Paul Maxence: Your Lifestyle conductor!
Pugnacious and daring with a strong character ( according to him ) for Maxence, ability to rebound, to master his network and to communicate like no other for Paul ... By joining their qualities, these two shareholders and founders of " Paul Maxence ", gave birth in 2013 to a new type of Ultra Luxurious Concierge service, the "Lifestyle Assistant service".
Paul Maxence founders, Paul Charoy and Maxence Roche
Paul Charoy, a cheerful man in his fifties, has a rich background behind him, especially in the communication field ( from Paris Cultural Affairs to Euro Disney, passing by DDB and Ketchum agencies as well as the Sofitel group ), which has permitted him to create a high-end international network. Maxence Roche also has an impressive address book thanks to his former job as a commercial aircrafts pilot as well as Operations manager in Airport zones where he took care of VIPs worldwide.
Paul Charoy
Paul Maxence and Paul Charoy had a common vision about what a concierge service should look like within the luxury world, which naturally drove them to create their own - the "Lifestyle Assistant". This service has one goal: becoming the right-hand man for busy businessmen, helping rich families organizing their affairs and leisure ... In short, the rare jewel who can take over anytime and has the ability to anticipate to the needs of their clients.
Maxence Roche
Who is Maxence?
With a family background of civil and military pilots it was my dream to become a pilot. At 21 years old, I had fullfilled this dream and began to develop an appeal for the luxury industry. Then, at 23 years old, I made a career change and became operations manager in an Airport zone. In this function I was in charge of welcoming the VIPs and answering to their needs like a concierge! These clients would be kept in special comfort and luxury zone until they finally got on their private jets or boarded for their First Class flghts. Being around them, I noticed their main issue: the lack of free time. That's why, in 2011, I created my first Paris-based company named "Accueil Prestige". On my trips to some of the big cities like London and New York, I noticed that in these places they were already proposing some luxurious concierge services. But this wasn't the case in Montreal and in Canada.
Maxence Roche
That's why I came to live in Montreal in March 2012. I wanted to be a strike and initiation force in this developing market. At the end of 2013, beginning of 2014, a common friend introduced me to Paul and we rapidly became friends. During the following 6 months, each Tuesday we sat together for 3 hours and we soon realised that we had to create our Lifestyle Assistant Company " Paul Maxence ". And now it's done!
Who is Paul?
My family roots are great bourgeoisie. As a kid, I was already exposed to the luxury world, I knew its codes and I developed a great interest in beautiful things and exceptional universes which was followed by a rich and diverse professional career. After I graduated from Paris Ecole du Louvre, I became, at 24 years old, department head of the Paris Cultural Affairs press service. In 1991, I became press agent for Euro Disney in France, responsible for the communication of their park opening. In 1995, I met Alain Peyrefitte who asked me to become director of tourism and communication for Provins, a city renown for its outstanding medieval festival!
Paul Charoy
On this success, Paul Dubrule hired me at Fontainebleau city for two years and a half. Then, I became "strategic planner" for DDB agency, creating strategies for advertising campaigns. An interesting challenge that brought me to live in Chicago and work in a DDB subsidiary. Finally, in 2002, I worked for Sofitel group, where I developped their communication around the " French art of living " concept. It was a pleasure to have worked for this group for 3 years and I kept some great memories of this period. After a short incursion at Microsoft, I left and decided to settle in Montreal in 2010 where I created, thanks to my network, a communication agency.
Why did you create a concierge service while some of them already exist?
While researching concierge services we found out some interesting things: first, there is the democratization of concierge services, in the car rental, hotels and aerial fields for example. Secondly, we noticed that a lot of services are experiencing a loss of quality by 'industrializing' their order and customer follow-up process.
Finally, we noticed a negative trend: the intuitive knowledge of the client barely exists anymore and client relations are decreasing because of excessive developments created to serve more and more people.
What sets you apart from the other Concierge services?
Paul Maxence is a club... When a client becomes a member, he receives a card with a red number giving him the ensurance of a direct and personalized link with us, at any hour of the day and for anything. Our goal is to be a "Lifestyle Assistant" which translates itself in helping our client by offering him what he lacks the most: some free time just for him ! Our job is close to the one of a right-hand man. Our clients can almost ask us everything. In short, we are the conductor of their lives. We are respecting the music sheet they are composing for us and we will play it without any false note! (smiles). We want to have a limited number of families as clients ( no more than 50 ) in order to personally know them and being able to answer to any of their needs 24h/24. We are the Luxury craftsmen of Concierge services.
How do you divide your roles?
We are working together and are both answering to our clients needs. Which implies for both of us, a great knowledge of their needs. Paul has a good and precise vision of our clients in their fifties or more. Me, I've got a good approach of our clients between 30 and 50 years old and, of course, I know the aerial partners pretty well. (smile). We know how to identify our clients and their needs in relation to their age and then, we personalize the service bringing in our added value.
What's your definition of a service?
Service is based on the ability to listen, to identify once and for all what the client needs for his lifestyle. We also take care of the emotional part. Good service is about going that extra mile, being able to see beyond our clients needs and demands. Surprise and amaze them is part of the service, having a good sense for things by giving them the right answers, not necessarily the most expensive ones. We are like profilers with an outstanding ability to identify our client's wishes. This is a very exciting job, demanding a lot of precision and professionalism and of course (life) experience.
How can we become members of your Concierge service?
This is a club limited to only 50 families with an annual membership. We are ensuring our clients a 24h/24 / 7 days a week access to our service, from everywhere in the world, answering to their most simple demands as well as their most extravagant ones.
What's your clients profile?
In general, they are between 30 and 50 years old. Most of them are "new wealth" coming from new technologiy and finance markets, mainly from the Middle East, North America and Europe... They are all looking for a high-quality service " à la française " ... In fact, they want the same butler as on the TV Series "Downtown Abbey" but they don't want him in-house but close to their Iphones...
Want a trip in space inside an helium balloon-propelled capsule?
Why did you choose Montreal for your service?
First of all, we are located in a strategic place, making it easy to treat demands at any time, wether they are coming from the USA or Europe. We are in the same time zone as New York, and managing the Middle East and later, Mexico, from here is very convenient. Montreal is also a bilingual city where everything seems to go faster with an easy access to travel the world.
Montreal
Where do you want to develop the service next?
For our individual customers, we focus on further development in Europe and North America with a desire to expand to the Middle East and Africa. In countries like Brazil and Mexico we see the upcoming of the "new wealth" class and this is a very interesting target group for us. Meanwhile our Ultra Luxurious positioning also seduces some big companies and we are working on some 'white label' Concierge services projects with them.
Maxence, what is your definition of luxury?
Never think about time as a constraint anymore but as an asset and benefit.
Your Height of Luxury?
I could easily imagine a romantic dinner with my wife in space.
The Luxury you can not live without?
Daily Comfort and good quality of life.
Paul, what is your definition of luxury?
Offering myself pleasure by playing with the extremes. Start my day in a popular market then finish it with a dinner in a good restaurant .
Your Height of Luxury?
To spend my life creating a great collection of contemporary art, without any financial constraints.
The Luxury you can not live without?
A massage every two weeks ( smile )
Paul Charoy, a cheerful man in his fifties, has a rich background behind him, especially in the communication field ( from Paris Cultural Affairs to Euro Disney, passing by DDB and Ketchum agencies as well as the Sofitel group ), which has permitted him to create a high-end international network. Maxence Roche also has an impressive address book thanks to his former job as a commercial aircrafts pilot as well as Operations manager in Airport zones where he took care of VIPs worldwide.
Paul Charoy
Paul Maxence and Paul Charoy had a common vision about what a concierge service should look like within the luxury world, which naturally drove them to create their own - the "Lifestyle Assistant". This service has one goal: becoming the right-hand man for busy businessmen, helping rich families organizing their affairs and leisure ... In short, the rare jewel who can take over anytime and has the ability to anticipate to the needs of their clients.
Maxence Roche
Who is Maxence?
With a family background of civil and military pilots it was my dream to become a pilot. At 21 years old, I had fullfilled this dream and began to develop an appeal for the luxury industry. Then, at 23 years old, I made a career change and became operations manager in an Airport zone. In this function I was in charge of welcoming the VIPs and answering to their needs like a concierge! These clients would be kept in special comfort and luxury zone until they finally got on their private jets or boarded for their First Class flghts. Being around them, I noticed their main issue: the lack of free time. That's why, in 2011, I created my first Paris-based company named "Accueil Prestige". On my trips to some of the big cities like London and New York, I noticed that in these places they were already proposing some luxurious concierge services. But this wasn't the case in Montreal and in Canada.
Maxence Roche
That's why I came to live in Montreal in March 2012. I wanted to be a strike and initiation force in this developing market. At the end of 2013, beginning of 2014, a common friend introduced me to Paul and we rapidly became friends. During the following 6 months, each Tuesday we sat together for 3 hours and we soon realised that we had to create our Lifestyle Assistant Company " Paul Maxence ". And now it's done!
Who is Paul?
My family roots are great bourgeoisie. As a kid, I was already exposed to the luxury world, I knew its codes and I developed a great interest in beautiful things and exceptional universes which was followed by a rich and diverse professional career. After I graduated from Paris Ecole du Louvre, I became, at 24 years old, department head of the Paris Cultural Affairs press service. In 1991, I became press agent for Euro Disney in France, responsible for the communication of their park opening. In 1995, I met Alain Peyrefitte who asked me to become director of tourism and communication for Provins, a city renown for its outstanding medieval festival!
Paul Charoy
On this success, Paul Dubrule hired me at Fontainebleau city for two years and a half. Then, I became "strategic planner" for DDB agency, creating strategies for advertising campaigns. An interesting challenge that brought me to live in Chicago and work in a DDB subsidiary. Finally, in 2002, I worked for Sofitel group, where I developped their communication around the " French art of living " concept. It was a pleasure to have worked for this group for 3 years and I kept some great memories of this period. After a short incursion at Microsoft, I left and decided to settle in Montreal in 2010 where I created, thanks to my network, a communication agency.
Why did you create a concierge service while some of them already exist?
While researching concierge services we found out some interesting things: first, there is the democratization of concierge services, in the car rental, hotels and aerial fields for example. Secondly, we noticed that a lot of services are experiencing a loss of quality by 'industrializing' their order and customer follow-up process.
Finally, we noticed a negative trend: the intuitive knowledge of the client barely exists anymore and client relations are decreasing because of excessive developments created to serve more and more people.
What sets you apart from the other Concierge services?
Paul Maxence is a club... When a client becomes a member, he receives a card with a red number giving him the ensurance of a direct and personalized link with us, at any hour of the day and for anything. Our goal is to be a "Lifestyle Assistant" which translates itself in helping our client by offering him what he lacks the most: some free time just for him ! Our job is close to the one of a right-hand man. Our clients can almost ask us everything. In short, we are the conductor of their lives. We are respecting the music sheet they are composing for us and we will play it without any false note! (smiles). We want to have a limited number of families as clients ( no more than 50 ) in order to personally know them and being able to answer to any of their needs 24h/24. We are the Luxury craftsmen of Concierge services.
How do you divide your roles?
We are working together and are both answering to our clients needs. Which implies for both of us, a great knowledge of their needs. Paul has a good and precise vision of our clients in their fifties or more. Me, I've got a good approach of our clients between 30 and 50 years old and, of course, I know the aerial partners pretty well. (smile). We know how to identify our clients and their needs in relation to their age and then, we personalize the service bringing in our added value.
What's your definition of a service?
Service is based on the ability to listen, to identify once and for all what the client needs for his lifestyle. We also take care of the emotional part. Good service is about going that extra mile, being able to see beyond our clients needs and demands. Surprise and amaze them is part of the service, having a good sense for things by giving them the right answers, not necessarily the most expensive ones. We are like profilers with an outstanding ability to identify our client's wishes. This is a very exciting job, demanding a lot of precision and professionalism and of course (life) experience.
How can we become members of your Concierge service?
This is a club limited to only 50 families with an annual membership. We are ensuring our clients a 24h/24 / 7 days a week access to our service, from everywhere in the world, answering to their most simple demands as well as their most extravagant ones.
What's your clients profile?
In general, they are between 30 and 50 years old. Most of them are "new wealth" coming from new technologiy and finance markets, mainly from the Middle East, North America and Europe... They are all looking for a high-quality service " à la française " ... In fact, they want the same butler as on the TV Series "Downtown Abbey" but they don't want him in-house but close to their Iphones...
Want a trip in space inside an helium balloon-propelled capsule?
Why did you choose Montreal for your service?
First of all, we are located in a strategic place, making it easy to treat demands at any time, wether they are coming from the USA or Europe. We are in the same time zone as New York, and managing the Middle East and later, Mexico, from here is very convenient. Montreal is also a bilingual city where everything seems to go faster with an easy access to travel the world.
Montreal
Where do you want to develop the service next?
For our individual customers, we focus on further development in Europe and North America with a desire to expand to the Middle East and Africa. In countries like Brazil and Mexico we see the upcoming of the "new wealth" class and this is a very interesting target group for us. Meanwhile our Ultra Luxurious positioning also seduces some big companies and we are working on some 'white label' Concierge services projects with them.
Maxence, what is your definition of luxury?
Never think about time as a constraint anymore but as an asset and benefit.
Your Height of Luxury?
I could easily imagine a romantic dinner with my wife in space.
The Luxury you can not live without?
Daily Comfort and good quality of life.
Paul, what is your definition of luxury?
Offering myself pleasure by playing with the extremes. Start my day in a popular market then finish it with a dinner in a good restaurant .
Your Height of Luxury?
To spend my life creating a great collection of contemporary art, without any financial constraints.
The Luxury you can not live without?
A massage every two weeks ( smile )
Mai 2015
By Katya PELLEGRINO
