Think five-star
hotels and resorts
are the only
accommodation
options for luxury
holidays? The
ever-increasing
trend of renting
privately owned
villas, apartments,
châteaux and
LUXURY
HOME
RENTALS
homes has led to
a growing number
of luxury choices
by Leah Walker
for travelers
accustomed to
the very best. For
some insight into
high-end holiday
rentals, I chatted
via Skype with
Paola Fiocchi Van
den Brande, owner
of Passepartout
C
urrently living in
Information and Bloomberg
myself, interesting instead of
London with her
Businessweek. She left
working for others.
husband and
Bloomberg in April 2013 to
two daughters,
start Passepartout Homes.
Starting Passepartout
Homes was a difficult decision
to make—it was during the
Paola is originally from Italy
where she graduated from the
What led you to start
economic crisis and also
Catholic University of Milan
Passepartout Homes?
would put a financial strain
with degrees in Russian and
The primary reason for starting
on my family. I didn’t want to
German literature and social
the business is th at I wanted
go down the route of finding
psychology. After working
to look after my family properly
investors or asking the bank
launched in basically January
in Brussels and Frankfurt,
and have a good work and life
for money. The money would
2013, but I worked full time for
Paola then moved to London
balance. The second reason
come out of savings, and I
Bloomberg until April of 2013.
where she worked in direct
is that I’ve probably hit a
gave myself two to three years
I knew I couldn’t do both and
marketing for major publishers
mid-life crisis where I’d like to
to determine if it was a good
decided to focus full time on
IPC Media, Reed Business
do something meaningful for
or bad decision. The company
my business. It wasn’t until
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APRIL 2014 • LUXE BEAT MAGAZINE