Our Team

Philippe

Philippe grew up in a small town in Normandy and attended the prestigious Medical Residency Program in Paris, becoming an ‘Interne des Hopitaux de Paris’, one of 300 residents chosen from 3,000 interns who applied. He went on to become Chief Resident on the largest heart surgery team in Paris. When medicine became socialized in the 1980s, Philippe decided that working 90 hours per week at $3,000 per month was an exhausting lifestyle choice. He made the decision to trade in his scalpel and followed his entrepreneurial spirit to found Paris Perfect.

The team teases Philippe that if guests should ever need a medical specialist in Paris, Philippe will find the best one and get them an appointment immediately. This has been the case several times and he is always happy to help!

Madelyn

Madelyn attended Northern Arizona University where she received her BA in English and Marketing before spending many years in retailing. She obtained her MBA from Stanford Business School, which led to a career in banking. Her job transferred her to Europe, where she met Philippe on a ski vacation. They are very proud of their two children, Olivier and Alexia. Madelyn loves marketing, decorating… and sampling pastries! She scours Paris to search for the best vacation apartments and French desserts, falling in love with them frequently. She enjoys helping owners remodel and furnish their apartments to the highest standards, with minute instructions for lighting, sockets, best appliances and the largest hot water heaters available.

The team teases that Madelyn falls in love with each and every Paris Perfect apartment. Madelyn laughs and says: “How can you resist falling in love with an apartment when you stand at the window and watch 20,000 twinkling lights come on at the Eiffel Tower at sunset? Or look down and savor charming Paris street scenes below?” Whether you’re visiting for the first time or the fiftieth, each apartment is designed to make you fall in love with Paris again and again!

Hilde

Hilde is our General Manager and we call her our ‘Belgian Tiger’, as she manages the team with a velvet-clad fist. She grew up in Antwerp and moved to France with Club Med in 1986. She worked in the hotel management field, managing 22 in total! We were lucky enough to recruit her, and she laughs that she used to think managing apartments would be easier than hotels. Married to Serge, a Frenchman from the south of France, Hilde and their son Theo frequently imitate Serge’s strong southern twang. Although Theo is only 10, he is already a true Frenchman! He adores good food, and his recent birthday wish was fulfilled when they dined at Le Violon d’Ingres. Like his dad, he is fanatical about rugby, recently rooting for the All Blacks and falling asleep holding one of their t-shirts for good luck.

Hilde’s favorite apartment is the 3 bedroom Richebourg apartment because the duplex makes it feel more like a home than an apartment.
Her favorite thing to do in Paris is taking walks and exploring the beautiful private courtyards that are found everywhere.  ‘But I never seem to have enough time!’

Lisa

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Lisa is the brains and techno whiz of Paris Perfect and head of Paris Operations. She attended Agnes Scott College where she majored in French. While spending her junior year in Paris, Lisa met her future French husband – just like in the movies! After graduating Magna Cum Laude, she returned to Paris in 1995 where she married and obtained a teaching degree at the Sorbonne. A thrill for Lisa is to set up a new computer and she’s the person who can figure out most technical problems. Her children attend school in the neighborhood. Son Zachary is all boy and we joke there’s a seat in the emergency room with his name on it. Her daughter Daphne is a complete ‘chipie’, as the French say – or, in English ‘7 going on 17’. Lisa’s imitations of her ‘chipie’ are hilarious, no matter how frustrated she may be.  

Lisa’s favorite apartment is the lovely 2 bedroom apartment Chinon, because it has more gadgets than any other, including worldwide internet radio (she jokes that she has tuned into the Atlanta police channel!), 2,000 songs on the system and speakers throughout the apartment. Her second favorite is the 1 bedroom romantic apartment Layon, because of the stunning views and the romantic balcony. Lisa says: “Also because it has the second highest number of gadgets, including Bose speakers and a state of the art kitchen!”

Sara

Sara is one of the friendly faces you’ll see in Paris when you arrive and in charge of our Greeting Team. Half French and half English, Sara grew up in France and Singapore; and thanks to her meditation practice, she is the calmest person in our office! Guests compliment her on her kindness and ability to listen.

Sara’s favourite apartments are the Touraine luxury Paris apartment apartment, the charming Moulin a Vent apartment next to the famous rue Cler market street and Paris-modern style Layon vacation rental and all for different reasons.  ‘I love the spaciousness of Touraine and the Seine views from the balcony.  I love the sunlight that splashes into Moulin a Vent and the double views from the front and back of the apartment.  And I love Layon’s modern furnishings, kitchen and cute balcony with the Eiffel view.’

My favorite thing to do in Paris is to ‘flanner’, a French term that means to wander with no specific goal in mind, to pop into art galleries; and try new restaurants

Violetta

Violetta is our Head of Housekeeping, who does a brilliant job making sure the apartments are impeccably clean when you arrive. She carefully checks over everything, including the inventories of sheets, towels, blankets, pillow covers and more to ensure they are fully stocked for regular changeovers. She moved to Paris from Serbia in 1998, starting as a hotel maid and being promoted to Head of Housekeeping for a major Paris hotel.  We laugh that Violetta has such high standards that she once put Madelyn on ‘probation’ for not cleaning up to her standards one day. Madelyn didn’t understand that each silverware drawer needed to be cleaned before each arrival, and each fork stacked neatly in its compartment. Along with boyfriend Luca, Violetta has taken up jogging, and makes all of the married women in the office jealous with her stories of how helpful and considerate he is.

Nerissa

Nerissa, our Customer Services Manager, works closely with Ingrid and the Reservations Team to ensure that we help you plan your perfect vacation with us in Paris. She is responsible for dealing with the more in-depth guest enquiries and liaising with our owners. Before joining Paris Perfect, Nerissa worked as a commercial litigator specializing in real estate and finance litigation. Nerissa is an accredited mediator, volunteers in her local community and holds an elected office as a local councilor. She loves working with Paris Perfect and says: “It gives me great satisfaction to know that we are helping our guests enjoy their holiday of a lifetime with us in Paris. When I’m in Paris I love relaxing with a chocolat chaud at one of the many friendly cafés in the 7th arrondissement and enjoying an evening meal in Café Constant.”

Nerissa’s favorite apartment is the 1 bedroom apartment Cabernet, because of its amazing views of the Eiffel Tower. She loves visiting the Musée National du Moyen Age (Museum of the Middle Ages) to admire the mesmerizing ‘Lady And The Unicorn’ tapestries series. She also enjoys visiting the Louvre, and recommends that guests go during the late night openings to avoid the queues. 

Ingrid

Ingrid is the Head Reservationist for Paris Perfect, and has been with us since July 2009. Before joining our team she worked as an Executive Assistant and in HR. She loves every minute working at Paris Perfect, especially helping guests select the perfect apartment in Paris for a vacation of a lifetime! Ingrid loves everything about the 7th arrondissement, and a favorite is always the Eiffel Tower. She says: “I could just look at it day and night!” Her favorite Paris restaurant is ‘Au Petit Sud Ouest’ on Avenue de la Bourdonnais, just around the corner from the Paris Perfect office.

With outstanding views of the Eiffel Tower, it is no surprise that Ingrid’s favorite apartment is the Chablis. While she admits it is very hard to choose just one, she always loves the feeling of stepping into this cute studio apartment in Paris, because it is just so charming and cozy!

Amanda

Amanda is the daytime telephone reservationist for Paris Perfect. If you call our office any time Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm, Amanda will be there to help with any questions you might have. She was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. While she has a deep love for her hometown, Amanda also loves to travel. Next to Phoenix, Paris is her absolute favorite city in the world, and she loves visiting as often as she can! Her favorite Parisian landmark is the Musée Rodin with its amazing statues and beautiful gardens, which are just as remarkable in sun or snow.

Amanda has many favorites among Paris Perfect’s apartments, but her top choice is always the 1 bedroom apartment Montrachet. She says: “There is something absolutely amazing about this apartment, as you can see the Eiffel Tower from every room and you can even use it when it sparkles as your nightlight when you go to bed.” Because choosing just one is an impossible task, Amanda also loves the beautiful views and charming décor at the Clairette and Merlot apartments!

Sonja

Sonja loves to travel Europe and experience different cultures and languages first hand, and Paris has always been her favorite city. She traded a career in the advertising industry to become involved in Paris Perfect for the thrill of helping people have a once in a lifetime Paris experience! She loves how much there is to see and do in Paris, the Musée d'Orsay is one of her favorite museums with its fabulous collection of French art masterpieces.

Sonja loves strolling through the fresh food markets, especially rue Cler because of its small and welcoming feel. On of her favorite pastimes is choosing from the  mouth watering selection of food and wine and preparing meals in her favorite Paris Perfect apartment, the Moulin à Vent. She loves this apartment because of its charming decorations and large windows overlooking the spectacular 7th arrondissement rooftops and a view of the Eiffel tower in one corner. Sonja says: “It has a special, true Parisian warmth to it, and makes one smile and feel fortunate to experience life and love.”

Bernard

Bernard is one of our telephone reservationists, and he loves to help guests find the perfect apartment for their particular needs and answer any and all questions about Paris Perfect apartments and services. Bernard visits Paris often and enjoys the 7th arrondissement, especially exploring and finding the best restaurants! He loves the hamburgers at Café Le Royal Tour on Avenue De La Bourdonnais and the espressoss and desserts at Café Champ de Mars. What’s the best part of Paris for Bernard? The fact that you can to walk to almost all of the top sites and museums in central Paris!

One of his favorite activities when visiting Paris is to take the train and bicycle around Versailles, including lunch at the open market in town.  It is just one of the many spectactular day trips you can do from Paris!

Sarah

Sarah has been a member of the team since ‘the beginning’ and today she is our Technical Manager and responsible for our reservations and payments system, assisted by the technical team at Siftware. She also helped create the Paris Perfect website, along with John at Creative Chamber. Sarah lives in Hampshire, UK with her husband and two sons. Her passion for all things French extends beyond Paris, and her family regularly takes holidays in rural France, taking advantage of the different regional cuisines and wine.  

Sarah’s favorite apartment is Cote de Beaune, and she adds that: “Although quite compact, it is full of light and the Eiffel Tower is so close, it feels like you could reach out of the window to touch it.” When she is in Paris, she loves visiting the Musée d’Orsay to see the sculptures by Degas and dining at her favorite restaurant Café Constant in the 7th arrondissement. Although she’s tempted by just about any restaurant with Coquilles St Jacques on the menu!

Natasha

Natasha was born in Adelaide, Australia, and although she graduated with an Economics Degree, she changed paths and spent several years managing IT projects for large corporates and government departments. Having followed her heart to London, she met Sarah, our Technical Manager, who brought her on to our team to work on the Paris Perfect website. Natasha is responsible for maintaining the content on our site and promoting our apartments and services via social networks such as Twitter and Facebook. In her spare time, she loves to travel, play netball, and spend time with her husband and newborn baby Olivia.

Laura

Laura has been working with Paris Perfect since 2009, and she shares her love of Paris as a writer and contributor to the Paris Perfect Blog. Born right in the middle of America, she grew up as a travel lover and nomad, living in eight different states before making the jump to expat life in southern Italy in 2008. As a young girl she dreamed of traveling to France and Italy, collected travel books and began a lifelong love affair with photography. She attended St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, where she fell in love with living in a sailing town and studying languages. Graduate school pulled her back to the Midwest, where she completed a Masters in Art History at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. During a fateful holiday on the Amalfi Coast she fell in love with southern Italian architecture and one very special tour guide. Laura now lives in another sailing town, the seaside village of Amalfi, Italy, where she works as a freelance writer.

If she could live in two places, it would be Paris and Amalfi, and she travels to Paris as often as possible to explore, shop in the wonderful open air markets, visit as many museums as possible and enjoy ‘la vie Parisienne’. Her favorite apartments are the 2 bedroom apartment Minervois, located on the historic Ile St Louis just a stone’s throw from the Cathedral of Notre-Dame; and the simply stunning Saint Emilion in the 7th arrondissement.