The Ultra-Rich Are Joining This Club for Luxurious, 'Un-Gettable' Experiences — Think Paddock Access at F1 Races. Here's How Much It Costs. Laurent Baud and Mark Bau co-founded AMPM after 15-plus-year careers in nightlife and hospitality.
By Amanda Breen Edited by Jessica Thomas
Key Takeaways
- AMPM, a high-end lifestyle and travel service company, launched in September 2016.
- Platinum memberships cost $8,000 per year — but the Elite offering has a bigger price tag.
If you've ever wanted to land a last-minute reservation at a buzzy restaurant or paddock access at an F1 race, holding a membership at Laurent Baud and Mark Bau's AMPM, a high-end lifestyle and travel service company, wouldn't have just made it possible, but easy.
Baud and Bau, the "unofficial experts" at providing luxury experiences to the uber-wealthy while keeping their privacy intact, came up with the idea for their members' club when they met for lunch at a bagel and egg shop in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood.
Both veterans of the nightlife and hospitality scene, Baud and Bau received a message from American Express's Centurion concierge regarding a client request that day — and the wheels started turning.
"At that moment, we started to play around with the idea of creating our own concierge company," Bau recalls, explaining that major hotels like the Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons were already used to calling him to help get their clients into clubs.
"It honestly got us thinking that a truly premier lifestyle and travel concierge concept was needed for these clients looking to experience life to the fullest," Baud adds. "And we were the people to do it."
Related: 8 Things I Discovered While Working With Affluent Clients in New York City
The duo launched AMPM in September 2016, using the contacts they'd made at exclusive clubs — celebrities, athletes and the "ultra-rich" — to help build their client base.
Now, the co-founders stay on top of exclusive, must-experience trends by traveling and spending time with clients and friends "at the destinations in which [they] see the highest demand." There, they meet market movers and continue to network.
AMPM offers two membership tiers: Platinum and Elite, which cost $8,000 and $30,000 per year, respectively. The difference between the two is the "amount of attention a client needs in order to be serviced," Bau says, adding that all clients are considered "real VIPs."
For the most part, all clients begin with a Platinum membership, then, if it so happens a client needs more attention, they're given the opportunity to transition to the Elite offering.
"Clients that are Elite are consistently on the go," Bau says. "They have multiple assistants, a family office and need more service around the clock — [especially when] they travel in different time zones, we send our staff with them as a traveling concierge. They will handle all parts of the trip including tours, transportation, making sure every detail is covered including surveilling the hotel property, etc."
"This is not just a job," Baud says. "We love what we do and want to bring the right people together. We have the best 'job' because we help curate memories for our guests."
