Latest news with #Luxico
Daily Telegraph
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Telegraph
Inside ‘Billion Dollar Playground's' huge demands and luxury stays
Caviar tins, Dom Perignon and luxury holiday homes is just another day in the billion dollar playground. If you've ever wondered how the top 1 per cent travel, BINGE's new TV series 'Billion Dollar Playground' offers a front-row seat, lifting the curtain on the ultra-exclusive world of luxury vacation rentals, following real life luxury holiday rental company Luxico. See the video inside a 'billion dollar playground' experience. Forget five-star hotels as the wealthy check into private mansions featuring tennis courts with stadium grade lighting, resort style pools, and bespoke furnishings. For up to $30,000 a night, guests stay in some of the city's prime real estate but not only that – they come with staff that cater to the extravagant wishes of the global elite. Luxico's stays are all across Australia, from Sydney's Eastern suburbs all the way to Palm Beach, Port Douglas and Noosa. MORE: Nude model takes $3m dive Alarming way Gen Z are getting homes On the show we meet the real life luxury concierge's Heaven and Jasmin, private chef's, Aussie brothers Matt and George, French Butler JB and a bunch more of the luxury staff. Where their rule of thumb is 'if it's legal, we'll make it happen,' – the Luxico staff have seen their fair share of multimillion dollar homes. MORE: Oroton heirs' stunning $30m payday Speaking to cast member Heaven, one of the concierge staff, she said what made a 'billion dollar playground' property for her was opulent gates, tall ceilings and tree-lined winding driveways. 'This particularly property I'm thinking of there was something like 200 olive trees … it was a flex,' she said. 'There was a glass wall that by the touch of a button it went down into the floor,' she added. MORE: Hemsworth's mind-blowing $50m home stuns What homes will be worth in each suburb by 2030 'Another thing with ultra wealthy properties, there is a really nice interior and exterior flow. this one even a floor to ceiling aquarium.' For George being a private chef, it was all about the kitchen. '(A) property had three combi-ovens, that are about $60,000-$80,000 each … that for me as a chef is mind blowing, because the amount I can pump out is mind blowing.' The cast also hinted to drama that unfolds between not just the demanding guests, but the service team themselves. 'It's another day at the office,' George said. 'For us a reality TV show is so far from reality … but this show is reality. It's just another day at work.' Heaven added that there was often some clashes in personalities that unravelled under pressure. 'My experience before moving to Australia was that I worked independently,' Heaven added. 'So the biggest challenge sometimes, is working with different personalities.' But the two both had some crazy stories of the demands of the ultra-wealthy guests. 'I once had a last minute dinner party that had to happen, it was a 10 person dinner party and they wanted a $20,000 flower installation flown in … that's the most stress I've ever had I had a moment of doubt.' 'However we figured it out, from the West Coast to the East Coast it came,' Heaven said. 'Mines very much the same but it's a helicopter,' George said. 'It was a two-day stay and the guests decided they wanted a particular caviar not from this country, so it was a plane ride and a helicopter … I tell you what, when money isn't an issue and there is no such thing as shallow pockets, the mind can run wild, anything is possible.' Viewers can expect plenty of luxe properties, unique requests, and the pressures of delivering the unforgettable. The first episode of the 8-part series is available now to stream on BINGE, with new episodes dropping weekly. MORE: Surprise reason family refuse to live in house 'Shock': dilapidated home sells for jaw-dropping price
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Inside ‘Billion Dollar Playground's' huge demands and luxury stays
Caviar tins, Dom Perignon and luxury holiday homes is just another day in the billion dollar playground. If you've ever wondered how the top 1 per cent travel, BINGE's new TV series 'Billion Dollar Playground' offers a front-row seat, lifting the curtain on the ultra-exclusive world of luxury vacation rentals, following real life luxury holiday rental company Luxico. See the video inside a 'billion dollar playground' experience. Forget five-star hotels as the wealthy check into private mansions featuring tennis courts with stadium grade lighting, resort style pools, and bespoke furnishings. For up to $30,000 a night, guests stay in some of the city's prime real estate but not only that – they come with staff that cater to the extravagant wishes of the global elite. Luxico's stays are all across Australia, from Sydney's Eastern suburbs all the way to Palm Beach, Port Douglas and Noosa. On the show we meet the real life luxury concierge's Heaven and Jasmin, private chef's, Aussie brothers Matt and George, French Butler JB and a bunch more of the luxury staff. Where their rule of thumb is 'if it's legal, we'll make it happen,' – the Luxico staff have seen their fair share of multimillion dollar homes. MORE: Oroton heirs' stunning $30m payday Speaking to cast member Heaven, one of the concierge staff, she said what made a 'billion dollar playground' property for her was opulent gates, tall ceilings and tree-lined winding driveways. 'This particularly property I'm thinking of there was something like 200 olive trees … it was a flex,' she said. 'There was a glass wall that by the touch of a button it went down into the floor,' she added. What homes will be worth in each suburb by 2030 'Another thing with ultra wealthy properties, there is a really nice interior and exterior flow. this one even a floor to ceiling aquarium.' For George being a private chef, it was all about the kitchen. '(A) property had three combi-ovens, that are about $60,000-$80,000 each … that for me as a chef is mind blowing, because the amount I can pump out is mind blowing.' The cast also hinted to drama that unfolds between not just the demanding guests, but the service team themselves. 'It's another day at the office,' George said. 'For us a reality TV show is so far from reality … but this show is reality. It's just another day at work.' Heaven added that there was often some clashes in personalities that unravelled under pressure. 'My experience before moving to Australia was that I worked independently,' Heaven added. 'So the biggest challenge sometimes, is working with different personalities.' But the two both had some crazy stories of the demands of the ultra-wealthy guests. 'I once had a last minute dinner party that had to happen, it was a 10 person dinner party and they wanted a $20,000 flower installation flown in … that's the most stress I've ever had I had a moment of doubt.' 'However we figured it out, from the West Coast to the East Coast it came,' Heaven said. 'Mines very much the same but it's a helicopter,' George said. 'It was a two-day stay and the guests decided they wanted a particular caviar not from this country, so it was a plane ride and a helicopter … I tell you what, when money isn't an issue and there is no such thing as shallow pockets, the mind can run wild, anything is possible.' Viewers can expect plenty of luxe properties, unique requests, and the pressures of delivering the unforgettable. The first episode of the 8-part series is available now to stream on BINGE, with new episodes dropping weekly.
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Hot new Aussie series Billion Dollar Playground premieres with tense scenes: ‘How f***ing dare she'
Real estate shows are a dime a dozen in today's reality TV landscape, but one promises to stand out from the rest. BINGE 's new Original Series Billion Dollar Playground premieres today and offers a look inside real-life luxury holiday rental company Luxico and its staff of elite service experts consisting of concierges, chefs, butlers and housekeepers. Unlike other 'property porn' shows, on BDP the mega-mansions are just the bait with the hook being the drama that unfolds between the service staff as they attempt to deliver unforgettable stays for their wealthy guests. Lead concierge Salvatore, fellow concierges Heaven and Jasmin, butler JB, housekeeper Elsie, trainee Nicole, tradesman Jay, and chefs and siblings Matt and George, put on a united front for the guests, but behind the scenes it's not exactly smooth sailing. Just like any workplace there is pressure, tension, ambition, rivalry and potential romance so there is no shortage of high-end drama. Stream Billion Dollar Playground on BINGE, available on Hubbl. 'I would never even think of being on other reality television shows because … I'm just going to say that ours has heart,' Heaven, Luxico's second-in-command concierge, told us ahead of today's premiere. 'Anything that I involve myself in, it has to have heart. It has to be about real human connection. It has to have real emotions and dynamics. I understand there's an added layer of being filmed. But I want to stay true to who I am in any environment. And this show this does that for me. I honestly don't know about other reality shows. I just know this is real.' George, who is the resident hot chef along with his brother Matt, agrees that BDP tells it like it is. He points out that the elite crew were not cast in the series – these were their existing jobs therefore viewers can expect to see the 'real, raw stuff'. 'Everyone has access to the cinematic versions. They can see all the pretty stuff, the perfect tableware, the perfectly cooked stake,' George, who has cooked for the wealthy around the world, told us. 'But as we all know, that's not where the juice is. It's all behind the scenes.' Indeed, the first episode sees drama unfold between head concierge Salvatore and Heaven, who clash over a dining event at Luna Park. In Salvatore's eyes, Heaven did not run the show to his standards – and he lets her know it. 'Lift the game up, you're dropping the ball,' he tells her the following morning. 'I don't agree with that. This is sounding really bossy now,' she replies, to which he snaps, 'I am a boss! I'm not going to have this conversation.' He storms off in a huff and tells the other staff that Heaven can 'go f**k herself'. 'I don't need this aggravation in my life. How f***ing dare she. I'm not tolerating this,' he added. Heaven remained unbothered throughout and told that she was disappointed with what transpired with Salvatore. 'I was so excited to learn from him. This man has a wealth of experience and he comes in like, he's a king, he's a boss. I felt there was this competitiveness with him,' she says of her boss, who has worked with celebrities and royals during his decades-long career. 'My job is to impress the guests to make sure that they're happy to put them first. And so if my own supervisor is telling me as a concierge to stay away from the guests, what does that say about what his real intentions are? Is he actually trying to uplift his staff to be the best that we can be? 'I didn't experience that with him, and it's really unfortunate because I was so excited. He talks more about himself. I was ready for him to show up, and I didn't see that happen.' Luckily for the staff, the guests were none the wiser to the drama behind the scenes as their every whim was catered to. In the premiere episode, a fabulous guest named Athanasia brings along her prized poddle, Saki, for a short stay with her girlfriends at a $40 million home in Sydney's Rose Bay. Only problem is, there is a strict no-pets rule at the waterfront mansion that the group were unaware of. After arrangements are made for the dog to stay in exchange for a hefty $1000 cleaning fee, the staff then have the task of cooking a gourmet meal for the little pup. 'Is Saki going to be fed?' Athanasia asks the team. When asked what Saki eats, she playfully replies, 'I'm Greek, we eat lamb.' Athanasia has since praised the service staff for taking good care of herself and Saki, telling 'They very accommodating, polite, professional and went beyond my expectations to accommodate Saki and I. Even had a beautiful dog nanny to look after Saki while we partied at Luna Park.'
