Having spent greater than 22 years throughout the luxurious hospitality sphere, Sabrina Piccinin possesses a exceptional means to evaluate the wants and wishes of the world’s most prosperous and skilled vacationers. And together with her creation of Haute Retreats in 2016, Piccinin greater than meets these wants and wishes by providing a number of the most luxurious and indulgent trip alternatives on the planet.
As founder and CEO of Haute Retreats, Piccinin’s mission shouldn’t be solely to offer the most effective in lodging the world over but in addition to offer the most effective in service. She believes that whereas the vacation spot itself must be fabulous, the facilities and private consideration to element are of equal significance.
Born and raised in Italy, Piccinin launched into a profession as an airplane pilot previous to becoming a member of the hospitality business the place for a number of years she served as basic supervisor for various high-end lodge manufacturers. She then hung out in Costa Rica as a villa supervisor earlier than establishing Haute Retreats the place her dedication to excellence is confirmed inside each consumer overview. Upscale Dwelling Journal just lately caught up with the profitable entrepreneur to be taught extra about Haute Retreats and why the enterprise mannequin has confirmed so profitable:
What was the motivation so that you can set up Haute Retreats? Did you sense a void within the hospitality business as an illustration?
I created Haute Retreats as a result of I wish to have a collection of the most effective luxurious villa leases in a single place, with one objective: to ship excellent companies and create memorable luxurious experiences! Haute Retreats is deeply dedicated to creating a distinction. A dedication to service is essential to its tradition. I made a decision to not listing our villas and companies via different OTA web sites…you’ll in all probability discover the identical villa on 10 different web sites however you received’t discover our service and that’s what makes us stand out from the remainder.
In what number of international locations does Haute Retreats function? What number of complete properties are throughout the Haute Retreats portfolio?
We function in 83 locations. We have now 1500 properties on-line and 1300 properties offline that will likely be added quickly. We choose the villas via a guidelines I used once I was basic supervisor for luxurious inns and tailored to villa leases. I managed over 15 high properties in Costa Rica in 2010 for 4 years.
How does a villa change into a part of your roster? What’s your vetting course of?
Some of the frequent questions we get is what precisely makes a location an Haute Retreat? The reply isn’t so simple as one would possibly suppose. We clearly search for high quality amenities to make sure that our clients have a very good keep. We do greater than that although. We’re very strict about what makes the listing of Haute Retreats. Earlier than being accepted onto the Haute Retreats listing, our consultants take the time to totally confirm every itemizing. This helps to ensure we get our itemizing proper. Loads goes into selecting an Haute Retreat and we gives you some perception into the choice course of.
Look
Loads goes into making a villa appear like a buyer would anticipate. Any villa that doesn’t meet a excessive customary of look is dominated out of the Haute Retreats listing. The situation should have a persona of its personal and impress with its distinctive nature. Failure to do that can have adverse penalties on a villa. Structure and design imply lots too. A villa should stand out from others within the space.
Service
Nobody hates going to a villa, or perhaps a lodge, solely to pay cash for subpar service. So as to be thought-about to be an Haute Retreat, a location should meet our service requirements. They put the shopper first, they anticipate wants, and the employees is educated to be skilled. Personalised service may even make a villa extra more likely to seem on the Haute Retreats listing.
Buyer Enter
Some of the essential elements of an Haute Retreat is buyer enter. If clients don’t get pleasure from their time, it can cut back the rating of a location. Then again, although, a location that’s appreciated by clients is more likely to succeed on our web site. Clients are the rationale that we run our web site within the first place. We encourage open and sincere suggestions from all of our company.
Location
The previous saying, location, location, location really means one thing. You may’t make a premium villa in case you don’t have a very good location. Give it some thought; would you quite keep at a beachside villa or one that may be a few blocks away from the seashore? Most individuals would choose the prime location on the seashore. However location additionally means a spot that’s quiet and away from distractions. An excellent view will usually issue into making a location an Haute Retreat.
Facilities
A part of the rationale you pay a lot when staying away from residence isn’t simply the situation. It’s the facilities. You anticipate to have sure advantages accessible wherever you go. To make the standing of being an Haute Retreat, a location wants to offer facilities to match or exceed business requirements for a 5-star lodge, from fantastic eating to the most effective beds, to concierge.
Simply because a villa meets the requirements listed above, doesn’t imply it can change into an Haute Retreat. We additionally communicate with villa managers and make sure that every thing is correct with the Villa. For instance, we wish to be sure that upkeep hasn’t lapsed. Our vetting course of is what makes our title price one thing, and we work exhausting to continuously uphold and enhance the belief that individuals put within the Haute Retreats title.
Are you, or members of your employees, personally aware of every Haute Retreats property?
Sure; we work and collaborate instantly with the one who manages and he/she is positioned within the vacation spot. We received’t ship a service or lease a villa in any other case.
What number of staff do you’ve gotten and the place are they positioned across the globe?
We’re proper now seven between Italy and the USA plus the businesses we employed for the positioning upkeep operations.
What is obtainable of an Haute Retreats keep that can not be discovered at a lodge or resort?
An Haute Retreats provides the privateness of your personal area in a particular location with all of the facilities of a luxurious resort-like for instance Ani Non-public Sri Lanka with the employees devoted simply to the company that lease it the villa area.
However you do additionally provide villas which are positioned inside resorts. How are these properties vetted and chosen?
Sure, we do provide villas inside resorts. Our newest additions had been One & Solely Portonovi, a brand new resort with gorgeous non-public properties. We choose the villas inside a resort bearing in mind the amenities which are going to be devoted solely to the company. A non-public pool, a personal absolutely outfitted kitchen, for instance, and devoted employees.
What’s certainly one of your favourite Haute Retreats properties, and why?
That may be a powerful query… There are such a lot of properties I can listing, however I can make sure that greater than the properties themselves, I imagine it’s the those who create the entire expertise for our company. I can title Casa Tau in Punta Mita,…or our staff in Miami is totally the most effective particularly in the case of last-minute bookings.
What’s the profile of an Haute Retreats consumer? What are their expectations and wishes?
Our company look to get pleasure from their trip and to expertise the villa with their households or pals. They care very a lot about their meals expertise; proper now with Covid protocols, they’re very attentive to service and if there’s somebody accessible on a regular basis for them for last-minute adjustments or requests. They’re excessive profile purchasers from completely different elements of the world, the Center East…The USA and so on. We’re very completely satisfied to say we now have American company who select our companies for his or her holidays within the USA.
You’ll be able to assess a consumer’s trip needs, after which suggest the proper villa to satisfy these needs. How do you and your employees make that evaluation and thus information your consumer to their good trip?
We schedule a cellphone or video name except the consumer has already chosen a villa, and we go over their needs, such because the view from the bedrooms, if close to or not a metropolis or a seashore. We observe the pursuits of all individuals so we all know which vacation spot we are able to recommend. Proper now we additionally consider the restrictions and necessities relying on the place they’ll depart so to keep away from quarantine or different Covid associated necessities. After that, we’ll ship a listing of properties and we go from there.
What are a number of the particular facilities that you simply and your employees are in a position to prepare?
Haute Retreats can host and create an exquisite trip for our company. We create chef-hosted dinner on the seashore, a personal tour at evening of the St Marco Cathedral in Venice, a personal tour of the Uffizi, arrange high-speed web within the distant places in a fort within the countryside in Italy for a enterprise retreat. We are able to do something for our company which are authorized 😉
I just lately stayed at a New York Metropolis lodge that was practically utterly digitized with little or no private interplay. Haute Retreats prides itself on the exact opposite: private help. Why is it essential for you and your organization to go a number of steps past in providing customized bespoke service?
My profession began within the day when there was not a PC on the entrance desk. The check-in was a very powerful a part of the keep. There was the reserving planner, pencil and rubber…and that’s it – me and the visitor. I come from that faculty. I imagine everybody wishes a customized greeting. You may have a digitized method to different issues, for instance, equivalent to a restaurant search. However asking your concierge for the most effective restaurant may end up in the truest data. After I was 17, my first supervisor informed me to follow calling folks by their names, and I can guarantee there’s a big distinction within the method. I taught and handed this lesson via the years. I imagine in hospitality. Human beings create hospitality; it can’t be changed.
The previous 12 months and a half have effectively illustrated the worth of a personal trip residence the place crowds are few. Many have taken the premise a step additional to request a personal island. What number of such properties do you oversee and why particularly is that this an ideal possibility for vacationers who proceed to follow nice warning?
Non-public islands have been at all times a preferred trip expertise, with Covid much more so. You’ll go away your house by non-public jet and attain the non-public island not seeing or being in touch with another folks.
You would dwell anyplace on this planet, however you’ve chosen to make your property within the area wherein you grew up. What’s particular about this a part of Italy, simply outdoors of Venice?
I’ve lived in lots of stunning locations. I used to be, let’s say, my very own ‘pioneer.’ I’ve at all times wished to journey since I used to be a toddler. As a toddler, I bear in mind taking part in with the suitcases and appearing as if I used to be leaving and checking in to a brand new place. After I was 16, I made a decision to take non-public flight classes. I didn’t have my driver’s license, however I wished to achieve the sky. I took my first solo once I was 17 and I felt I may do something in life. I used to be unsure if I wished to change into an expert pilot however I wished to journey, so after graduating from hospitality and tourism faculty at 18, and making use of for my H1B Visa, I ended up in St Louis, Missouri on the Hyatt Regency St Louis. The constructing jogged my memory of Italy and the way a lot I used to be lacking my nation. I felt the USA was the land of freedom and the most effective nation on this planet. I ultimately bought my industrial pilot license after which lived in Costa Rica for a few years. I met my soulmate and determined to create a household…he’s Italian additionally and we each agreed the most effective place to boost our youngsters was Italy. After touring and dwelling so a few years overseas the place I lived to my full potential and realized a lot, I imagine my city Pordenone was and is a superb place to boost my kids close to my mother and father and my household. I missed many moments with my household and now since they’re getting previous it’s good to be close to them and see them. I nonetheless journey for my enterprise or leisure..however I like to return again. I nonetheless imagine after seeing so many nice locations and dwelling in Boston, or different stunning cities like Miami, that Venice and Rome are the most effective cities on this planet. Having the ability to drive to Venice in half-hour makes this place good.