The $50K sukkah: Celebrating the harvest holiday in style

By BEN SALES

(JTA) — With its panoramic views of Jerusalem, plush seating area and decorative elements, this could be almost any other room at the Inbal Jerusalem Hotel. Except the floor is made of AstroTurf, the walls are made of transparent cloth and the roof is a bamboo mat.

Penthouse guests at the Inbal Jerusalem Hotel get to custom design their private sukkah in the suite, complete with full-service meals and a space to relax. (Ben Sales)

Welcome to one of a dozen private succahs built on the porches of the five-star hotel’s Penthouse Suites.

These hotel succahs represent the vanguard of holiday hotel luxury in Jerusalem. The succah suites carry a price tag of approximately $50,000 for a family of four for the eight-day holiday; the cost includes three meals a day. The seating area in the 430-square-foot succah includes a wide red couch, two matching armchairs and a glass coffee table with a polished wood frame. There’s also a dining area and walls decorated with faux grapes hanging from a wooden weave.

All 12 private succah suites on offer at the Inbal are already booked for the holiday

Like most hotels in Israel, the Inbal also builds two huge succahs for the regular folks: huts that together can accommodate 600 guests at mealtime. But those who can afford a more intimate experience need not leave their penthouses during the holiday.

Waiters serve hot meals from a kitchen set up on an annex on the top floor. Guests dine with sterling silverware on a starched, white tablecloth. When the meal is over, waiters clean the table and bring in cots for guests who want to sleep in the succah at night.

Most Jews who build their own succahs start thinking about design and decoration a few days before the holiday, if that. At the Inbal, succah design began three months ago. Guests chose the color schemes and layout of their personal succahs: Some are green with roll-up windows, others red with a clear plastic window all around. The faux fruit design changes accordingly.

The whole enterprise costs the hotel around $100,000, including dozens of extra staffers for the penthouse floor, according to Alex Herman, the Inbal’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“It’s having people sitting here with a lot of demands,” he said. “They’re expecting a lot. It’s a long stay. I’ve learned to live without sleeping.”