Private jets, penthouse suites: How a superstar travels (Taylor’s version)
About 25,000 Swifties (and Swift curious) tuned into flight-tracking website Flightradar24 on Wednesday to watch flight VJT993, a private jet carrying the world’s biggest pop star, fly from Hawaii to Melbourne.
Six thousand still remained glued as it arrived at Melbourne Airport just shy of 1am on Thursday, where dozens of fans were waiting, hoping to glimpse the megastar as she exited her private charter and sped away in a convoy of black SUVs to Crown Towers in Southbank.
Taylor Swift’s private charter jet arrives at Melbourne Airport.Credit: Nine News
It’s a lavish prelude to what promises to be an equally lavish Australian tour for the singer, as she gears up to play the first of three shows in Melbourne on Friday, and a further four shows in Sydney from February 23.
All the jet-setting details of the singer’s time Down Under are slowly coming into focus, revealing a fascinating vignette of not only the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but also the logistics and high-level luxury that goes into hosting one of the biggest entertainers in the world.
Taylor Swift’s first Australian concert for the Eras Tour kicks off on Friday, February 16.Credit: Getty
Swift’s Bombardier Global 6000 aircraft, hired from private aviation firm Vista Jet, was the very same used to whisk the A-lister from Japan to the United States in time to watch her NFL beau Travis Kelce’s Super Bowl win earlier this week.
There’s no doubt Swift’s 11-hour ride over was a comfy one; the website describes the luxury aircraft as “a spacious three-zone cabin including a large galley perfect for fine dining.”
Private jet style... cabin interiors of a Bombardier Global 6000.Credit: Bombardier
It boasts more cabin space than any other equivalent private jet, is one of the fastest of any business jet and every seat onboard converts to a lie-flat bed – with a double bed in the rear compartment that can be closed off for complete privacy.
Crown Resorts’ partnership with the Eras Tour made them a shoo-in for the singer’s accommodation. Only hotels operating at these elite levels have the infrastructure and systems required to pull off such a delicate hosting operation.
In-villa breakfast... Crown Towers.
Neil Fergus, chief executive of leading international security advice firm Intelligent Risks, said many Australian hotels will try to attract such high-profile delegations and entourages as part of their business plan.
“Whether they be heads of state, heads of government or iconic entertainers – it’s big business,” said Fergus. “It’s not bad publicity either.”
Security is critical – in fact, at least two major Australian hotels use retired special forces officers to run their security operations, according to Fergus.
The penthouse master bedroom at Crown Towers.
Special arrangements need to be made at airports, he added: “[Security] standover on tarmacs for private jets, and a pick-up from the planes straight to the hotel – VIP delivery and VIP welcome. A number of these hotels have the facility to have separate entrances.
“Some hotels in Australia are internationally reputed and adept at handling prestigious visits of that nature.”
The Villa dining room table accommodates up to 12 guests.
Crown is one of them. It’s safe to assume there’ll be plenty of Style and no Champagne Problems in Swift’s sprawling 1090-square-metre penthouse on Crown Towers’ 43rd floor. The hotel’s opulent Presidential Villa, priced at $25,000 a night, is an obvious choice for the global pop sensation, featuring private express elevators and 24-hour butler service.
Taylor can enjoy 24-hour butler service during her stay at Crown Towers Melbourne.
A luxury villa compendium provided by the hotel describes it as “one of the most decadent and spectacular accommodation spaces in the southern hemisphere”.
Its dramatic gallery entrance is flush with marble, French panelling and black leather insets; the residence features custom everything – from the carpet and soft furnishings to lighting fixtures – a dedicated bar area with accessories from Italian luxury manufacturer Arca, a massage room encased in satin curtained walls, a glamorous mirrored private gym kitted with glossy timber veneer and leather furniture, a superyacht-inspired master bedroom and guest bedroom, and artworks throughout valued into the hundreds of thousands.
Dramatic entrance… Crown Towers Melbourne’s Presidential Suite.
Swift will also exclusively enjoy dishes from any of the hotel’s upmarket restaurants, including Nobu, Rockpool and Bistro Guillaume, in the comfort of her private residence. We predict Japanese is on the cards, given Tay Tay’s documented love of the Nobu chain (she and boyfriend Kelce were spied at the New York outpost just last December).
Taylor’s Sydney leg of the tour will be no less sumptuous; Crown Sydney’s palatial 820-square-metre Presidential Villa on the 88th floor – tipped as most likely contender for Taylor’s Sydney digs – costs $38,888 a night, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the harbour, and an open-air terrace with private heated infinity pool. It’s equipped with an office, massage suite, butler’s quarters, fitness room, marble spa bath and king-size bedroom with ensuite.
The Crown Towers Sydney Presidential Villa’s dining terrace.
The deluge of Swifties descending on Melbourne for the trio of concerts has meant hotels are peaking in occupancy for the Eras Tour weekend, with accommodation booking out all over the city. At the time of writing, Swift’s hotel, Crown Towers Melbourne, still has rooms available from $738 a night.
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