Money is No Object
 

Occasionally someone will post a request for a hotel or restaurant, etc. and include that money is no object. Wow, what is that like? If you are such a poster, just out of curiosity, what do you do for a living?

I was thinking the same thing earlier today when someone posted "Money makes no difference." It doesn't?? Even if you're rolling in it, it "makes no difference?" I don't get it. Will be curious to see if there are any replies here.

I'm not one of those posters (someday perhaps... ;-) ), but I'd hazard a guess that some of them do not work at all anymore. Either retired or inherited their wealth.

Just speculating here, but I wonder if some of those posters are fairly new travelers who don't completely understand just how expensive a hotel or restaurant can be, especially in a city like Paris or London.

When I am in my TA's office in Dallas, I love eavesdropping on the other agents' clients.There was this vapid hussy there last week, insisting that "money was no concern" whlie booking her hotels in Paris and Rome.When the agent told here that a Deluxe room at the Hassler was 700E, her respponse was "No room in Rome is worth THAT!" I listened a bit more and can guarantee the woman had never left Texas.

I think it is extremely rare that someones says on here that money is no object. Once in a while, yes, but not very often. The post references today had to do with a honeymoon, and some others also were for a few days on a special occasion. It's possible these posters don't know the cost, but also that they don't mind spending 500 euro a day for a hotel room on a honeymoon.

The ones that I wonder about are the folks who say that they routinely stay in 5* hotels and talk about that a lot. Now of course I know some folks who have that much money (top lawyers and business people, and top surgeons), and some entertainers do, also, but I wouldn't expect that many of them to be posting on Fodors. I think if you are a billionaire the difference in 300 to 600 euro a day probably does make no difference.

A few months ago, the NYT published an article on Paul Allen and his space project. I was fascinated enough to blog about it:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?N1AE219FB

But I'll quote from the article:

""He says he spent about $20 million on the project, which is about what he earns in interest while flossing."

Amused, I decided to humor myself and see if this statement could potentially be true.

My conclusion was that Paul Allen's wealth was exaggerated by a factor of 2102.4.

Chuckle (the blog has some plausibility arguments).

But yes, if you're as wealthy as Paul Allen, money is certainly no object. Maybe the money from flossing is not 20MM, but rest assured that it's enough to cover a few nights at Crillon.

I would rarely post saying "money is no object" but i have certainly, and on more than one occasion, spent more than $500 per night on a hotel room.

What is it like? Expensive!

What do I do for a living???? Work very VERY hard!

Few posters here say that, but when they do, it's usually for a special occasion--honeymoon, anniversary, some other life event celebration.
A couple I made their first trip to Paris for their 20th anniversary. Six weeks before they left, they thought the wife had been diagnosed with breast cancer and the husband narrowly missed being killed in a car crash. For just this one trip, they tossed the budget out the window, flew first, stayed in a deluxe room at the Meurice, ate in the top restaurants of every night, had a private limo tour of the city.
That's NOT their usual style of travel (although they usually stay in deluxe properties, they try to get a good deal). But this trip fell under the Life's Too Short to Worry about Money category.

Money is no object when we travel because travel is the only thing we spend any significant amount of money on.

We own our home and other property with no debt, no kids, we have both worked all our lives and yes, we had some inheritances. But we didn't blow that money on cars, fancy clothes, jewelry or other stuff - it's all about travel for us.

Flying first class and staying in the best suite are what interests us at this point in our lives (50s). (We both did the modest hotel, budget travel thing when we were younger.)

So when we plan a trip, we really have no budget - we just go for it.

See the post about whether to stay at the Crillon or the Meurice.

((I))

I think when people say "money is no object" what they really mean is that they are willing to splurge and spend more than they usually do.

Unless the person is superstar rich, they might mean they're willing to spend $500 a night, but would they spend $700? Or they might be willing to spend $1000 a night, but would they spend $5000 a night? Most people have their limits -- a very few truly have no limits, but as others have said, I don't imagine they are here posting on fodors.

Does it count if I say that if we had no college tuition to pay, no mortgage, no car payment and no taxes THEN we could say "money's no object???!"

Shoot, I was hoping the OP was going to ask me to plan some fabulous trip and as a reward let me and my DH come along for company. Afterall, "Money is No Object!"

I had a Sociology teacher in HS who always said: "Everything is relative." And, it is, isn't it?

Well, I mean if you are posting on Fodor's European vacation board you are clearly not living at the poverty level. Several of you have answered that you or others just 'go for it' on vacation, especially if it is a honeymoon or anniversary. But surely you must realize that the majority of us would love to 'go for it' on these occasions but could not in our wildest dreams pay $700 or $800 per night for a hotel. I'm just wondering what level of income or employment or inheritance allows a couple of twentysomethings to pay that amount per night for a honeymoon OR anyone other than Madonna or Steve Jobs for that matter. I'm not against it, mind you! Jealous, yes! Just wondering what these types of people do.

Sadly, I imagine a lot of it goes on the credit card...and doesn't come off for a long time.

I had the idea maybe somebody's daddy was paying for the honeymoon, since they are 20-somethings.

FWIW, rbnwdln, we worked incredibly hard for over 20 years, then sold our business and "retired" quite early. I suppose I could spend $700 a night on a hotel -- it just would never occur to me to do so. But we are very fortunate that we can travel wherever and as much as we like. I never could have done it when we were working -- no time!

Love the reference to 'hussy 'beachboi . An excellent old word seldom used these days - like strumpet and trollope . I digress .
Please pity Australians who on exchange for 1 English pound pay about A$3 and for US$1 get around 70c.( and the rate is presently good )Therefore our options for 5* are limited.However I have managed to do so in Asia and some of Europe and the U.S.A. where the cost of such hotels has from time to time been affordable .
On the issue of ''money is no object...''was anyone else taught that you do not say things like that because it is , well , just not said by polite people ?
I would be interested in knowing peoples 3 ' wish list' hotels to stay at .

Hello JohnFitz, sounds like you were raised as I was. Money really is not discussed as far as how much or how little one had to spend. But those times seem to have passed.

Honestly, if I had my wish right now I would be in a delightful small but charming hotel in a small town of Veneto that I love, seeing my friends, completely relaxing and eating the most fabulouus (but not the most expensive) food. Oh yes, also drinking the wonderful wine of Veneto!

I don't agree that in this case saying, "money is no object" is in any way "impolite."

I think the poster may have been trying to avoid the oft-heard here response, "What is your budget?"

Then again, the words, "Money is no object" often generates jealousy in others now doesn't it?

Hi Voyager, just speaking for myself, the comment "money is no object" makes me smile. As others have said, sometimes when people say that comment they really do not mean it or do not know what certain things cost.

Speaking for myself I do not find myself jealous of anyone that has more money than I do. I know a lot of people that do. But many do not have what I do, loving family members, good and trustworthy friends, good health etc. All assests that money cannot buy. Good wishes to you.

>wondering what level of income or employment or inheritance allows a couple of twentysomethings to pay that amount per night for a honeymoon ...<

They are mortgaging their future.

This has become not uncommon: $30K for a wedding, $20K for a honeymoon,instead of buying a house, then, they divorce in a year or so.

((I))

I think I have tunnel thinking on all this chatter about spending $500-700 for a hotel room. I could do it for a a short term stay vacation but really now, how much time does one spend in a hotel room if your out and about seeing a city, dining, and living in your host location?

For me, I cut way back on hotel related costs, including the 12-14E for "breakfast" of a juice, coffee and pastry, and instead use any extra free cash to enjoy fine dining and site seeing. I do expect to have a clean hotel room, but beyond that my goals are focused on other things.

My kind of thinking, wine.

Fly cheap.
Sleep cheap.
Eat well.

((I))

Hi JohnFitz. "I would be interested in knowing peoples 3 'wish list' hotels to stay at" (if money were really no object) - interesting question. I can only think of 2 offhand, the Cipriani and (sort of a hotel) the Orient Express to get there. Sigh... maybe one day.

What are yours ?

ira - you are so right. We'd rather give them 50k for a house than blow it all on one event (not that this is going to happen!!)

LoveItaly - I agree with you. We are rich in other ways and it feels so good!

Aggiemom and LoveItaly, agree with you that so many things are more important than money. But sometimes people with money also have all those other good things.
Our friends who splashed out for their first (and only) trip to Paris also have two beautiful, healthy, happy, nice kids, a gracious, welcoming home, loving parents in good health who live naerby, a rewarding career (he is an outstanding physician, she runs his office), etc. Obviously, they've been blessed, but they're great people who deserve it.
As for hotel choices, to each his own. We prefer shopping around for 4 star hotels at 3 star prices. We want our hotel to be more than just a place to sleep, although we don't want to break the bank for it.

I remember reading someone's account of growing up during the Depression of the 1930s, and how rarely his parents were able to afford to buy him treats. Yet, every now and then, a magic bag of candy appeared.

Even as a child, he knew that the sensible thing would have been to carefully apportion one sweet to himself a day, making the bag last a long, long time - since it would be that much time before another one appeared. But that's not what he did - he gorged himself on candy for one glorious day. The bag was soon empty, of course, but the memory stayed with him for a long time.

Those who truly face money shortages often long to have a vacation from having to think about budget all the time. Like the boy in the story, just for once they don't want to think about deprivation; money, or where is the next bag of candy (packet of cigarettes, six-pack of beer) coming from is the last thing they want to think about. I see this all the time where I live. It's frustrating to watch, since of course the policy of short-term indulgence is counterproductive, but remembering the Depression story, I think I have a better understanding of it.

"...how much time does one spend in a hotel room if your out and about seeing a city, dining, and living in your host location?"

Short answer for many: about 8 hours to include sleep, getting ready for bed, getting up, washed and dressed, etc. In other words <b>one third</b> of your day/night.

For some people the hotel room, ambience, services, surroundings, and let's face it, the <b>cachet-snob factor</b> are as much a part of the travel experience as the running around and seeing things.

I'm usually more amused at these words used to describ many hotels: &quot;..it was perfectly adequate...&quot; and the ubiquitous, &quot;..it wasn't so bad.&quot;

There is nothing quite as bad as &quot;not so bad.&quot;

Money's no object, is just another one of those throw away lines. I can only imagine that it is enabling a person to convey the message that they are going to do something extra special or out of the ordinary, but not to be taken literally.

It's of course a different matter if your company's picking up the bill. I've travelled a lot on company business and when you look at how much they spend on an air ticket, hotel etc to me its stupid amounts. I remember the case a few years ago when the bankers from Barclays celebrated a deal at Gordon Ramsay's and the wine bill for 4 or 5 bottles came to GBP44,000 now that's when money's no object, but I'm 100% sure they wouldn't have spent their own money, especially not now as when the story was leaked they were all fired.

Geordie

I suspect that every one of those corporate dollars/Euros/Crowns, etc., etc., that is spent on expensive hotel rooms, flights, wine, women, and song is eventually charged to the consumer somehow or other.

&quot;There is nothing quite as bad as &quot;not so bad.&quot;

Trust me, Voyager2006, there are plenty of hotels that are a LOT worse than &quot;not so bad.&quot; I've stayed at a few of them! :-D

OK, I confess. I have posted and said that 'money is no object'. Of course I have justification since it was for a restaurant to take my father for his 85th birthday. I would pay any amount of money for that since I know how lucky I am to have both my parents alive and healthy.
One thing my mother taught me when I was young is that you will only have so much money. You can choose how to spend it understanding if you blow all your money on clothes you won't have any for food. We choose to spend more on our hotels (not $500!!!!) because my husband is an insomniac. In order to afford that we go away only once a year and we save to pay for it before we leave. How much we saved determines how much we spend on the trip! I don't think I could do it if I didn't have the money direct deposited from my pay to another bank.

When traveling with kids, I easily spend 11-12 hours per day in the hotel room. Even traveling by myself, I still like 8 hours of sleep plus time to unwind, bathe, and dress. I'm clearly not a &quot;MINO&quot; traveler, but I also understand why people want nice surroundings if 40-50% of their holiday time is spent there.

Maybe one day, money will be no object, but I doubt it. Even if I end up with more money than Bill Gates, I don't think I could spend the dollars/pounds/euros for the top accomodations in town. I've never wanted to stay in a hostel, and I didn't like camping when I was in girl scouts, so I won't go for the cheapest place either. I think I'll always try to find a 3* for a 2* price.

Well, I am &quot;younger&quot; (maybe?) than some of the regular posters here, but none of my friends my age for whom &quot;money is no object&quot; would ever utter that phrase. Don't know whether it's because it's vulgar or because it would never even occur to them to say so. I suspect it's the latter. They don't consider it because of course they can afford...whatever.

Unfortunately, I have rarely been in the position to say &quot;money is no object.&quot;

And, another thing. This is in no way a slam to the posters who have said they &quot;work very hard&quot; (I believe you!), but there are many, many people who work very hard and still are poor. Right? So I'm not sure &quot;working hard&quot; answers the OP's question.

And by the way, I don't work very hard. I'm sitting here at work right now. :)

Well, Leely, I find myself agreeing with you about everything you say. Some rich people are quite discreet.

However, rest assured that even if they don't say explicitly that &quot;money is not an object,&quot; that is the handwriting on the wall. You just have to look and infer and see. :-)

I guess it's all in the perspective. We left San Gimignano on a bus once and headed for Siena. We left a backpack on the bus that had everything in it...money, train pass, passports, everything. (Yes, many lessons learned.)Miracle of Miracles, we got the backpack back, because some angel turned it into the police, everything intact. That night we splurged to celebrate at the Cane e Gatto restaurant in Siena, and I am telling you that money was seriously no object. This was 5 years ago, and the dinner cost$150 for 2 people. I have never regretted that for a moment.

Also, money would be no object for a Simon and Garfunkel concert, or alas, the Beatles.

Oh, and my husband and I are both poor teachers

It's all relative, isn't it? My husband and I are not wealthy, but we have two incomes, no kids, and a good amount of slush money to spend on travel. To me, saying money is no object (which I've never said in my life), would mean spending $500 - $600 a night on a hotel. Which we've done a few times for really special trips like Rome and Tahiti. The problem is, it really spoils you and you want to only stay in the top notch hotels from then on.

Well, I can somewhat answer OP, in that I used to work with a number of single 30s people who were either unmarried or two-professional income households with no children. They were in sales and made (I would estimate) between $80,000 to $250,000 per year. They travel about 80% of the time and earn tons of FF miles and Marriott and Starwood points per year. When they vacation, (which due to the nature of their business is usually only for a maximum of two weeks at a time...although one guy always set it up to take of an entire month).

It is their TIME that is the valued commodity, so for them money is no object. While this particular company is a media-related business, I would imagine highly successful real estate professionals, Financial professionals (brokers and up, corporate lawyers and people who are in upper management and executive positions with successful companies of all sorts might find themselves in a similar position. But again, it is likely that these are pretty driven folks who don't take their vacations often, but when they do, are more concerned about the time away from their job than they might be about what their vacation is costing.