- Venice Simplon-Orient-Express' new ultra-luxury sleeper carriage is set to debut in March.
- The L'Observatoire suite has a butler, a secret lounge, and a marble bathroom for $100,200 a night.
- Belmond's luxury train has seen a booking boom amid a revived rail renaissance.
A $100,200 check could change someone's life — or be just enough to cover their one-night stay in Venice Simplon-Orient-Express' L'Observatoire suite, debuting in March.
Luxury travel company Belmond operates a fleet of six trains. Rail enthusiast or not, you'll likely recognize its famous Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, a 108-guest moving hotel with revamped century-old carriages that still retain the extravagance of the time.
It's this old glitz and glamour that has made the swanky train — and its forthcoming suite — a magnet for the growing luxury rail aficionado community.
Gary Franklin, Belmond's senior vice president of trains and cruises, told BI that reservations for the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express spiked 10% from 2023 to 2024.
Its six Grand Suites are often the first accommodations to be booked, despite its starting price of £22,360 — about $27,310 — for one night. That's more than triple the cost of the train's basic cabins.
These suites, considered a bucket list for wealthy travelers, are the most luxurious accommodations on the train.
Come March, this title will be dethroned by the L'Observatoire.
French artist JR designed the restored carriage-turned-cabin.
As such, expect creative details in the bedroom, such as green scalloped walls and a round skylight with wood covers that pivot like a camera lens.
It's perfect for gazing at the night sky while lying on the double bed.
Spend your afternoons lounging in the living room.
Peruse the fully stocked bookshelf or take a catnap on the window-side daybed.
If you're more social — or don't feel like eating in the three dining cars — consider hosting a group of friends at the adjacent dining table.
The space can also be rearranged into a living room with couches. Your butler, available around the clock, can likely help you with this furniture jigsaw.
The Venice Simplon-Orient Express has 17 carriages — 18 when guests request this lavish suite.
The L'Observatoire carriage is available upon request for £82,000, or about $100,170, per night, according to Franklin.
Despite the steep cost, reservations have been "fantastic," he said, noting that it had been booked for nine nights — about halfway to its first-year expectations — as of mid-December 2024.
Not bad, considering that it costs more than a year's tuition at a private American college.
