Five-star hotel-style concierge to elevate lifestyle at AURA by Aqualand

Leading Australian integrated property development group, Aqualand, is set to further elevate the lifestyles of its residents at its $1 billion mixed-use North Sydney development, AURA by Aqualand.

They're set to include a five-star, hotel-style concierge service as part of the experience of living in AURA, which is set to be completed in mid-2024.

Whilst bespoke luxury concierge services are prevalent in high-density residential settings in international cities such as New York, London and Hong Kong, its application in Australia, while becoming more common in up-scale buildings, has generally remained rudimentary in its service offerings, despite promising five-star hotel-style experiences. 

This is despite traditional concierge services becoming the latest evolution in customer service across various other industries, from hotels, banking, retail, commercial buildings, private hospitals, and even car dealerships.

Generally delivered by the building’s management company, residential concierges are mostly offered as an additional service, with building managers doubling as concierge managers when onsite during business hours, thereby limiting the services’ expertise, a suite of services offered, and as such, the overall resident experience. 

While this may work in standard buildings, Aqualand understands its high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth residents often require a more focused and bespoke concierge service. 

To satisfy this demand, Aqualand has appointed Etymon Concierge to deliver tailored specialised concierge services onsite, as well as premium bespoke lifestyle management, which is already a mainstay at their BLUE at Lavender Bay building in Milsons Point.

While traditional concierge services will be provided to all AURA residents as part of their strata, such as the booking of amenities, including the pool, gym, rooftop Sky Deck, community room, meeting rooms and other bookable spaces - either face-to-face or via a dedicated App - two more bespoke layers of services will also available, at additional cost.

Known as Concierge Now, the second tier offering, which has been popular with BLUE residents, includes the sourcing and management of specialist services such as dinner party organisation, the curation of a wine cellar, or executive assistant expertise, for instance.

The top-tier lifestyle management service, known as Black Key, is by invitation only and provides the ultimate in bespoke personalisation. This could include a range of everyday discrete services, from having groceries delivered, pets fed or plants watered, dinners or snacks and coffees ordered and delivered, recommendations on touring cultural events, including ticket sourcing, right up to organising visas and airfares for international travel.   

Etymon CEO, Lisa Hobbs, said that while some high-end property developers are bringing back the idea of an indefinite hotel stay, concierge services like those delivered by Etymon Concierge are rarely seen in Australian property. 

“Residents of BLUE have Etymon Concierge staff on hand 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, catering to the practicalities of their modern lives by looking after deliveries, booking a one-of-a-kind experience, managing visitors, or helping with information about the area," Hobbs said.

"A personalised and polished service is central to the beauty, convenience and vibrancy of life at our residences.

“In our experience, residential concierges must be experts at all of these as the requests they receive are as varied as the personalities and lifestyles of the people who call the building home. In a single shift, a residential concierge will cover the provision of general information, household management, working from home help, lifestyle and personal assistance, to the magical moments of personalised birthday cards for their special day.” 

Hobbs said, much like a New York penthouse, Etymon Concierge gives residents the benefits of living in a world-class luxury hotel-style home, akin to The Ritz, or the Waldorf Astoria.

“It’s a 360-degree lifestyle offering driven by the needs and wants of our residents and members. Every detail is meticulously curated and executed to ensure both memorable and remarkable experiences.”

“We provide a high level of service from a very humanistic perspective, which includes humbleness and a generosity of spirit."

Residents of BLUE and AURA buyers, Penny and Les Grujic, said the Etymon Concierge team have delivered excellent service throughout their two years of living in BLUE.

“They’re always very pleasant and happy to assist with accepting deliveries, advice about what’s on around the area, anything that may affect our life here," the couple said.

"They’re always up-to-date with issues affecting the building and residents and the Etymon App is kept up-to-date and is very easy to use. The comfort in knowing the concierge is there looking after our best interests is completely reassuring."

Black Key member, Claudia Roberts, said the concierge service has been an absolute game-changer in managing the chaos of her daily life. 

"Being part of the Black Key concierge service has not only simplified my day-to-day responsibilities but has also provided a sense of reliability and trust," Roberts said.

“From handling mundane errands to orchestrating complex logistical challenges, the Black Key team has consistently demonstrated their knack for getting things done. Whether it's coordinating dinner reservations, finding caterers, managing deliveries, or even finding my lost passport in the mail, their personalised service has allowed me to reclaim valuable time and energy."

Roberts said they even helped her find a nanny for her children.

"The nanny they recommended has become an invaluable part of our daily lives, providing exceptional care and creating a nurturing environment for our children.

"The Black Key team went above and beyond in understanding our family's unique needs and preferences. Their personalised approach to the nanny search was remarkable, ensuring that we not only found a qualified caregiver but also someone who resonated with our family dynamics. Their attention to detail and genuine care in selecting the right fit for our household demonstrated a level of dedication that sets them apart."

Meanwhile, Black Key member, Neil Lake, said it was fantastic to have a concierge service such as Black Key help with life’s tasks.

“As an executive for a global company based in Sydney, and with my wife based in the UK, having the team there to help organise things from dry cleaning, and apartment cleaning, to restaurant reservations and stocking the fridge for my arrival to Sydney, has been invaluable… and these are just a few of the things they can help with," Lake said.

“We’re now making a more permanent move back to Australia from the UK and needed a fast turnaround on moving our things from Sydney to Melbourne. The team was quick to sort this out within a day and coordinated the move from Sydney allowing us to spend time needed in Melbourne to arrange things on our end. 

“They have truly made our life easier, easing the pressure of life. Finding an amazing restaurant with a great wine list is also nice too."

AURA by Aqualand is approaching completion, with a display apartment recently finished so buyers can see the quality that Aqualand has produced.

Aqualand secured over $100 million in sales at the project in February, which broke the North Shore record for the highest sales volume and revenue achieved in one month (not including the month a project launches).

It's some 263 per cent higher than AURA's last biggest non-launch sales month, in April 2023 when they sold $40 million of apartments.