A family of nine and six weeks of London ahead. One household needs more than one car.
We look after families and principals visiting the UK from the Gulf, the United States, Asia and elsewhere: the arrival, the cars for the stay, the staff, the children, the shopping, the school visits and the days out of town.
- 20+years in private travel
- Ownedchauffeur fleet in London and Manchester, a trusted global network beyond
- 24/7operations desk, one contact
- 3services on one itinerary: car, jet and yacht
In partnership with Harrods Aviation · Signature Aviation · SW Global
What usually goes wrong
The problems of a long stay in another country
- One car booked for a family that actually needs three: the principal, the children with the nanny, and staff with the luggage
- A different driver every day, so the household explains the same instructions to a stranger every morning
- An arrival with fourteen cases and a car that was only ever going to hold six of them
- Drivers who will not wait, on days that are entirely made of waiting: a fitting, a lunch, a viewing, a clinic
- Days out of London booked as transfers, so the family is left at a house or a school with no car for three hours
- Late evenings, prayer times, fasting hours and children's routines that a normal transfer service does not account for
How we look after a visiting household
A household needs a standing arrangement
For a stay of more than a few days, the arrangement that works is cars held for the household rather than journeys booked one at a time. Usually that means an S-Class for the principal and a V-Class for the family, the children and the luggage, with the same chauffeurs through the stay so that after the first week nobody has to explain anything. Additional vehicles are added for the days that need them and stood down for the days that do not.
The chauffeurs learn the household: which entrance at the apartment building, who travels with whom, which child sits where, whose bags go in which car, how much conversation is wanted, and which requests come from the principal and which from the office. That knowledge is most of the difference between a good stay and a stay spent on the telephone.
The season matters. Gulf families in particular come for the British summer, when London is at its busiest and the good cars and chauffeurs are committed a long way in advance. Ramadan and Eid travel run to a completely different clock, with later starts, evening meals and night journeys, and we plan a stay around that rather than around office hours. See summer in London.
We own our cars and employ our chauffeurs in London and Manchester, and use a trusted global network everywhere else. For the rest of a UK trip, and for onward travel to Europe, we arrange vehicles through operators we know and coordinate them from here, so the family keeps one contact rather than starting again in each city.
What a stay is made of
The days we plan most often
The arrival
Met inside the terminal or at the private terminal, with enough vehicles for the luggage, not just the people.
Cars for the stay
Held by the week or the month, with the same chauffeurs throughout.
Shopping
Bond Street, Sloane Street and Knightsbridge, with bags returned to the residence during the day.
Schools and universities
Open days, entrance assessments, interviews and visits to Oxford, Cambridge and the London universities.
Days in the country
Windsor, the Cotswolds, Bath, Scotland, with the car waiting all day rather than dropping and leaving.
The season
Ascot, Wimbledon and the summer events, planned months rather than days ahead.
A family arrival
What we plan before you land
- VehiclesCounted against luggageCases and people are different sums. We ask for both before we confirm anything.
- Meeting pointAgreed in advanceInside the terminal by name, or at the aircraft where the private terminal permits.
- ChildrenSeats fittedTell us ages at the time of booking and the seats are in the car before it leaves us.
- StaffTheir own vehicleNannies, house staff and security travelling with the luggage rather than squeezed in.
- The residenceLearned earlyWhich entrance, where a car can wait, and how to reach the household without ringing the main door.
- The stayHeld, not booked dailyCars committed for the period, so nothing is lost to somebody else's booking.
- DiscretionAssumedNo photographs, no discussion, and journeys bookable under a reference.
- Onward travelArrangedAircraft, helicopters and yachts arranged alongside the cars.
Where
London, and out of it
For the office
Tell us about the stay
Arrival date, how long you are here, how many people and how many staff, where you are staying and roughly what the days look like. We will come back with how many vehicles we would recommend and how we would arrange them.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
From households and family offices
Can we keep the same chauffeurs for the whole stay?
Yes, and for anything longer than a few days we recommend it. See dedicated chauffeur.
How many vehicles will we need?
Tell us the number of people, the number of cases and what the days look like, and we will tell you honestly. Most long stays end up with at least two vehicles held and others added for particular days.
Can you fit child seats?
Yes. Give us the ages when you book and the seats are fitted before the car leaves us.
Do your chauffeurs speak Arabic or other languages?
Ask us for your dates. We will tell you what we can actually provide rather than promise it in general.
How far ahead should we book a summer stay?
As early as you can. The British summer is the busiest period of the year in London and the best cars and chauffeurs are committed months ahead.
Can the cars be at the family's disposal rather than booked per journey?
Yes, and for a household it is almost always the right arrangement. See hourly and as directed.
Can you arrange aircraft and yachts as well?
Yes, we arrange them. See private jet charter and yacht charter.
Can the family office be invoiced rather than the household?
Yes. Open the account in the office's name and name the bookers. See family offices.
One contact, wherever you are