft, except Donald Trump. It has a lot to do with the hotel's historical pedigree and architectural beauty. Its Beaux-Arts design was all the rage in 1907 , and stood out even more among the destruction wrought by the 1906 earthquake. Over the next 100-plus years, it continued to make history, from witnessing Tony Bennett's first serenade of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" to hosting the inaugural United Nations Conference in 1945.

The biggest wigs — royalty, presidents, and celebrities — take up the penthouse suite, a 6,000-square-foot space that spans the entire 8^th floor and can host up to 100 people. Opulence, power, and wealth are on vivid display throughout, in the artwork by David Hockney, a two-story library topped by a dome with a celestial map in gold leaf, a billiard room in Moorish design, and living room with a grand piano. And that's on top of three bedrooms and three and a half luxurious bathrooms. There's even a "secret" passageway behind a bookcase through which Marilyn Monroe was hustled when Jackie Kennedy arrived to stay with her husband, John F. Kennedy.