New York moves differently for principals. The taxi ranks at JFK do not exist in their universe. Teterboro is forty minutes from Park Avenue. The Mark calls before the wheels touch down. This is how we run a UHNW week through the five boroughs from a Swiss desk.
Ninety percent of our New York principals fly into Teterboro on private aviation. Wheels-down to The Mark or The Carlyle in 35 minutes via the Lincoln Tunnel, escorted by a black Cadillac Escalade ESV or Mercedes-Maybach S680 with rear-cabin discretion glass. Our protocol officer meets at the aircraft door, handles US Customs in the dedicated FBO lane, and delivers principals to the car without crossing a public terminal.
Arrival — Teterboro, not JFK
For commercial arrivals — JFK Terminal 4 (Emirates, Etihad), JFK Terminal 1 (Air France, Lufthansa First) or Newark Terminal B (United Polaris) — we stage at the jet bridge with VIP fast-track and bypass immigration via the Reserve service. The car waits at curbside, never in the public taxi rank.
Time budget from wheels-down to hotel suite: 35-50 minutes Teterboro, 60-80 minutes JFK, 70-90 minutes Newark. We brief the front desk 24 hours ahead so the suite key is in our chauffeur's hand at arrival.
The week — Hotels, restaurants, the rules of access
The hotels we work with daily: The Mark (UES, the Birkin of New York hotels), The Carlyle (Madison Avenue institution), Aman New York (Crown Building, the new standard), The Pierre (Central Park views), The Lowell (most discreet residence-style). Each has a relationship manager who answers our texts in minutes.
Restaurants requiring reservation 30+ days out — Carbone, Le Bernardin, Eleven Madison Park, Daniel — we hold relationships at the maître d'hôtel level. Same-day access is possible but not guaranteed; we work the channel and follow up. For private rooms, six weeks of lead time on Carbone, two weeks on Daniel.
The Inner Circle
The Quiet Letter
Once a month, a short letter from our concierge: new destinations, off-season opportunities, and itineraries we'd otherwise reserve for repeat clients. No marketing, no noise, ever.
Hamptons weekend — the Friday escape
From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Friday afternoon Manhattan-to-Hamptons traffic on the Long Island Expressway is genuinely brutal. Two viable solutions: helicopter (Blade or HeliFlite, 38 minutes Manhattan heliport to East Hampton, $4,000-7,000 one-way) with our Escalade waiting at the Hamptons heliport; or a 03:30 departure by car (3h15 transfer with zero traffic). We do both, weekly, depending on schedule and weather.
Mid-July to mid-August is the peak — house staff already in residence, parties Friday through Sunday, return Manhattan Monday afternoon. We staff two Escalade ESVs and one Maybach for the season, with chauffeurs who know which Sag Harbor security gates accept which credentials. Same-day return to Teterboro is included in the weekend block.