Mansion Global

Expert Concierges are Upping the Ante of Building Services

In Miami, residents can have access to everything from on-staff mechanics to tend to their supercars to in-house art curators to build their collections

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Emerging alongside the Miami River, One River Point’s two 65-story towers will be home to some 350 luxury condominiums and a three-story skybridge.

The Boundary
Emerging alongside the Miami River, One River Point’s two 65-story towers will be home to some 350 luxury condominiums and a three-story skybridge.
The Boundary

When Juan Pablo Verdiquio, a resident of a three-bedroom condo at Miami’s Porsche Design Tower, needed the windows tinted on his car, rather than call a local garage, he turned to the building’s car concierge, Trevor.

And Trevor is just one of an increasing array of expert staff on hand at luxury residential buildings as developments look to up the ante on the concierge services they offer to well-heeled residents.

"Trevor takes care of all the cars," Mr. Verdiquio told Mansion Global. "Taking them for service, taking them to be detailed, waxed and polished, whatever you need taking care of, he handles it." He even keeps a spare set of keys to each of the vehicles in Mr. Verdiquio’s car collection which includes a Ferrari, a Porsche and an Audi.

Mr. Verdiquio bought his apartment in 2011—long before the building’s 2017 completion date—and moved in last year. "The key feature back then was being able to drive into your apartment," he said, referring to the building’s famed car elevator designed to take residents's vehicles straight up to their homes. Then the car concierge came along and that was an extra perk, he told Mansion Global.

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The car concierge at the Porsche Design Tower, where last April the penthouse sold for $25 million, is on staff and available Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. "We’ve always had a concierge, but this is the first time we’ve given a specific duty to them," said Gil Dezer, president of Dezer Development, the developer behind the building.

The car concierge at the Porsche Design Tower in Miami

Porsche Design Tower

"In South Florida, a lot of our buyers come from out of town, they need help from everything from what's the new greatest restaurant to what dry cleaners they should be using," Mr. Dezer said. "They need that local person."

And that counts for their cars too, he said.

When leaving a car idle, batteries need charging and tires need air. It's the concierge’s job to make sure the car is like brand new when a resident comes to drive it.

The car concierge is free for residents and the service’s increase to the common charge is negligible, Mr. Dezer said. "It falls away," he said. "One or two more people on staff doesn't move the needle."

But without the person in the building, the service is not the same, Mr. Dezer said. "That’s what makes it unique."

More:Say Goodbye to Garages as Developers Imagine a Driverless Future

First-Class Service and Personalized Attention—Especially When it Comes to Art

Today more developers recognize that one of the biggest demands in the luxury sector is first-class service, said Mayi de la Vega, founder and CEO of ONE Sotheby’s International Realty in an email. First-class service, according to Ms. de la Vega, "is defined by convenience, quick and exclusive access and personal attention, so a dedicated-expert concierge may solidify a potential buyer’s decision."

One River Point in Downtown Miami will have a full-time art curator on staff when completed. Construction on the project started earlier this year.

The curator will be available to residents on an ongoing basis to introduce them to emerging artists, advise them on the Miami art scene, art conservation and storage, to keep residents informed of the art related events in the city throughout the year, and to guide them on gallery visits and exhibitions.

The service is there for all residents, from people who have no idea about art, all the way up to serious collectors, "who might need climate controlled storage, or to do a private showing of their own work," said Shahab Karmely, principal and founder of KAR Properties, the developer behind the Rafael Viñoly-designed development.

More:2018 Amenity Watch: Social Spaces, Porte Cochères and More

Emerging alongside the Miami River, One River Point’s two 65-story towers will be home to some 350 luxury condominiums and a three-story skybridge.

An exterior rendering of One River Point, a Rafael Viñoly-designed development in Miami

The Boundary

"This is the first project where we’ve had the ability to create a full-time position and give them the space and the infrastructure," Mr. Karmely said. And Miami, with its emerging art scene, was the perfect place to do it, he said.

But while early buyers and future residences didn’t necessarily ask for the service before they buy, "I’m willing to bet that at least 80% to 90% of our residents will love it and use it," Mr. Karmely told Mansion Global. "One of the things about luxury is it’s giving people what they didn't realize they wanted before," he added.

Though bigger used to be better when it came to condominium amenities, buyer sentiment has changed, according to Danny Hertzberg, a Miami broker with Coldwell Banker’s The Jills, and now "people are looking for more specialized, personalized, boutique services."

The idea of an expert concierge is fairly Miami-specific, Mr. Hertzberg said, and pointed to Miami’s larger sites, large international buyer demographic and hyper-competitive condo market as reasons for the amenity evolution.

More:Trends for 2018: What’s on Tap for New Developments

That competition breeds a high level of service.

"People have very high expectations, and in a sense they should because there are so many options now," Mr. Hertzberg said.

But an expert concierge isn’t of primary, or even secondary, importance for potential buyers, according to Mr. Hertzberg. Instead location, level of finishes, architecture and design are more important than the services on offer.

And once the residents take over the condominium association, after the developer has sold all units, some of these extra personalized services may even disappear, he said.

"The boards are very conscious of what they’re spending and if the service is only being used by a small percentage of building, I can see it being cut out," Mr. Hertzberg said. "Tastes and what people want change over time."

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Wellness Advisors on Staff

In Palm Beach County on Singer Island, the Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences will have a team of wellness consultants and wellness advisers on staff for residents to use free of charge when it opens next year.

Spanning over seven acres, the development—designed by S&E Architects—is comprised of two towers and will have a total of 351 hotel and residence units.

Rendering of swimming pool at the Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences

Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences

"We designed the personal wellness assistant not only as an amenity, but also as a valuable tool," said Dilip Barot, founder and CEO of Creative Choice Group, the development firm behind the project, via email.

The wellness consultants will be credentialed in their specific areas and will work with residences on their wellness plans, while the wellness advisers "will be highly trained and certified, and available 24/7 to support the individual as needed for questions, suggestions, setting appointments, scheduling activities and advisement," Mr. Barot said.

Though specifics are still being nailed down, their duties will range from reminders to exercise, meditate, and eat well, to designing "wellness spaces" within each residence and tending to emergency wellness needs, such as a panic attack, at any time of the day. They’ll also be on hand to plan and order meals.

"We anticipate that they will be quite busy. [They’re] the new version of bespoke customer service for wellness communities," Mr. Barot said.

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