New York-based Maria and Dennis share how the Le Suquet Collection brings Europe’s walkable cities within easy reach

Please can you start by kindly introducing yourselves?

We are Maria and Dennis, and we're based in upstate New York, about 30 miles from Albany, the state capital, and roughly two hours north of New York City. We get to look out at the mountains and Hudson river, it's very pretty here. 

Dennis: We're both retired. I retired some time ago, and Maria joined me in retirement three and a half years ago. Since then, travel has really become our shared passion. We try to get away at least twice a year, sometimes three times, exploring different parts of Europe. We absolutely love discovering new places, and now that we have the time to enjoy it properly, it's something we really value. It's also one of the reasons we're so excited about August.

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You were referred by another August Owner, can you share how that came about?

Dennis: Rick is someone who has become a very close friend over the years. We originally worked together in the financial district on Wall Street, many years ago. I retired quite some time ago, but our relationship went beyond being colleagues, and we developed a genuine friendship that has lasted for more than 20 years.

We've always made an effort to stay in touch, usually catching up over a phone call every six months or so to see how things are going and what's happening in each other's lives. One such call came about eight months ago. As usual, we spent around 40 minutes catching up, which is often what it takes to cover everything that's happened since our last conversation!

During the call, Rick mentioned an exciting new venture he was involved in called August Collections. He knew that Maria and I were passionate about travelling, and it was something we had always shared an interest in. Rick had travelled extensively around the world for work, and he and his wife also loved exploring new places, so he immediately thought it might be something we'd find interesting.

At the time, he was just a few days away from signing up to the Premium Collection, and he took the time to explain how August worked. I found the concept really intriguing. I wouldn't necessarily say he directly influenced our decision, but he certainly piqued our interest and prompted us to find out more.

From there, Maria and I took it upon ourselves to do our own due diligence. We spent quite a bit of time researching, asking questions and understanding exactly how everything worked. In the end, the whole process took just two or three months before we decided to join. So, Rick was really the person who first introduced us to August and got the ball rolling.

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How much did this personal recommendation influence your decision to join August?

Maria: I think Rick definitely helped pique our interest. He also put us in touch with someone who was already part of the Pied-à-Terre Collection, and we were fortunate enough to have a virtual tour of their Paris home via a video call. It was a great opportunity to hear first-hand why they had joined August and what they enjoyed about the experience.

What they shared really resonated with us, as their reasons for getting involved were very much aligned with the conversations Dennis and I had been having about how we wanted to travel over the next decade or so.

We've always been quite adventurous, enjoying different excursions and spending weeks at a time exploring various parts of Europe. But I think being able to actually see one of the homes and, more importantly, speak to someone who was already part of the community, made a real difference. It brought the concept to life and gave us a much better sense of what being part of August could look like.

Dennis: It was very helpful, as Maria mentioned. The individual Rick put us in touch with was a very good friend of his, and he and his wife kindly took us around the home, showing us every room. They were completely candid about their experience, how they felt about being part of August and what August had done for them, which we really appreciated.

It was helpful not only to see the property and how beautifully it was curated, but also to speak to someone who was actually sitting in his own living room, sharing his personal experience with us. 

Maria: It made it feel real and made it doable.

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How did you find the joining process, from your initial conversations through to becoming an owner?

Dennis: I would say it was just as informative and helpful as it was open and honest. We had some very candid conversations with members of the team, Rory being one of the key Advisors, as well as one or two others. I think the lasting impression that both Maria and I came away with was that there was a huge amount of information shared, but, importantly, it was always honest and transparent. There were things to consider and some concerns along the way, and everyone was very open about those.

It was incredibly helpful in moving us forward. Throughout the research and due diligence process, we were really looking at everything through a devil's advocate lens. We kept asking ourselves, 'Okay, what's wrong with this? Why shouldn't we do it?'

But over the months we spent going through the process, whenever we finished a conversation or completed another part of our research, we'd look at each other and realise that we still couldn't find a compelling reason not to do it. I think those conversations with Rory and the wider team, over the month or month and a half that we spent speaking with them, really helped get us to that point.

Maria: I'm naturally sceptical, so I wanted to read absolutely everything. Dennis is also a very thorough reader, and he went through every single word of the documents Rory sent us via the secure file. We both had plenty of questions along the way, but they were always answered, and there was a real timeliness to the way we received responses. I'd say the whole process was very smooth.

Dennis: The other thing I'd say about the team and the conversations we've had with them is that, alongside being honest, helpful and informative, there was never any sense of pressure. There was no sales pitch, so to speak. They simply laid out the facts and left it to us to consider everything and decide for ourselves what was important. I thought that was extremely impressive.

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Was there anything in particular that stood out to you about August compared with owning a second home outright?

Maria: Absolutely. We had flirted with the idea of owning another home, primarily in Italy. We've travelled to other countries, but we always seem to gravitate towards Italy. It's part of our heritage. The hesitation, though, was the overwhelming responsibility of owning a property across the Atlantic. There was the language barrier, not knowing who we would call if something needed attention, who would notify us if there was a problem, or who we would contact if we wanted work done. How would we coordinate everything from so far away? It always felt a little off-putting, and we weren't sure it was the right thing for our lifestyle.

So, when August came to our attention, with these five wonderful cities, it really caught our interest. We both knew that if we were ever going to own another home in Europe, somewhere like Italy, it would need to be close to a major airport. We don't want to have to drive around Europe, but we do want that gateway to other places, so we can continue to be adventurous. We didn't want to just go to Rome every time, but have the opportunity to explore other parts of Italy, or not simply go to Barcelona but discover the surrounding areas as well.

In many ways, this really was a solution for us. We started thinking about the idea of shared-ownership and those five cities, and suddenly it seemed to break down all the barriers that had made us hesitant about owning a home overseas. It's been wonderful to see the homes being developed and everything coming together, without having to manage the process ourselves. From our perspective, it's been remarkably effortless. We're really just able to watch the process unfold.

So that was what really stood out to us. It's almost like having the best of five worlds. We have all these wonderful places to go, and I remember asking Dennis one question: 'Does this mean we're only going to visit those five places for the next decade?' And he said, 'Well, no, because they're all major cities, close to airports. We'll always add something else on. Either we'll visit two homes in one trip, or we'll use them as a starting point to explore somewhere further afield.'

So it really fits our lifestyle, and it's made a dream that we never thought would actually be possible feel entirely achievable.

Dennis: The August model to us has all of the benefits with very few, if any, of the burdens in terms of ownership. It's a fantastic concept. To be honest, I'd never come across this model of shared- ownership before we discovered August, but once we did, it just made perfect sense.

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You’ve recently joined Le Suquet, one of our city-based Collections. What appealed to you most about this particular Collection compared with our other August Collections?

Maria: We've also discovered, through our travels, that we really love walkable cities. As I mentioned before, we never particularly wanted to drive in Europe. Of course, we could hire a driver, and we've done that on occasion, but it wasn't really what we had in mind.

If we were going to own something overseas, it would primarily be for the two of us, although we might occasionally have a family member or friend join us. We wanted somewhere that was easy to get around, close to a major airport so we could travel onwards to other places, and realistically, we only needed two bedrooms.

We did look at the Grand Pied-à-Terre Collection and wondered whether that might be the right option for us, but ultimately, the Le Suquet Collection was just perfect for a retired couple like us who want to keep exploring and travelling. The setting and the concept really suited our lifestyle.

And while the five cities are incredibly appealing in themselves, they don't limit us to visiting only those places whenever we come over to Europe. They give us a wonderful base from which to explore further afield. I think that was really the main thing that made it such a perfect fit for us.

Dennis: I think the word that comes to mind is immersion. We love being right in the heart of things, surrounded by the history, architecture, cobblestone streets and little cafés. We really enjoy that European city lifestyle and being able to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of each place.

Maria: Don't get us wrong, it was very tempting to look at the Prime and Premium Collections and see those beautiful five-bedroom farmhouses and villas. But, as Dennis said, we really like to be in the thick of it. We want to be able to walk to museums, enjoy the energy of a city and really feel part of what's happening around us. Where some people might say a place is crowded, we would say it's energetic! We love it. 

We already live in the countryside, so we're not necessarily looking to go somewhere and sit by a pool with the countryside all around us. That's wonderful for someone who might be working from home or looking for a country escape in the Cotswolds, for example. But for us, we want to be right in the middle of things, immersed in the culture. We love food, walking around and discovering what's happening in a city, so this was just perfect for us.

Of course, it's not for everyone, but that's the wonderful thing about August: there's something to suit everyone.

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What are you most looking forward to about experiencing your August homes?

Dennis: Our travels are usually a bit of a mix between cruising and taking a flight somewhere and staying for a while. But when you're constantly on the move, particularly with cruises, you visit some wonderful ports, but you're only there for a day before you have to leave.

Last summer, we decided to rent a villa in Sorrento, somewhere we'd visited before and already loved. But we wanted to get a real sense of whether we would enjoy staying in one place for an extended period of time. We rented a beautiful villa for three weeks, just a five-minute walk from the main Piazza Tasso, and we absolutely loved it.

We really tried to live as though we were locals. We'd go to the same grocery store, visit the same café, and after a while, people started to recognise us. It might sound a little corny, but it was just lovely.

That experience really convinced us that spending a week, if not longer, in one place is a completely different experience. It's very different from moving between hotels, staying one night here and three nights somewhere else. We've done plenty of that, too, but there's something special about having the time to settle in, get to know a place and feel a little more at home.

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How do you envisage using your homes throughout the year? Do you already have any trips or stays booked?

Maria: We do have our first stays booked for next June and July, as  the first two homes in our Collection will be ready! But generally, as things get going, we see ourselves travelling during the shoulder seasons, particularly May, September and October. That said, we went to Sorrento in June and loved it, so I could also see us taking a week or two during the summer months if we wanted to. Those are the times of year we'd typically look to get away, probably at least twice a year.

We're also really looking forward to having our extended family enjoy the homes. We've already said that nobody gets to see them until we've had the chance to visit first! So we're going to make the rounds and experience all of them as the homes become available.

This is our second marriage. Dennis has three grandchildren, two of whom have finished college and one who has just started, so we know they'll enjoy using the homes. We also have three grown children between us. We know they'll all want to make use of them, whether that's travelling with us or visiting when we're not there.

I think that's really how we envision using the homes and immersing ourselves in each location. We want to become part of the neighbourhood. As mentioned, here in Hudson, where we live in New York, we have our favourite coffee shop where everybody knows our name, our favourite cocktail bar and our regular places to go for dinner. We'd love to recreate that feeling in Europe, in each of these different cities. We don't just want to visit as tourists; we want to become familiar with our surroundings, feel like neighbours and be part of the local community rather than simply passing through. 

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Do you anticipate having a favourite home or location in your collection?

Dennis: I think the answer to that is yes. If you were to ask me which one I think will become our favourite, I honestly couldn't answer that right now. We've visited all of those cities, although Cannes was many, many years ago. I think it will really depend on the home, the neighbourhood, the restaurants and just the overall vibe we get from each place. I'm sure we're going to love every one of them, but I'm equally sure I'll end up having a favourite. I'm just not quite so sure it will be the same favourite as Maria's!

Maria: I think we should have two favourites, so that during those shoulder months, we can visit each of them and then use them as a starting point to explore somewhere else.

I do feel it might be the décor, the language, the food or perhaps a special place we discover along the way. Something that really draws us in and makes us think, 'You know what? I would come back here every single year if I could.'

I'm also getting to know Valeria, August's booking platform, which has become my best friend! It's done a pretty good job of helping us book the weeks we wanted. I really think this is going to be one of the most wonderful experiences we've had so far, and we're incredibly excited about what's ahead.

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How did you find navigating the booking system, Valeria, for your first time? 

Maria: We didn't want to rely solely on our own understanding of the technology or try to figure everything out for ourselves. We actually connected with Agustin from the Owner Experience team, who took the time to walk us through Valeria and explain how the booking system works. I came away feeling really reassured and confident.

I'm the booking agent in our family, so when the points were released, I wanted to feel comfortable navigating the system and understand how best to secure the weeks we wanted. Agustin was incredibly helpful. He talked us through all the different scenarios, explained what to look out for and reassured us about things like being able to cancel up to 40 days beforehand and have your points returned. That really took the pressure off. I didn't have to worry about making the wrong choice or what would happen if I needed to change a booking.

He was so thorough in explaining everything that, within minutes, I turned to Dennis and said, "We're in!" He looked at me and said, "What?" And I replied, "We're in. We're doing this. We got our first choice!"

Maria: To take it one step further, now that I'm getting to know Valeria, I've realised just how much information is available through the platform. We can go into our bookings and see photos of the homes, as well as a full list of the amenities and what is provided. So, we know whether we need to buy things or what we might need to organise when we first arrive. All of that information is there, which makes the whole experience incredibly flawless. You really don't have to think about much beyond booking your flights and arriving!

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What advice would you give someone looking to join August?

Dennis: I think the first and most important thing is to have a clear idea of what you're hoping to get out of the experience. What are your objectives, and what does the August lifestyle mean to you? As we've mentioned, we love to travel, and we knew we wanted to spend a significant amount of time in Europe, so it felt like a natural fit for us.

Once you've established that, I think the next really important step is to do your homework and research thoroughly. Don't just rely on what you find online; speak to as many people as you can, including existing owners as well as the August team. We were fortunate enough to have an insider by way of a friend who was already an owner and could give us a  virtual tour of the Paris apartment, which was incredibly helpful.

We did a great deal of research and, as we said earlier, we kept looking for a reason not to do it. We wanted to challenge the concept and find out if there was anything that didn't quite add up. But ultimately, we never found one!

The other great thing is that our family can enjoy this too. It's an investment that pays dividends in terms of enhancing your life, and it's something you can pass down to your family.

Maria: When we had our final conference call with the August team, and it came down to signing on the dotted line, Dennis went into the living room and I went upstairs to digest everything and catch my breath. When I came back downstairs about ten minutes later, I said, “We're going to do this, aren't we?” And Dennis replied, “I have yet to find a reason why we shouldn't.” 

I just think the August model is genius, and kudos to the founders for putting it together. They've really thought about the people who would want to own and enjoy these homes. For us, we're getting the opportunity to experience five different European cities for what it would potentially cost us to own a single second home.

We did consider buying a second home in Florida, which would have been easier to get to and, of course, wouldn't have had the language barrier. But that's just not who we are. Our hearts are in Europe.

For us, it's also about belonging to a community. Of course, we're only just starting out, so we haven't fully experienced that side of August yet. But we saw the beautiful London event August hosted for its owners, and looking through the photographs, you could really see that sense of belonging. It shows that you're part of something bigger than simply the ownership itself. You're meeting interesting people and becoming part of a community, which is something we're really looking forward to.

I also like to call this experience Dennis's 'crown jewel'. He's worked incredibly hard throughout his life and has been very successful through that dedication. When I think about us getting older and being able to enjoy the fruits of that hard work, I look at him and say that August really is your crown jewel.

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