An Interview With A Monaco Jet Set Concierge
Submitted By:
Robert
Murgatroyd
The following is an exclusive interview with
Michael Costache a Jet Set concierge living and working in Monaco.
1. Where did you grow up and who influenced you most in your formative
years ?
I grew up in a lot of cities around Europe because of my father's job. My
father had a really big influence on me. He taught me how international
business has to be managed and all the difficulties that comes with
globalization and all the benefits that you can take from it. He also taught
me that business is seen and developed differently considering where you
live. I learned how important it is to keep that in mind when dealing with
world wide clients because the trends that inspire them, their needs and
their expectations radically differ from place to place.
2. When Americans think of Monaco we see a fairy tale land of royal
families, castles, Grace Kelly and James Bond, how does our view differ from
a locals' perspective of Monaco?
Monaco is a magical world for a lot of people around the globe. It
symbolizes a luxurious lifestyle, the jet set, the royal family, the Formula
One Grand Prix and of course a great history with Grace Kelly and Prince
Albert. The principality attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists
throughout the year. Actually, living here all year long these elements
become quite normal and just a part of everyday life. The Monegasque
experience is totally different if you are a tourist or a local. People
living in Monaco have their favorite spots when dining or chilling time
comes. We all know each other and visit each other without even paying
attention to the glamorous environment that the tourist or foreigners see on
TV. As I said, it is totally normal to see a Ferrari or a Bentley at every
street corner, meeting Lewis Hamilton or Michael Schumacher or even
contemplating the most sumptuous yachts on the port all year long.
[Note from Rob: Monegasque is a romance language and a dialect of the
modern Ligurian language, which is spoken in Monaco.]
3. How is living in Monaco different from living elsewhere?
Well, Monaco is located on the edge of Europe and across the
Mediterranean and is synonymous with luxury, perfect weather and a certain
lifestyle that you couldn't find anywhere else. It's just a very special
place that attracts a lot of new potential citizens every year, because
unlike other tax havens Monaco is associated with a very specific image.
Once you've lived in Monaco it will never be the same as living in
Switzerland or Andorra for example.
[Note from Rob: Monaco attracts high net income people such as movie
stars, athletes etc. to become residents of the Principality in order to
benefit from personal income tax exemption. Also, you may never have heard
of Andorra but it should be on your list of countries to visit. It's located
in the North East portion of the Pyrenean mountain range which separates
France and Spain. The key attraction is it's tax haven status.]
4. I understand that there are a lot of economic advantages (you
mentioned a tax haven) to being a citizen in Monaco, could you explain
further?
Sure, Monaco is famous around the world for its image of a tax haven. In
effect, the residents of the principality can enjoy no income tax, no tax on
large fortunes, no local tax, no housing tax and no tax on property gains.
Moreover, in addition to the strong fiscal advantages, Monaco offers an
exceptional living environment thanks to its security (1 policeman for every
100 citizens- the highest rate worldwide) and personal safety features
combined with a very well-managed health and educational systems, an
outstanding infrastructure for travel and transport and many cultural and
sporting events such as the Formula One Grand Prix, the Tennis Master Series
and the World Music Awards.
5. How would you describe the Jet Set side of Monaco?
From the beginning, Monaco has known how to mix all the ingredients for
an exceptional Jet Set lifestyle; perfect year round weather, safety, famous
casinos, 5 stars palaces, world-known nightclubs and last but not least the
name Monaco has become a brand in it self that exemplifies Jet Set.
Unlike other well known Jet Set places like Saint Tropez or Sardinia,
celebrities can be seen all year long in the principality and that is due
once again to the fiscal policy present here. Very wealthy people obviously
prefer to live and save their money in a no tax country so it is very common
to see the top celebrities and the millionaires from all around the world in
the same shopping mall or at the supermarket as you. It is just part of
everyday life.
6. Would you describe some Jet Set parties and events you have attended
in Monaco?
Monaco [as well as the French Riviera] are hosts to numerous jet set
parties and events year round. For example, I was invited to the 50 cent
pre-party prior to the World Music Awards at Zebra Square (which is a very
famous and prestigious lounge bar in Mon
7. Would you describe some Jet Set parties and events you have attended
in Monaco?
Monaco [as well as the French Riviera] are hosts to numerous jet set
parties and events year round. For example, I was invited to the 50 cent
pre-party prior to the World Music Awards at Zebra Square (which is a very
famous and prestigious lounge bar in Monaco). There were lots of other
celebrities in attendance (like Akon and Ciara ) which really made that
night very, very special. The after party was fantastic too because most of
the performers from the show were invited to "Jimmy's" (one of the most
famous nightclubs in the principality) and I got an opportunity to party
with G-Unit, Mika, David Guetta and Avril Lavigne.
I was also invited last summer to the Armand De Brignac Jay-Z official
party organized by the famous Champagne brand and to the P. Diddy party in
Cannes at VIP ROOM during the film festival. I can assure you that these
parties are like nothing you've ever seen before. The atmosphere, the
organization and the people present make them truly unique.
[Rob: Armand de Brignac is the name of an ultra luxury high end Champagne
brand that's sold in opaque metallic bottles and is identifiable by a
distinctive gold bottle with a pewter Ace of Spades label. You can see it in
the climactic scene of Jay Z's video for "Show Me What You Got".]
8. There seems to be a certain circle of hot spots that Jet Setters are
traveling to around the world- what do you consider to be the 5 hottest
destinations now and why?
In my opinion, a hot spot for jet setters has to combine awesome parties
where you can see and be seen, a big number of celebrities present, but also
a bit of privacy, along with a luxurious environment and outstanding
service.
So this would be my ranking :
1) Saint-Tropez (the choice was very difficult but Saint-Tropez is
definitely still number 1: no summer without hearing about Diddy's or
Jay-Z's famous parties)
2) Barbados
3) Santorini
4) Dubai
5) Marbella
9. What would you consider to be the next most up and coming jet set
destinations that's all the buzz in your world?
From having heard a lot about it in the past year and having received
very positive feedback from my friends who already went there, I would say
that Hvar in Croatia is definitely becoming the New Saint Tropez.
Celebrities really like this island because it actually manages to keep an
authentic landscape with well managed infrastructure and building
construction that preserves the fabulous nature present there. In addition,
Hvar allows the Jet setter to organize really big and awesome parties in a
very private way (in contrast to the French Riveria as an example). My
feeling is that celebrities just feel much better in Croatia because of the
high privacy the island can procure for them.
10. What is your company Quintessentialife?
Quintessentialife is an ultimate luxury goods finder. We are here to save
your precious time by fulfilling your most extravagant luxury goods needs.
We know that you are busy men and women, so why not let us take charge of
your luxurious lifestyle wishes? The company has built a large web of
partners and suppliers all over the world in order to assure that you are
receiving your dream goods in the shortest of time possible. We believe you
deserve uniqueness, so if your wish is a unique mobile phone, a diamond
encrusted car, an exclusive platinum watch or whatever other uncommon luxury
good, send us an inquiry on http://www.quintessentialife.com and we'll find
the one unique piece that best corresponds to you because for us, real
luxury is exclusivity.
11. How did you get started as a Jet Set Concierge?
I would call myself more of a luxury goods finder. Being in Monaco and
traveling around the world in hot spots like Dubai, meeting wealthy people,
talking with them about their needs and wishes and analyzing the worldwide
trend showing that the number of millionaires and billionaires keeps
increasing year after year. I've decided to launch this company because I
really saw a market for the services provided. Moreover, in analyzing the
competitors already on the market I figured out that most of them were basic
concierge services. Quintessentialife is more than that. We are specialized
in finding uniqueness, exclusivity, because you surely don't want to see
your neighbor having the same watch or car you just bought for hundreds of
thousands dollars.
12. Would you describe how a transaction works with your company?
People who are interested in having unique and exclusive luxury goods
send me their inquiries through our website. As an example, they may want a
watch encrusted with a special sort of diamond or maybe luxurious designer
furniture for their villa or something along those lines. I then consult
with my contacts around the world and begin searching for the items that
best correspond to my clients needs. The next step is for me to send my
propositions to the client (after fully analyzing them) and he just has to
tell me if one corresponds to his needs to conclude the deal.
13. Describe your ideal client?
The most important thing for me is to find the goods that will make my
client completely happy and satisfied. So, my "ideal client" would be
someone who has a clear idea of what he wants. Of course, we can advise him
on the current luxury trends around the world but in my experience to have a
fully satisfied client you must have a precise and clear inquiry.
14. What is the most difficult request you've had from a client (and were
you able to fulfill it)?
The most difficult request was definitely a Bentley Continental GTS with
a gold roof. The technology was just launched and the suppliers were very
difficult to find. Today, in the streets of Moscow or Dubai, you can see a
few cars with gold roofs or doors but a couple of months ago these cars were
non-existent. We did succeed in finding a supplier in Germany who made it
for us and the client was really happy because he was one of the 3 people
worldwide to possess this kind of good.
15. Do you have clients worldwide (or just in Monaco)?
Most of my clients are from the BRIC group of emergent countries: Brazil,
Russia, India and China and also from the Middle East and Dubai. These
countries are the ones that have shown the biggest increase in their number
of millionaires in the last decade.
16. What aspects of your business are outsourced and which parts do you
handle personally?
Of course, as you understood, since I cannot be in America, Asia, Middle
East and Europe at the same time to search by myself- most of the research
is handled by my partners all over the world in order to find the piece that
best corresponds to the client's needs. Also,The IT portion of my business
will be very soon outsourced to India."
