From chefs to nannies, Onefinestay private home rentals come with access to a team of hospitality professionals to highly personalise stays. Jenny Southan reports
Every traveller is familiar with Airbnb but Onefinestay, which is now part of Accor, flies under the radar. Listing only luxury homes, the brand goes above and beyond to provide a “truly curated hospitality experience,” says Onefinestay’s chief brand and marketing officer, Amanda Dyjecinski.
She tells Globetrender: “We invest time to personally connect with our guests and homeowners and then we anticipate their individual needs, and tailor stays with amenities, services and destination experiences.”
I have stayed in a few Onefinestay properties over the years but was interested to try booking one of their private chefs for an intimate dinner party with friends. I didn’t want to host at home because I didn’t want the hassle of cooking for a group and then having to clean up. Plus, I have a young child, so being able to put them to bed upstairs while we entertained downstairs seemed ideal.
We rented a stylish, four-storey house called Groom Place in a converted stable block on a cobbled mews in London’s Belgravia but were under strict instruction not to post details of the exact address on social media.
Upon arrival in the afternoon, we were greeted by a Onefinestay concierge who showed us around the house, explained the rules and how things worked, where the keys to the communal garden on Belgrave Square were kept and what to do upon check-out.
Weekly housekeeping is included in the price but extra cleaning (£100-£165 for a three-bedroom home) can also be arranged for those who want it.
Groom Place had three bedrooms including a master bedroom with an elegant en suite bathroom and walk-in dressing room.
All guests will find basics such as tea, coffee, milk and snacks provided as standard but if they send a shopping list in advance, the fridge can be fully stocked with groceries before they check in for a £55 service fee. As you’d expect, towels, linens and bathroom toiletries are also provided.
After doing a trip to the local Waitrose supermarket in Knightsbridge to pick up wine, as well as some after-dinner chocolates from Harrods, which was about a 15-minute walk away, we got ready to welcome our guests.
Pre-mixed Moore House cocktails can also be supplied from £32 for 500ml, if you don’t want to mix your own drinks. We were mainly drinking champagne and wine, though, which was served by a highly proficient waiter who was also organised by Onefinestay.
The chef arrived at 6.30pm to familiarise himself with the kitchen and to prep the meal, while the waiter laid the table and kept people’s glasses topped up. After aperitifs and canapes in the living room, we all trooped down to the kitchen for dinner at 8pm, where we found candles lit and the rich aromas of a feast being cooked up.
Stays at Groom Place start from £1,012 per night.