We may still be in a recession, but you'd never know it by looking at Simon Cowell's spending habits!

Auditions for The X Factor have moved on to Miami, where the contestants have been whittled down to the final 162. Simon wanted to offer the contestants a reward for getting that far though and according to TMZ, foot the bill himself -- to the tune of $500,000!

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So what does $500,000 in upgrades get you? Simon didn't want the contestants staying in a "regular" hotel, so he moved all 162 of them to the swanky Mondrian Miami South Beach Hotel. Not only that, but he promised to cover all of their meals for the duration of their audition. Spending that kind of dough for a weekend of auditions sounds insane to us, but money apparently doesn't matter when you're as rich as Simon is!

Don't expect Simon to remove his Grinch persona though anytime soon. He recently called fellow judge Demi Lovato "a brat" and Britney Spears "quite mean." With the money Simon has been shelling out to everyone on the show though, he can pretty much say whatever he wants!

What do you think of Simon's $500,000 upgrade?

Photos courtesy of Fame Flynet