If you are sick and tired of renting yourself a luxury villa, only to discover upon arrival that you don’t get the same royal treatment available at a five-star hotel, then Christian Jagodzinski knows your pain. The entrepreneur was so fed up with his being ignored during his supposedly deluxe villa vacations, that he created the hotel operating company Villazzo, whose VillaHotel service provides clients with all the amenities of a luxury hotel stay, but within the seclusion of their own private villa.
His clients include Jay-Z and Beyoncé, The Cisneros family, Derek Jeter, The President of the Republic of Congo, and even Queen Latifa. Villazzo’s high profile clients are partial to its beautiful locations, like Miami, where Villa Azza fits in as an island paradise among adjacent island paradises.
Located on the manmade Palm Island of Miami Beach, the waterfront estate is surrounded by multimillion dollar homes that share its view of the Miami skyline. What makes Villa Azza stand out is the fact that it is a Villazzo villa. From the very moment you arrive, you will be treated like royalty (which you may very well be). You will be greeted, not only by your personal, in-villa butler (whom we'll call Alfred) when you arrive to the villa, but even before that at the airport and chauffeured in. You will also be showered with gifts, like a basket of fresh fruit and white roses in every bathroom.
Alfred will be happy to offer you a cocktail, reservation at the hottest restaurant in town, and personal shopping services throughout your stay. He will also serve you breakfast and provide you with your favorite newspaper daily. Aside from the ever-present and multi-talented manservant, your villa will be equipped with gracious and English-speaking staff for daily turndown, cleaning and laundry services. Each of the villa’s five bedrooms are elegantly furnished to the smallest detail, like 660 thread-count Frette Linens and Godiva bedside chocolates. The six, spa-inspired bathrooms feature a full range of BVLGARI products and Frette bath towels and cloths.
The grounds of the villa are delightfully landscaped, with palm trees, a putting green, and a waterfall, all of which pale in comparison to the bright, cobalt-blue tiled pool. The property also features an outdoor Jacuzzi, barbeque and a fully-equipped gym. If pools, Jacuzzis and BBQs aren’t really your style, you will probably enjoy the opportunity to meditate on the beauty of the “captivating garden,” or read the latest issue of Forbes, your face looking out from the cover, on one of the villas cobblestone terraces.
Though the villa sleeps 13, there are only 12 dining table seats, so someone is going to be keeping Alfred company. Don’t worry though, there are plenty of ways the two of you can bond. You can sip coffee from the Nespresso machine and trade the comic and sports sections of the newspaper for instance. Or, you can sit at the bar smoking a Cuban from the Humidor while he makes you a Kentucky Derby Mint Julep and listens to your ravings about the fiscal cliff. After supper, you can rejoin the group for a little amateur piano music in the vaulted ceiling living room, or for a movie from the Villazzo DVD selection in the home theater.
For the business-minded, Villazzo provides a number of business accessories for its VillaHotel clients, like a fax machine, stapler, printer, and even a pre-programmed laptop. In the Villa Azza, there is an office room, but the fuzzy couch facing the desk ensures that things never get too serious. Ranging from $5,000 to $11,100 a night for seven nights, the villa represents a home away from home for the world’s traveling elite.