Sometimes booking a holiday can feel more like work than play, and in between board meetings, work events and nativity plays there is not always time to decorate the Christmas tree, so sue us. But fear not, help is at hand as we have found a selection of little-known services that make a big difference.
We all want to look our best all of the time (or at least when people can see us) but keeping abreast of the trends is a full time job – is it florals or blocks colours this season? Heels or flats? If this very thought fills you with dread then you can hire someone to do the research, and the legwork, for you – your ultimate personal shopper. They organise your entire wardrobe, record your likes and dislikes and take your measurements twice a year so that they can pick up the latest trends as soon as they hit shelves. It also serves as a rather alarming incentive to maintain a trim physique.
If you are into the world of the personal designer, why not extend it to your Christmas tree – you can buy a $20,000 handmade tree which will be set up in your home and removed promptly on 1st January. You can be sure not to see the same one anywhere else, and can look on sympathetically as friends hang their children’s A-for-Effort decorations for the third year in a row.
On the subject of children, anyone with a small baby will understand the exhaustion associated with night-time feeds. This can be alleviated by a Night Nanny who will wake you up at regular intervals during the night for the feed (no more awakening to the screams of a child possessed) and afterwards will take the baby away and soothe it back to sleep, leaving you to return to your R&R – much needed when you run your own miniature empire. Which leads us to the all important wealth management.
You know the old adage ‘you cannot get the staff these days’? Well luckily it is not true. If you can afford it you can employ a whole team of people to make up your Family Office – accountants, investment managers, tax lawyers, personal lawyers, insurance professionals, financial planners, and concierge staff – all at hand to service your personal finances. So that is work life sorted – what about private life? For those with long hours and very little time to search for a significant other, you can get help in the form of Luxe – the dating app that connects wealthy singles across the globe.
In such a cultural city its important to keep up with the latest exhibitions, plays and films but if it means sitting in a dark room next to the man chewing gummy sweets and the young couple on their second date, we’ll pass thanks. Again, there is an answer in the form of Prima Cinema Services who (for $35,000) will set up screenings of newly released films in the privacy of your home, on the same days as they are released in cinemas.
From companies that install heated driveways (be gone snow and ice) to fine art insurance firms that send helicopters to rescue assets in an emergency, there truly is a service that caters to every need and whim. Few people understand this better than Maureen Tadros, Director of First Ladies Concierge, London’s first ladies-only private members concierge that offers a three part service including luxury, essential and corporate.
She says of the industry: “There really is no limit, except perhaps your imagination, when it comes to concierge services. My client base is as varied as their requests. I ultimately believe that what distinguishes a good service from a great one is being able to anticipate what the market needs. At First Ladies we keep abreast with trends and we are constantly on the lookout for new opportunities and suppliers that can add value to the lives of our client base”.With more billionaires per head based in London than any other major city, this is indeed the place to make use of the wealth of extravagant but indispensable services on offer.
