This summer crowds are expected to gather in Paris for the Olympic Games. Hotel room prices will likely skyrocket and tickets for even the smallest events will be hotly sought after. For some elite spenders, however, nothing is too expensive.
The lucky few for whom expenses are not an issue can expect to pay upwards of several hundred thousand dollars for a ringside view of the games. For example, an American family of five traveling to Paris for the Olympics with the experiential travel company The GR8 Experience You can expect to spend between $250,000 and $380,000 depending on the five-star hotel or luxury package they choose.
These six-figure prices include 11 nights' accommodation, premium seats for the opening ceremony and tickets for sports such as swimming, water polo, diving, beach volleyball, track and field and football. They will also enjoy VIP transportation services around Paris and dedicated hosts during their stay in the city.
As the prices above show, the sports tourism industry is worth a lot of money: in 2022 it was worth almost $588 billion and is expected to grow 17% by 2030. And this year, there is no bigger sporting event than the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. “Our customers want direct access to the most popular sporting events; gymnastics, tennis and basketball, to name three,” GR8 Experience CEO and co-founder Barnabas Carrega told CNN Travel .
The company is seeing a record number of inquiries from its predominantly North American clientele for the two-week event. With Paris' iconic River Seine set to take center stage during the opening ceremony, as organizers swap the traditional stadium backdrop for a floating parade of nations, the first night is, as always, the most popular – as long as be “experienced in the most exclusive way possible”, says Carrega.
“We also have some customers who go the day before to see the preparation [da Cerimônia de Abertura] for a really cool experience behind the scenes”, says Carrega. GR8 says some of its clients have privately hired Ducasse sur Seine, the riverboat from Alain Ducasse , the first chef to have three restaurants with three Michelin stars, for one night. Others will stand shoulder to shoulder with Olympic executives, heads of state, A-list celebrities and former Olympic champions at the Trocadéro, where the parade will end.
Customized itineraries
In the itineraries seen by CNN Travel experience companies are taking advantage of the most exclusive packages offered by the official hospitality provider On Location for tickets to Olympic events. This includes access to hospitality suites that will be fully serviced, with alcoholic beverages available.
Meanwhile, the general public will not be able to purchase alcoholic beverages, in line with France's strict ban on alcoholic beverages at sports venues. Tour operator Kensington Tours says it has two clients coming to Paris for the first seven nights of the Games. They will begin their stay by watching the opening ceremony from the viewpoint of the Alma Bridge, with the Eiffel Tower rising in front of them. The base price for this official Bridge 360 package is $10,300 and includes champagne, live music and meet-and-greets with Olympians in a brasserie-style setting.
Kensington says the best tickets – “Gold 1st Category A” – have already been secured for its customers at a cost of between $500 and $1,000 per ticket for tennis and basketball events. On the day they are not attending any events, they will be taken to a private whiskey tasting led by a distillery owner.
Angela Adto Teppa, from AZA Luxury Travel says his company has developed a full program in Paris for a family of financiers from Oahu, Hawaii, who come specifically to watch basketball and wrestling.
“Paris presents a wealth of opportunities for luxury travelers to enjoy during the Olympics,” says Adto Teppa. “I tailored an itinerary that includes Michelin-starred restaurants, curated guided shopping excursions in Parisian fashion districts, and private tours of iconic sites like the Louvre.”
Likewise, the Craft Travel Organized a busy 15-day itinerary for a family of four, including two teenagers, from New York. Among the exclusive experiences is a private concert at the Palais Garnier, Paris's gilded opera house.
“Artists will include a dancer from the National Opera, a classical quartet and an opera singer. A gourmet dinner will accompany the presentation. Then, they will take a behind-the-scenes tour of the opera, including a visit to the costume workshop where all the magic happens”, says the director of Craft Travel, Andrea Galvez. The family home in Paris will be the La Réserve apartments, opposite the Trocadéro. “They wanted a prime location and a luxurious environment that felt welcoming but offered the services of a five-star hotel, and that's exactly what they got,” says Galvez.
The apartment will include a full-time attendant and a private driver so they can avoid the city's already overloaded public transportation network. Palaces and super yachts
Some tourists have already booked Ducasse sur Seine, the boat of star chef Alain Ducasse/Pierre Monetta via CNN NewsourceTo ensure their clients have access to Paris' most prestigious hotels, many luxury travel consultants have made general reservations at properties throughout the city .
“We hired blocks of rooms in eight different hotels for the entire period of the games. We then provide shorter stays within these blocks for our guests,” says Dave Guenter, president of Roadtrips , specialist in sports travel, a company of the Internova Travel Group. Among them are the Rosewood Hôtel de Crillon, Le Bristol Paris and Shangri-La Paris.
Those who have secured a room in Paris's best hotels are paying dearly for the privilege. At the Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris one of France's ultra-prestigious “palace” hotels (a status granted to exceptional luxury properties), its 190-square-meter (2,045-square-foot) Royal Monceau Suite was booked during the Olympic Games at a rate of $27,000 per night .
And, just like the athletes they came to cheer for, wealthy travelers are bringing their entire entourage with them to Paris. “Some of the main suites have been customized according to guests' decor preferences and will feature a hairdressing and makeup area,” says Le Royal Monceau's general manager, Nicolas De Gols.
A regular guest travels with their personal chef and works with the hotel's culinary team to adapt the kitchen within the suite to their needs as well.” An area will also be designated in front of the hotel for guests' own fleets. “Some travel with almost 20 vehicles”, adds De Gols.
With other French cities like Marseille and Nice – and even the sprawling French territory of Tahiti – also hosting Olympic events, it's no surprise that superyacht charters are also a trend for the games.
A Fraser Yachts says Askari, a 33-meter (107-foot) classic yacht based in French Polynesia, has received several inquiries for surfing events in Teahupo'o, Tahiti.
In the Mediterranean, the Monaco-based yacht brokerage has a confirmed charter of a 27-meter (89-foot) motor yacht in Marseille to accompany the Olympic windsurfing competition in early August and also intends to deploy yachts from its U.S. fleet in the Mediterranean to accommodate the increased demand for charters in the south of France this summer.
The wine Olympics
Considering the choice of host country, it appears that many luxury travelers are also interested in securing wines worthy of a gold medal to enjoy while in Paris. Clément Bru and Charles de Brosses, the duo behind the Cookoon a luxury dining service that connects diners with Michelin-starred chefs in exclusive, private locations, say they are already seeing a huge demand for fine and rare wines from Olympic visitors.
“We were contacted by an American professional sportsman who told us he really likes older Burgundys,” says Bru. Thanks to their service network, the duo has already managed to acquire a bottle of nearly 40-year-old Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée “Cros Parantoux” – a wine that costs on average around US$16,000 a bottle – as well as wines from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
The wines will be served in an ultra-exclusive private property secured by the duo. “We are organizing a special evening with a renowned chef and sommelier in an incredible location overlooking the Champ de Mars,” says Bru.
However, despite its intricate network of connections, it seems there are some requests that even the most well-connected UHNW concierges cannot guarantee. “A client of ours is interested in doing a whole behind-the-scenes experience with [ginasta norte-americana] Simone Biles”, explains Carnega, from GR8. “It's very complicated because she is very focused on the games. But we are working on it.”
Source: CNN Brasil
Johanna Foster is an expert opinion writer with over 7 years of experience. She has a reputation for delivering insightful and thought-provoking articles on a variety of subjects. Her work can be found on some of the top online news websites, and she is currently lending her voice to the world stock market.
