Posts Tagged ‘luxury villa rental’

Miami: Your autumn pick-me-up

Tuesday, October 8th, 2013

It should come as no surprise that travelers often cite fall as the best time of year to experience Miami. Although much of the country begins to cool down in the month of October, the average high temperature in Miami sits around 85 degrees (approx. 30 Celsius). With tourist season long past, there’s also more freedom to enjoy the true Miami lifestyle (think ample beach space). If you’re still planning your fall Miami getaway, Villazzo still has some of its signature VillaHotels available.

Featured:

1. Book Villa Azza (above): A modern and tropical waterfront escape on Palm Island (starting at $5,700 per night)

(more…)

ZDF – HALLO DEUTSCHLAND

Wednesday, May 1st, 2013

Luxus und Laessigkeit in St. Tropez

Instead of Buying, Think About a Luxury Villa Rental in Aspen or Miami

Monday, April 15th, 2013

With high end real estate booming in sought after cities like Aspen or Miami, many might consider getting into the game themselves. Of course, buying real estate, especially in a red hot market, comes with many considerations including location and how much time you’ll be spending in any given city. All of which makes the option of luxury villa rentals increasingly attractive for many who travel often or who are looking for vacation properties rather than more day to day family homes. The advantages of renting rather than owning your very own luxury villa as a vacation getaway are numerous, including getting a property in the best location, as well as receiving five-star service without having to staff a home year round. And when it comes to U.S. markets like Aspen or Miami, not to mention luxury European spots like St. Tropez, the booming luxury market means that prime homes aren’t always available either.

Take the 2013 Coldwell Banker Previews International Luxury Market Report, for instance. This report details sales markets in the United States when it comes to properties over $10 million sold in 2012. Aspen, Colorado was in the third spot after traditional luxury markets New York and Beverly Hills. An article in Luxury Daily outlines the report’s findings, including that the numbers “uncovered that there are a few up-and-coming areas that have not always been considered luxury real estate hubs.” To this end Betty Graham, President of Previews International at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, explains that she was “quite surprised to see Aspen have almost as many high-end sales as Beverly Hills,” a clear indication that the mountain town is as popular as ever with jet setters, but also gaining traction as a wonderful location year round.

All this is definitely good news for the sleepy but decidedly upscale town of Aspen, where according to The Aspen Business Journal, occupancy rates have been on the rise this year. The newspaper states that “occupancy rates at Aspen and Snowmass lodges in March were up 7 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively, compared to last year, according to the latest data. Numbers for April are also positive so far, according to MTRIP, a travel research program that keeps track of stats for mountain destinations. Bookings in Aspen for April are so far up 6.2 percent and they are up 49.8 percent in Snowmass compared to the same month last year, MTRIP reported.” If you’d love to enjoy the beauty of Aspen, but don’t want to deal with ever crowded lodges and resorts–or a red hot real estate market–then renting a luxury villa rental is definitely a great choice.

Not that Aspen is the only real estate market that is booming. Miami too has benefited in the luxury sector from an influx of dollars from Latin Americans eager to soak up the sun and culture in this beautiful city, according to a recent article in The Global Post. “Miami and its surroundings, according to the latest report on the luxury real estate market by Christie’s, in 2012 burst into the group of the world’s main markets of this type, thanks to the general recovery in demand and low prices,” the article states. “[And] calculations are that Miami at the end of last year had more than 2,000 residences with prices above $1 million, half of what New York has despite the fact that the population of the Miami metropolitan area does not have even one quarter the people of the Big Apple.” Of course, if you’re looking for less of a long term option in amazing Miami then one of the stunning luxury villa rentals and VillaHotels available from Villazzo–with all the comforts of home including gourmet kitchens, expansive bedrooms and baths, pools, and even elegantly appointed indoor and outdoor dining areas–are a great alternative for a getaway this spring or summer.

TLC – FOUR HOUSES

Tuesday, January 1st, 2013

AUTOS & VIAJES – RESIDENCIAS DE LUJO PARA UNAS VACACIONES EXTRAVAGANTES

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

En una cálida y amena charla con Christian Jagodzinski en su exclusiva villa La Contenta ubicada en Palm Island en Miami Beach, conversamos sobre como comenzó con este nuevo y novedoso emprendimento hotelero.

Christian nos cuenta, que uno de sus grandes placeres son los viajes de lujo. Decidía vender su empresa de internet y viajar por el mundo, a lo largo de esos viajes nunca pudo encontrar una experiencia hotelera a la altura de sus expectativas. Los hoteles 5 estrellas eran menos personalizados de lo que esperaba y los pequeños boutiques de lujo carecían de calidad y constancia en sus servicios. (more…)

New St. Tropez Hotel Uses a Luxury Villa Rental Approach to Accommodations

Saturday, August 14th, 2010

Hotel Sezz St. Tropez

As luxury villa rentals are becoming more and more favored among elite St. Tropez vacationers, hotels are switching to to a “villa” format.

In most of the world’s most famous and exclusive vacation destinations, hotels usually become the predominant tourist infrastructure for vacationers. Ranging from economy to ultra-high pricing, you can usually find a wide range of hotel accommodations, offered by the world’s most popular hotel chains. This is most directly seen in Florida and California in the U.S. and in places like the Algarve in Portugal as well as many of the Spanish tourist destinations.

St. Tropez, however, has always been an exception to the rule.

Because St. Tropez has always managed to retain its small-town personality — in spite of the fact that millions of people visit the town annually, there are less than 6,000 Tropéziens that live there year round — large hotel chains have never been able to fully dominate the St. Tropez vacation experience. Add to this a new movement to tear down clubs and businesses along Pampellonne Beach in order to preserve the natural beauty of St. Tropez, and it becomes even clearer why Hilton, Sheraton, or Marriott has not been able to stake a claim to its tousrist market.

The hotels that dominate St. Tropez tend to be more of the boutique hotel and bed and breakfast variety. No mega-hotels, to be sure. But what has been the strongest vacation tradition in St. Tropez are luxury villa rentals — magnificent homes on the beach or overlooking the sea that give vacationers to St. Tropez the full native Tropéziens experience. From quaintly traditional to neo-contemporary, these luxury villas span the entire spectrum of size, decor, and price.

The popularity of luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez is clearly not going away anytime soon. In fact, some luxury villa rental companies are beginning to offer luxury hotel-style services, turning the villa living experience into a combination villa-hotel vacation.

As a result, new hotels in St. Tropez are beginning to take on the look and feel of luxury villas. Take, for instance, the Hotel Sezz Saint

Tropez — the newest addition to luxury hotels in St. Tropez. At first sight, Hotel Sezz seems like many other boutique hotels in St. Tropez: 37 rooms, designed by architect Jean Jacques Ory and designer Christophe Pillet, modern architecture and décor, spa complex, champagne bar, and soon-to-be Michelin-rated gourmet restaurant headed by chef Pierre Gagnaire.

At closer look, however, the Hotel Sezz is set up more like a cluster of small luxury villas — not a “hotel complex” alla The Ritz-Carlton or Hilton. The 37 rooms are classified as bungalows (30m²), cocoons (40m²), or actual “villas” (90m² with private pool), and each of them offer direct access to the hotel’s facilities, such as the swimming pool, garden, and terrace.

The only problem is, no matter how much Hotel Sezz or any of the other boutique hotels in St. Tropez try to offer their guests the luxury villa experience, the shared, public facilities never offer the same privacy and exclusivity as a true luxury villa rental. And because luxury villa rental companies like Villazzo now offer VillaHotel services that rival the finest five star hotel services, it remains to be seen if even

luxury villa rental in St. Tropez

Villazzo's St. Tropez Luxury Villa Rental "La Forge," complete with VillaHotel services.

these small, exclusive luxury hotels will be able to keep up with the luxury villa rental industry in St. Tropez.

Furthermore, as St. Tropez’s city council continues to move in the direction of natural preservation of the town and beach, private luxury villas will continue to be favored in new construction permits over hotel complexes, since single family dwellings ultimately offer less erosion to natural beauty and minimal increase in the use of resources.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that luxury hotels are going anywhere in St. Tropez. To be sure, many people stay in them each year and continue to keep that portion of the travel industry up and running. More and more, however, guests in these boutique hotels look to stay in luxury villa rentals for next trip to famed St. Tropez.

Small, Boutique Hotels In St. Tropez Seek To Compete With Luxury Villa Rentals

Monday, July 19th, 2010

The recent opening of the Muse Hotel in St. Tropez illustrates how luxury villa rentals have the set the tone for exclusive vacationing along the French Riviera.

Although the resort town of St. Tropez is world-famous, it still remains a small, quant town that is dominated less by mega hotels and more by exclusive luxury villa rental properties. Perhaps that is why the most recent hotel launch in St. Tropez was not a massive Hilton, Ritz Carlton, or Four Seasons, but rather the botique Muse Hotel.  Located on the Ramtatuelle ‘route de plages’ road, the Muse is minutes from the Place de Lices as well as the famous sunny beaches and azure waters of St. Tropez. However, the Muse isn’t catering to throngs of average vacation goes, but rather the same set of wealthy, famous jet-setters who would otherwise stay in a private luxury villa rental.

With only 15 villa-style rooms and a wealth of luxury features that are designed to appeal to people looking for a luxury villa experience, the small villas at the Muse feature large walk in closets, luxurious, spa-like bathrooms, and the latest in-room technology, including a 42” Loewe plasma screen with over 100 channels, Playstation, an iPad, and and iPhone. Add to this a list of exclusive guest services, such as Bentley shuttles to the beaches, butlers, and other hospitality, and you get a perfect synthesis of hotel and luxury villa rental.

Services like these, however, are not a new idea in St. Tropez vacationing, but rather a reaction to keep up with the burgeoning luxury villa rental industry there.

The fact is, luxury villa rentals in St. Tropez have boasted hotel-like services along with their privacy, luxury, and exclusivity for years. In recent years, luxury villa rental companies such as Villazzo have taken the promise of offering luxury villa rentals with five-star hotel services even further by creating “VillaHotels.” These VillaHotels offer the same level of exceptional services that you’d find in a small boutique hotel, while offering a level of privacy that a hotel simply cannot offer.

Because these luxury villa rentals have become increasingly popular, hotels in St. Tropez have gone out of their way to make their premises and facilities feel as much like a real luxury villa as possible. The result, however, has been met with mixed results: many wealthy and famous visitors to St. Tropez seek larger, private amenities, away from the thousands of gawking vacationers. Hotels — no matter how private and exclusive — simply cannot offer the level of privacy and service that this level of clientele is searching for.

So, as you read more and more about these villa-style boutique hotels opening up in the French Riviera, remember that the true VillaHotel experience can only be gotten by staying in a luxury villa rental that offers comprehensive, 5-star hotel services.

Article by Michael Nace

Villazzo’s July Newsletter: Luxury Villa Rentals in St. Tropez, Miami, & Beyond

Wednesday, July 7th, 2010

Villazzo had an amazing season this past winter in Miami – the best that we’ve ever had before. Thank you so much for your continued support! It is our customers’ devotion to the company and your continued business throughout the years that makes Villazzo the leading luxury villa rental provider in the world. Thank you again.

Now it’s time for the summer: Welcome back to Saint-Tropez!
Just as we have done in Miami, we’ve re-invented Villazzo in Saint-Tropez by moving our best people from Miami to Saint-Tropez for the whole summer! For you, it means you will now get the same impeccable “Miami” luxury villa rental service and villa selection in the South of France!

When we arrived in St. Tropez in late May, we talked to all the agencies in town, browsed through hundreds of property presentations, and personally inspected dozens of the most luxurious ones. We’ve now selected the ultimate vacation homes, both for our VillaHotel concept, and – new in 2010! – for our “V” Villa selection. We have done the work for you – you don’t need to slave over questionable property listings at luxury villa rental websites or other agencies any more – we’ve seen all the luxury villas in St. Tropez and picked only the very best, based on our very strict Villazzo standards. We know that for you, only the best will do.
As it’s getting very close to high season, the majority of spectacular luxury villa rentals are already booked – but a selected few remain available for certain travel dates. You’ll find a list of them below. But don’t delay — these amazing luxury villa rentals get booked every day now, so if you haven’t made any arrangements yet, now is the last chance to still get something nice!
VillaHotels — Luxury Villa Rentals in St. Tropez with 5-star hotel service
VillaHotel Sogno di Luce (6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/sogno-di-luce/
Rate per night:  €7,100 + tax
Booked: Jul 1 – Aug 15
Remaining availability: Aug 16 – 31
Our comment: One of the most spectacular houses in all of Saint- Tropez. The best possible views over the bay and village; 10 minutes from the center.
VillaHotel Josephine (4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/josephine/
Rate per night: €3,800 + tax
Booked: Jul 1 – Aug 15
Remaining availability: Aug 16 – 31
Our comment: Brand new house, great location, all the technical wizardry – excellent value. The founder of Villazzo stayed there himself last year.
VillaHotels La Forge and Jabri are unfortunately already committed for the whole season. Book now for 2011!
“V” Villas — Luxury Villa Rentals in St. Tropez
“V” Villa Whitney (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms; views of the Golf of St Tropez)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week:  €34,000 / per month: €95,000
Remaining availability: July
Our comment: Designer excellence in a lush setting.
“V” Villa Nikki (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week: €21,500 / per month €79,000 (reduced from €100.000)
Remaining availability: July/August
Our comment: Fantastic decor, ocean view, walking distance to Nikki Beach! Great price reduction due to last minute cancellation.
“V” Villa Antonia (5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/antonia/
Rate per week: €19,500 / per month €65,000
Remaining availability: August
Our comment: Very modern, very calm and zen-like setting, right at the entrance of St Tropez.
“V” Villa Imana (4 + 1 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms)
Specifications: Just added, email us for more pictures
Rate per week: €18,900 / per month €62,000
Remaining availability: July 15 – Aug 23
Our comment: Splendid views of the Gassin Golf Course; just finished construction; designed for himself by reputed builder/architect.
“V” Villa Martha (4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms)
Specifications: http://www.villazzo.com/villahotels/sttropez/martha/
Rate per week: €14,000 / per month €48,000
Remaining availability: August
Our comment: Brand new gem in a gated community just off the Saint-Tropez tennis club. 5 minutes to downtown and beaches!
“V” Villas Patricia and Dolce Vita are unfortunately already committed for the whole season. Book now for 2011!
We hope you’ll find our selection useful for making your final summer travel plans.
As you know, the best experience of any villa rental is still Villazzo’s “VillaHotel” program – mansions that come with complete “private hotel” setup and full hotel services. That’s what makes Villazzo the first choice for celebrities and billionaires.
“V” Villas are the less expensive option, with some VillaHotels services available at extra charge.
You can upgrade most “V” Villas to “VillaHotel” level, please ask us for details.

LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR – VILLAZZO’S “V” VILLAS

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

There’s a new player in the luxury villa rental niche. The name is Villazzo (www.villazzo.com) and we happen to have the scoop on the brand’s spiffed-up and slimmed-down new rental program, “V” Villas.
Luxury Travel Advisor chatted with Christian Jagodzinski, Villazzo’s founder, who gave us the skinny on this new concept. It’s a fresh twist on the traditional villa rental, he tells us (think more flexibility and the option to add features on request). We call it bespoke villa renting. (more…)

Crumbling Stucco, Broken Flat Screen TVs, & Stained Sheets: The Ugly Side of Luxury Villa Rentals

Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

The rise of the internet and the information age is directly responsible for the luxury villa rental market as it exists today. Without high-speed internet connections, impressive websites, and the ability to get information at the click of a mouse, luxury world travelers would never be able to search out and find the luxury villa rental of their dreams in their desired vacation destination. In the past, the villa rental process was cumbersome: usually, your first trip to a locale such as Miami Beach, St. Tropez, or Marbella involved staying in a hotel and investing a day out of your vacation schedule to be shuttled around town by a rental agent in hopes of finding a luxury villa to rent for your next vacation.

Now, however, luxury villa rental agencies provide a wealth of crisp photos, specifications, and details for their entire roster of luxury villas, allowing prospective renters to find the luxury villa of their dreams. Together with online booking features, luxury villa rental websites make it easier than ever to find a luxury villa in the destination of your choice.

Luxury Villa Rental Websites: What the Photos Don’t Show You

When you peruse the typical luxury villa rental website, you’re bound to be wooed by a litany of enchanting photos of a picturesque villa set against the backdrop of a pristine, private beach, azure sea, and balmy, breezy skyline. You’ll see shots of fabulously decorated living, dining, and bedrooms, gourmet kitchens, sunny terraces, and vanishing-edge swimming pools. Together with the size and amenities of the villa, you’ll be convinced that, upon arrival, your luxury villa rental will look exactly as it is represented on the website.

Think again.

The fact is, the vast majority of luxury villa rental agencies spend the majority of their efforts gathering up vast lists of villa rentals from all over the world. Typically, their approach is “quantity over quality,” opting to give prospective luxury villa renters a vast list of rental options rather than quality that customers can count on. Quite often, arriving at a luxury villa rental result is great disappointment.

The photos on the website may have shown a sunny terrace with a beautiful swimming pool. Upon arrival, however, you’ll see what the camera failed to show: the stucco on the back side of the villa is crumbling off of the house, and the swimming pool is badly in need of a cleaning.

Inside, photos of the living rooms and bedrooms had boasted flat screen TVs and deluxe entertainment centers. When you arrive, however, the master bedroom TV is broken, or even worse — the satellite is misaligned, and the only channels you can get in are from the Albanian state-run television service.

Luxury villa rental linens, however, tend to be the biggest letdown. Photos on luxury villa websites tend to show what look like clean, well-decorated bedrooms and bathrooms. The reality, however, is that the sheets, towels, and linens haven’t been replaced in years, and have seen a lot of work. Dingy, stained sheets, threadbare towels in the bathroom, and worn out linens and housewares are quite typical in even the most promising luxury villa rentals.

What’s more, don’t expect the typical online luxury villa rental company to have the power – or the inclination – to do anything about these completely unacceptable conditions once you arrived. The fact remains that luxury villa rental agencies simply list properties; they rarely visit and inspect them first-hand. Furthermore, they rarely have any office or base of operations in the vacation destinations where they offer luxury villa rentals. So, aside from making a nasty phone call, these agencies will do little else to fix the problems that you encounter with your luxury villa rental.

Finding Online Luxury Villa Rental Agencies You Can Trust:

Given this reality, how can you ever trust online luxury villa rental agencies? There are two characteristics to look for that can assure you that you’re working with a company that is giving you a fair representation of the luxury villas it offers for rent. First off, look for an agency that hand-selects its luxury villas. You’ll be hard-pressed to find luxury villa rental agencies that claim this, and few others who can back up the claim. Chances are, however, that if the agency has a gigantic selection of villas from all over the world, they haven’t personally seen 99% of them. Only agencies that feature very limited, exclusive luxury villa rentals in a handful of the most exclusive vacation destinations can truly be trusted.

Second, see if the agency offers any kind of money-back guarantee on te quality of their luxury villa rentals. If the agency has seen and inspected the villa first-hand, then they won’t be afraid to vouch for its quality. We wary of any agency that isn’t willing to put its money where its mouth is for its luxury villa rental offerings.

Additionally, luxury villa rental agencies that offer in-house concierge or hotel-style services along with their villa rentals are more trustworthy, given the fact that they must have some kind of branch office in the locations where they rent properties. One must be careful, however, since many so-called “concierge services” are often outsourced to a local company that would have no expertise in selecting and approving high quality luxury villas for rental purposes.

In short, as a prospective renter, you need to trust the expertise of the agency you use. Does the agency boast of its experience in luxury world travel? Is it run by people who seem to know what luxury travel is all about? In the online luxury villa rental industry, agencies are only as good as the people who run them, and whether they have taken the time and expense to back up their listings with a quality guarantee. Otherwise, you’re risking a rude awakening when you arrive at your luxury villa rental for the first time.

quality guarantee. Otherwise, you’re risking a rude awakening when you arrive at your luxury villa rental for the first time.