The report includes unverified claims that President Donald Trump stayed in the Moscow Ritz-Carlton hotel in 2013 and watched hired prostitutes “perform a 'golden showers' [urination] show in front of him” with the goal of defiling the presidential suite bed where Barack and Michelle Obama had previously slept. The dossier indicated Russian intelligence videotaped this encounter to blackmail Trump.
Buzzfeed News released the full report in January 2017, after Trump was elected president and before his inauguration.
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The claims in the Steele dossier are unverified and Trump has denied that such an event happened.
The presidential suite actually costs 1 million roubles, (US$15,365) per night, a reservations supervisor told me. That does not include a 20 per cent value-added tax, which would bring the nightly total to more than US$18,000.
The Ritz-Carlton is located in the centre of Moscow, and I used Russia’s most popular ride sharing app, Yandex, to get to the hotel.
My driver inexplicably dropped me off on a side street, so I lugged my suitcase through some winding back alleys before finally arriving at the front entrance.
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The porte cochere entrance was full of Mercedes and other luxury vehicles.
In the lobby, I was met with towering flower bouquets, elegant staircases and gleaming marble surfaces. Calming flute and piano music was playing.
At the check-in desk, I was told I was given an upgrade and would need to wait no more than five minutes while the room received a last-minute check. The concierge took my suitcase to have it brought up to the room.
I sat down on one of the plush lobby chairs and waited for no more than a minute before the front desk woman came to give me my room key. She had a strange smile on her face.
“So, because we're so full, you've been upgraded”, she said. “You've been upgraded to our best suite ... You'll be in the presidential suite. It's very nice. It has a lot of rooms. You will like it”.
I didn't quite buy that I was getting upgraded to the hotel's most expensive suite because they were “full”, but I thanked her and took my room key.
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I stepped into the lift to head up to the suite, which was on the 11th floor, the highest, before the rooftop restaurant and lounge.
It took me a moment to realise why simply pressing the button for the 11th floor wasn't working: I had to insert my room key to gain access to that floor. When I stepped in, it was very quiet and I didn't see any other guests around.
The hallway was carpeted in blue and gold and lined with glittering chandeliers.
At the end of the hallway was a shiny black door with gold detailing and a brass plaque with my room number: 1101.
It already looked very presidential.
Upon stepping into the suite's entryway, one thing was clear: it was the largest and most luxurious hotel room I'd ever been – and probably will ever stay — in.
Four different doors opened off the entryway alone, and that didn't include the door I'd just walked through.
One of the doors led to a small yet elegant bathroom.
The lights are controlled by touch panels on the wall. To my left was a kitchen complete with hob, oven, microwave, Nespresso machine, electric kettle and refrigerator.
I found it odd, however, that there was no sink.
The coffee station had several different types of espresso and decaf, Ritz-Carlton branded coffee cups, teas and creamer.
Through the kitchen, I found a dining room with a large table and six chairs, although at least four more chairs could be comfortably added.
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With the large television at one end of the table, I could see the space being used as a conference room as well.
The office is outfitted with a fireplace, a stately wooden desk, and a heavy leather-and-wood desk chair.
I couldn't help but imagine Barack Obama sitting at this desk as president.
On the desk were brochures outlining the hotel's spa and dining offerings. The “Business Spa” menu included a “Leader's Eyes” facial and a “Millionaire's Secret” four-hands massage.
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The hotel has an extensive room service menu. Light breakfast options included a salmon bagel, yogurt and muesli, various cereals, and more.
One of the suite's rooms is dedicated entirely to a Rönisch grand piano.
I took piano lessons for 10 years, so the grand piano was one of the most exciting parts of the suite for me, and I spent a good portion of the evening playing it.
The suite's spacious sitting room comes with its own fireplace …
… and an unbeatable view of the Kremlin, the complex that serves as the official residence of President Vladimir Putin.
I headed down the hallway toward the master bedroom and bathroom.
The plush white carpeting was incredibly soft on my bare feet.
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The first door on the right is a dressing room larger than my bedroom in New York City.
The bedroom is lavishly decorated in gold tones.
On the other side of the room is another fireplace and a sitting area.
A flat-screen television sits across from two comfortable armchairs.
The king-size bed features an elaborate golden headboard.
Touch panels by the bed control the lights and curtains.
The bedroom also has the same view of the Kremlin as the living room.
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Next, I went to check out the suite's bathroom.
Unsurprisingly, it's made almost entirely of marble. It includes a double-sink vanity.
The stand-out feature in the bathroom is the jetted soaking tub sunken into a massive chunk of marble.
There’s also a separate walk-in rain shower.
The bathroom includes a bidet with a telephone next to it, and another phone next to the bathtub.
I suppose if you're the president, you need to be reachable at all times, even in the bathroom.
And then there's the private sauna, which I didn't even know existed in hotel rooms.
The sauna is small, but three or four people could probably fit if they got cosy.
Just inside the door to the sauna is a large red button – the purpose of which I will explain in a moment – that you would think could not be missed. But as I discovered when I poked my head inside the dark sauna and felt around blindly for a light, the red button is easily mistaken for a light switch.
About 30 seconds after I pushed the button without realising what it was, I got a phone call from the front desk. They asked me if everything was OK because I had pressed the panic button which automatically alerted the police, who then called the hotel.
“Panic button”? I said, now actually panicking. “I didn't know there was a panic button”. I told them I was fine and asked where the panic button was so I wouldn't accidentally push it again.
I was told there was one in the bathroom and one in the bedroom. I never found the one in the bedroom.
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Next to the tub was a plush dressing gown that I ended up wearing for the entirety of my time in the suite.
The toiletries provided were from the British luxury brand Asprey.
The mini-bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower wash, as well as body scrubbers, combs and nail files, were scattered throughout the bathroom. I took at least one of everything home with me.
After a much-needed shower, I put on the fluffy white dressing gown. It was time for food.
I ordered room service for the first time in my life, and it arrived in about 25 minutes.
I got a croque monsieur with fries, a glass of Prosecco, and tiramisu for dessert. The person who brought up my dinner set up the cart in the sitting room so I could eat while admiring a view of the Kremlin.
I had originally ordered the “Ritz-Carlton Cake”, the hotel's signature chocolate-orange cake, for dessert, but they were sold out, so I went with the tiramisu.
I was a bit disappointed by the food. It wasn't quite hot when I got it, and the fries were a bit bland and mushy. Yes, I ordered French food in the capital of Russia, but in my opinion, if you're paying hundreds or thousands of dollars per night for a hotel room, the food should be good no matter what you order.
The total came to US$63.36, which I paid with my credit card when the food was brought up. I expected the meal to be expensive — it's the Ritz-Carlton, after all — but I don't think the quality quite lived up to the cost.
As night fell over Moscow, the views from the suite were incredible.
I watched a few minutes of news on the flat-screen television in the bedroom and then crawled into bed.
Although there was a touchpad on the bedside table, I had some trouble figuring out how to turn the lights off. I ended up randomly pushing buttons until they turned off.
Sleeping in the bed felt like being wrapped in a fluffy cocoon.
I woke up at about 8am after the best sleep of my trip. I opened the curtains with a touch of a button and let the morning sunlight stream into the room.
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My first order of business in the morning was taking a bath in the suite's spacious soaking tub.
While the tub was filling up, I made myself a double espresso.
I also ordered room service so my breakfast would arrive right after I finished my bath.
I could have spent hours in that bathtub, but I eventually dragged myself out in time for room service, round two. I ordered a relatively light breakfast of cereal, toast, fresh fruit, fresh-squeezed orange juice and a cappuccino.
Breakfast cost US$32.54, which seemed steep for some fruit, cereal and a few pieces of bread. But again, it's the Ritz. The toast was cold, but everything else was fine.
After breakfast, I spent a few minutes relaxing in the sauna.
I was determined to try out every single amenity in the suite before I had to check out at 1pm.
After I had bathed, sauna-ed, and eaten breakfast, I went to go check out some other parts of the hotel, even though I was reluctant to leave my suite.
On the 11th floor, just down the hall from the presidential suite, is the Club Lounge, which is only open to guests staying on the 10th and 11th floors.
The lounge serves breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner.
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Next, I went up to check out the hotel's O2 Lounge, the rooftop restaurant, bar and terrace.
The O2 Lounge serves seafood, sushi and caviar, as well as wine and cocktails. Menu items include a burrata and tomato plate for US$18, salted halibut for US$28 and a seafood tower with lobster, crab, oysters and prawns for about US$444.
I went out onto the terrace and sat down at a table, planning on getting a quick drink.
But a server told me the O2 Lounge is closed until 12pm, which was about half an hour away, so I continued my tour of the hotel.
Below the lobby is the fitness and spa level of the hotel.
The fitness studio, which is open 24 hours, includes a swimming pool, a hot pool, a sauna with Himalayan salt and a crystal steam room.
Strangely enough, I couldn't find these luxe amenities after wandering around the fitness centre for several minutes. No one was around to ask, and because I had limited time, I gave up trying to find them.
On the other side of the lift bank from the fitness centre is the Ritz-Carlton spa.
I wasn’t able to see much of the spa area without booking a treatment.
Spa treatments include more than 11 different types of massages, body wraps and waxing, and several different types of facials, including a “Cellular Swiss Crystal Age-Defying” facial and a “Caviar Instant Lift” facial.
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I went back up to the lobby area and spotted well-dressed men and women lounging and drinking coffee or tea.
Hotel employees were wiping down the lobby's grand piano and other already spotless surfaces.
Just off the lobby is the Ritz-Carlton Lounge and Bar, where guests can enjoy drinks and “an Afternoon Tea ceremony with a Russian touch”, according to the Ritz's website.
Guests can choose from the English afternoon tea with scones and sandwiches for US$31 (for two people), the Russian afternoon tea with piroshki and Russian pancakes for US$23 (for one person), or the Tsar afternoon tea with sandwiches, mini French pastries, and two glasses of champagne for US$92 (for two people).
In addition to the O2 Lounge and the lounge and bar in the lobby, guests can eat at the outdoor Novikov Restaurant & Bar, which sits in front of the Ritz's main entrance.
Novikov serves pan-Asian fare, including more than 15 varieties of sake. There's also an indoor VIP room with an extensive whisky selection.
Back in my room, I had about 15 minutes before I had to check out. I spent my remaining precious moments in the suite lounging in the greatest of all beds.
Ten minutes before my checkout time, one of the concierges came up to get my bag.
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“Just one suitcase”? he asked. I suppose I must have travelled lighter than the Obamas.
As I stepped out of the lobby, the doorman offered to call me a taxi, but I had already ordered a ride through Yandex.
It was hard to leave the Ritz-Carlton presidential suite for a US$35-a-night Airbnb room.
While I had expected more from the food, the pure opulence and top-notch service during my stay made it clear why the Ritz-Carlton is one of the world's leading luxury hotels.
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This article originally appeared on Business Insider.
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