How did you come up with my Private Villas (MPV)?

​

PAOLO: In the panorama of the luxury villa rental market there are thousands of agencies but MPV’s approach to both owners and clients is different. Most agencies work without having direct contact with the villa owners; they simply copy and paste information from other websites and promote them at much higher rates than the official ones. These agencies ultimately try to use beautiful properties to promote their own brand, but at MPV we promote the villas themselves; there lies the big difference. I am a villa owner too and I know the feelings owners have when they decide to offer their property for rent. They have many expectations, they are worried about who will be their short-term guests and they want to know how and where rental agencies will promote their precious assets.

​

How does MPV differ?

​

Let’s illustrate this via a simple case study: Some agencies might have a nice villa portfolio, but when they buy adverts in magazines or attend trade shows for promotional and networking activities, they promote their own brand and not a particular villa. MPV does exactly the opposite; we generate press coverage for each asset independently thanks to our seven PR agencies worldwide (UK, France and Monaco, South America, Central America, North America, India & Australia).

This is very good for several reasons. Firstly, it is better for the owners because, they get more exposure and for our clients because due to our free promotions, we are able to negotiate lower rates than most other agencies in the market. Secondly, because we work with each owner and each client on a personal basis, we deliver a bespoke holiday experience that includes tailor-made services, local activities or event management, such as weddings and family celebrations.

​

Why do you only accept a small percentage of villas to the Private club collection?

​

Our team manages and promotes over 400 villas worldwide. Thus we carefully visit each new property and vet it. The properties must adhere to strict criteria in order to match our first-class customer service philosophy. 

​

ASSET QUALITY:

​

A villa can be classic or minimalist, a castle or a waterfront villa, but the beauty of the property, the quality of its furniture, the little details are the things we evaluate and care about when we decide if it can be added to our collection.

​

DESTINATION:

​

We only select properties in iconic destinations because these are the locations requested by our clients, which will guarantee a good number of bookings for each property concerned.

​

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

​

Our customer service philosophy is first-class. Thus, we train local staff in all destinations, adhering to strict standards.

What are the key financial and lifestyle benefits of renting a villa as opposed to staying in a hotel suite?

Some people think that staying at a villa or chalet is much more expensive than a 5* hotel suite, but this is not the case. Look at the numbers; a typical villa with 5 bedrooms has a starting price of around £15,000 per week. If we divide this by seven days, we get almost £2,000 per day. A typical hotel suite would cost the same, but then you would have to book 3-4 of those to accommodate a large party. So from a financial perspective, a villa is much cheaper. More importantly, the family stays together rather than spread around the hotel, plus you have the luxury of not having to share any common spaces with other guests (living areas, pool, gym, spa, etc.)

​

Which services and experiences can you provide?

​

MPV provides a complete concierge service ranging from private travel to nannies, chefs, kosher chefs, personal trainers,

tutors, chauffeurs, butlers and event management. We are able to organise weddings and private parties and take care of all the details including florists, caterers, photographers, DJs and everything else that guests might need. Because we work directly with the property owners, we know which villas are ideal for hosting events; therefore our clients do not need to waste time and effort by browsing many websites. We once had a family who wanted to rent a beautiful villa situated on a cliff in Greece. The pictures on our competitors’ website were stunning, but because we had previously visited the property, we knew that it is not family-friendly because the cliff was not gated. The pictures didn’t show that. A standard agent will not know this because they don’t visit the villas, they only have access to general information and pictures. This is where our bespoke approach comes into play. Furthermore, because we know each property and its surroundings, we can recommend different types of villas, depending on the experience required. We have villas for various experiences; wine, golf retreat, family get-together, partying, ultra-luxury experience or perhaps a countryside exploration.

​

What are the most popular destinations?

​

In Europe the busiest periods are from May to September, plus of course, the winter season in the Alpine ski resorts. The busiest time to enjoy winter sun destinations such as the Caribbean, Brazil and Thailand are from December to March. Book early to avoid disappointment.

​

For a one-on-one consultation with Paolo Macchiaroli contact: 020 8672 7040

E: info@myprivatevillas.com or visit Myprivatevillas.com