High-end private concierge service is a poorly understood profession. Many people confuse it with a reservation service, others with a personal assistant, and still others with a luxury brand attached to a bank card. None of this reflects what our families ask of us. To clear up the ambiguities, here are thirty questions we are asked — and thirty direct answers.
The profession, what it is and what it is not
By private concierge we mean personalized support provided to a family, a manager or a UHNWI household, which takes care of the management of their daily life: travel, reservations, reception at home, management of usage assets (residences, household staff), organization of family and professional events, coordination of medical or educational services, and more recently, philanthropic support.
The difference with a hotel concierge, a bank card concierge or a personal assistant can be summed up in three words: privacy, anticipation, neutrality. Intimacy supposes that the concierge knows the tastes, the constraints, the history of the family. Anticipation implies that he prepares three months in advance for the summer season, not two days before. Neutrality assumes that it is only remunerated by the client, with no hidden commission from service providers.
The following questions have all been asked of our house by actual customers. The answers are those we provide every day.
Frequently asked questions
What differentiates a private concierge service from a bank card concierge service?
The private concierge works exclusively for you, establishes a personal relationship with family members, keeps a long memory of your preferences and does not receive any commission from service providers. Bank card concierge is a standardized, rotating service (several different agents handle your requests), often charging fees to partners. The difference is seen in the quality of the choices offered.
How much does a high-end private concierge service cost?
There are multiple models: annual subscription with capped services, tailor-made package with fees plus minimal commitment, or one-off project (organization of a wedding, management of a second home). Each commitment is the subject of a confidential estimate after an exploratory interview. The ranges vary according to the intensity of the service, the number of residences covered and the international dimension of the family.
Do I really need a concierge if I already have an assistant?
Yes and no. A personal assistant, even a competent one, is rarely qualified to orchestrate a house government, negotiate with an art gallery, intervene in a house staff dispute, or organize a star-studded reception at home. The private concierge complements the assistant: he takes care of requests that require sectoral expertise, relationships and superior discretion.
What is the difference between a private concierge and a family officer?
The family officer manages financial assets: structuring, investments, taxation, governance. The private concierge manages the assets of use and the daily life: houses, staff, trips, receptions, events. Bothprofessions complement each other in the best structured UHNWI families. In some homes, the private concierge is an integral part of the family office.
Is a private concierge only available for travel and reservations?
No, and this is a common mistake. Travel represents approximately 15% of our business. The rest is divided between management of second homes, organization of private events, management of household staff, coordination of projects (renovation, acquisitions, patronage), educational and medical support for children, and personal administrative assistance.
What do you actually do for a UHNWI family in a typical year?
Planning of the summer season (villa in Provençal or in the islands), orchestration of the family Christmas (chalet or urban residence), weekly management of two or three residences, five to seven private dinners, two or three sponsorship events, annual recruitment of staff, interface with international children's schools, coordination with the lawyer and the notary on everyday matters, and support for elderly ancestors in their residences.
How does a first contact with a private concierge take place?
An exploratory interview, generally by video or in your office, lasting around 45 minutes. We map your home, your residences, your annual rhythm, your specific requirements (dietary, religious, family, professional). At the end, we send you a tailor-made confidential proposal. No signature is required during this first meeting. The discussion itself is covered by an NDA.
Do you work with leaders or only with families?
Both. Around 40% of our clientele is made up of managers and patriarchs (founders, CEOs, non-executive presidents), often in a mixed professional-private logic. 60% are UHNWI families with a heritage vocation. Services overlap: travel, reservations, receptions, residence management.
Can you manage my house remotely if I come there two weeks a year?
This is one of our main businesses: residence management. We keep the house open, we coordinate seasonal maintenance, we prepare the house before your arrival (linen, cellar, supplies, staff) and we close it after your departure. Visits take place every week, every fortnight or every month depending on your specifications.
What is the difference between a housekeeper and a concierge?
The housekeeper is an employee of the family and works in a residence. The private concierge is external, covers all residences and interacts with specialized service providers. In an optimal structure, the two roles coexist: the housekeeper manages stewardship within the home, the concierge orchestrates the exterior and the multi-site dimension.
Can you recruit staff for my houses?
Yes. We have developed a qualified network (private chefs, housekeepers, butlers, nannies, drivers, gardeners, guards). Each candidate is presented after background checks, multiple interviews and field assessment. We charge as a recruitment fee, not as an annual percentage of salary. We also support breakups when necessary.
Are you interfering with my family office or my lawyer?
No. Our house intervenes on the operational level: management, reservations, residences, staff, events. Legal matters, taxux and assets come under your dedicated advice. In practice, we work hand in hand with your family office: they send us the budgetary frameworks and legal constraints, we execute within these frameworks.
How do you guarantee discretion and confidentiality?
Each member of our team signs a strict NDA upon hire and a specific NDA with each client family. Our IT infrastructure (communications, archiving) is segmented by client and audited periodically. We never refer to our customers by name in our communication. No public testimony is requested, even with consent.
Can you organize a wedding, baptism or birthday?
Yes, it is a historic aspect of our profession. We design the event from A to Z: location (private villa, castle, monument), scenography, starred caterer, brigade service, cellar, flowers, music, guest transport, accommodation, private security. A complex wedding requires six to eight months of preparation and a dedicated team from our house.
Do you operate internationally or only in France?
We operate directly in France, and internationally through a network of exclusive partners (London, Milan, Monaco, Geneva, Saint-Moritz, New York, Los Angeles, Dubai, Marrakech, Hong Kong). The point of contact remains your French contact: he coordinates with the local partner house according to your specifications.
How many clients does a private concierge service welcome?
A dedicated private concierge generally follows between eight and fifteen families maximum, depending on the density of service. A company that announces that it supports 100 families with five employees does not carry out the same profession: it is volume concierge service, close to bank card concierge service. Our house respects a strict ratio to preserve individual quality.
Can you assist with exceptional purchases (watches, automobiles, works of art)?
Yes, with limits. For art, wine and jewelry, we orchestrate in coordination with independent experts who we present to you. Our role is logistical and relational: access to galleries closed to the public, private sales outside of auction, secure transport, storage, insurance. Evaluation and authentication are the responsibility of the expert.
Can a private concierge replace a personal assistant?
Partly, for the private aspect. The personal assistant remains useful for managing daily professional diaries, managing corporate mail, and repetitive internal exchanges. The private concierge takes over everything relating to personal, family, residential and event life. The two profiles coexist without overlapping.
What is your time coverage?
A dedicated concierge available 24/7 for emergencies. Routine requests are handled during extended business hours (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.). An emergency call switchboard is available outside these ranges. When traveling to a different time zone, a relay is provided.
How long does it take for a concierge to really get to know my family?
Three to six months of active collaboration so that deep preferences are captured: favorite dishes and allergies of each member, preferred hotels and rooms, brands and sizes for clothing, musical preferences, school calendars, sensitive dates. This is why we do not operate in transactional mode: an annual commitment is the minimum to fully exploit theservice.
Do you use a mobile application?
We have a secure customer area for requests and follow-up, but we favor telephone and encrypted messaging (Signal or equivalent). The customer experience is not a form to fill out: it is a personal conversation with your representative concierge, who knows your voice and your nuances.
How to choose between several concierge houses?
Have a project in mind?
Our experts are ready to create a bespoke experience for you.
Request a free quoteEvaluate five criteria: the client-concierge ratio (maximum 15), the seniority of the teams (high turnover is a very bad sign), the capacity for multi-site and international intervention, economic neutrality (no commission from service providers), and discretion (total absence of personal testimonials in the communication).
Are there minimum commitments?
Yes, a minimum commitment of 12 months is the norm in the profession. Certain one-off projects (organization of a wedding, management of a summer season) can be handled as a dedicated mission, but not as a subscription. Our house accepts an early termination clause for legitimate reasons, provided for in the contract.
Can we add services during the year?
Always. The subscription contract provides for a core of services, but the scope adjusts during the year. The acquisition of a new residence, the arrival of a child, the death of an ascendant who leaves a house to manage — so many events which modify the scope. Amendments are written accordingly, with pricing transparency.
What quality of service should you expect in the first month?
The first month is devoted to integration: meetings with existing staff, mapping of residences, establishment of emergency protocols, taking preferences. Operational services are beginning but without the finesse that will be achieved in the third month. We recommend that families be clear at this stage about their expectations, to speed up alignment.
Can a concierge accompany an elderly or sick relative?
Yes, as part of family support. We coordinate home care, the presence of a attending physician, the interface with hospitals and private clinics, medical transfers, and home furnishings. Medical decisions remain those of the family and the health team. We intervene on the logistical and human side.
Can you outsource the management of your cellar?
Yes. We manage cellars of 500 to 30,000 bottles for several families. Inventory, rotation, replenishment, expert consultant, sales advice for bottles with high potential, coordination with Bordeaux and Burgundy merchants. Management is carried out in conjunction with an independent oenologist whom we recommend.
Can you organize international schooling for my children?
School guidance is not our main job, but we intervene on the logistical and relational side: visits to schools (Le Rosey, Institut auf dem Rosenberg, Eton, Benenden, Charterhouse), interfaces with admissions, transfer logistics, supervision of a private tutor, support during the week for the youngest. We work with several independent school consultants that we present to you.
What is your position on philanthropy?
A growing part of our activity. We help families to structure their action: mapping of causes of interest, visits to foundations and associations, orchestration of fundraising events, liaison with family foundations. We are not advisors in philanthropic strategy (this profession is carried out by other specialists), but we execute within the framework set by the family.
How do you start? What do you advise me immediately?
An initial confidential telephone conversation, lasting fifteen to twenty minutes, to identify your real needs and identify whether our house can be useful to you. At the end, we can agree to a 45-minute exploratory meeting, without obligation, within the framework of an NDA. No proposal is made before this stage. You come away with a clear understanding of what our profession can bring you — or cannot.
