You can always tell when the high season is about to begin in the French Riviera. Although it seems to be starting earlier every year, for some reason like clockwork, the end of March into April seems to be the time when individuals and businesses start to pop up both in social media and locally from other parts of the world in an attempt to cash in on those visiting to this beautiful part of France.
For those with an entrepreneurial spirit such as ours as a team, we get it. The difference in quality of services though come from those of us already here and connected both in the local business and social community. Our main message has been that we are strong believers in the shared economy for not only the consumer first and foremost but thinking long term in France. Why? Because we have seen first-hand what happens when the global economy is not doing well and how it affects people’s everyday way of life and future.
This is the time of year when a segment of the world population descend from other parts of the world who believe the Cote d’Azur is the place to target people to make some quick cash and leave.
With over 8 years of luxury travel experience in the area (and 20+ years of life here) we can see these people coming from a mile away. By planning your holiday or business trip to the French Riviera with local businesses such as ours, you will obtain direct knowledge of the inner workings here in France. You will also be connected with the key individuals who can help you achieve the most out of your visit.
We don’t believe in taking care of a client once, getting all that we can from them and move on. Rather, we want to form a relationship of value and trust with our clients as they usually become long term friends because of our work ethic here in France. With the business community being tightly integrated in regions of France, due diligence is part of every project for the best interest of those in the work environment but most of all for the protection of clients. We don’t want you leaving France thinking you have been ripped off in any manner what so ever so local honest communication is one way we try and protect the region.
As an example, in the past two weeks we have seen posted on social media three recent Monaco Grand Prix events from fake companies online (one being in the USA, the UK and one from the Netherlands) that claim they are hosting parties in the Principality of Monaco that either do not exist (but they want you to buy a ticket first online) or stating a location for a party where a current business already occupies. i.e. Starbucks will not be hosting rooftop race parties in the Principality.
Regularly, brand name companies and individuals will end up contacting us about villa rentals they have inquired about only to find they were about to be charged double the price for the time they want or even in one case it turned out since we knew the owner directly…the villa they were about to pay the ‘agency’ for was already booked. Fortunately for us, we are not commission hungry so this will allow us to quickly sort out the situation for clients saving them not only time but what could have been a very stressful situation.
With us and our 40+ locally known and proven legal business partnerships, we can refer you to those that will get the job done right and within budget at no extra cost if it is something out of our main field of work. One thing to consider with outside sources coming in is they won’t necessarily have the local connections or knowledge of the region so major mistakes such as their event planning or property rentals can take place and be misleading in many cases (property rental distance from Cannes being understated as an example), and on top of that you can bet you will be grossly overcharged for their services or add on costs. They may even try to pass on extra costs when you compare prices as being part of an ‘administration fee’ (another thing we never charge) and in the end you could end up with a mediocre experience and still have a bit of a run around when you should be enjoying your stay.
Regularly we see on social media people that have perhaps visited a place like Saint Tropez once, become enamored (who wouldn’t), to then claim to be luxury lifestyle experts on the area who can take care of all your needs for your visit but have nothing to back up those claims. Thankfully on your behalf, these individuals do not have a long standing business model in place so they fade out, but while in action; they may target you looking to make quick money through either themselves or with the help of unknown intermediaries. We see it all the time. First of all, check that they have a legitimate business license, how long they have been in business, tax numbers, bank accounts, insurance, etc. Secondly, with work being managed online now…check their business location. If they are not in the country of your interest or area, ask yourself how direct to source are your holiday or business trip plans going to be handled? Their efforts will likely come with hidden costs to your plans in numerous forms. If something is too good to be true…it probably is.
When you plan and shop with local businesses, time and money will ultimately be saved. Businesses will be supported meaning future expansion, guarantees and strength of services along with even better travel deals. If you are questioning your upcoming plans, please feel free to connect with us. We work daily all year round to provide only the best in services with our extremely strong business network. Advice with us is free for the asking. As always, we want you to Experience The French Riviera at its most spectacular so that you have the most memorable time ever!