"When Upper East Side dad Paul Viollis planned a French getaway for his family this summer, his first move wasn’t to book a hotel. Instead, he contacted armed guards."
Each Morning in Paris, Paul Viollis (who requested a pseudonym because of privacy concerns), his wife and their 10-year-old son would stroll out of the Hotel George V, where suites can go for $5,000 a night, to meet their personal security detail: two strapping ex-military men who cost $2,000 a day.“I’m not a worrywart,” said the 38-year-old, who runs a lending fund. “But once you start having kids, [you want] peace of mind against terrorism.”
Wealthy New Yorkers are increasingly turning to hard bodies to protect them during European vacations, particularly in cities such as London, Paris and Berlin that have been hit with high-profile terrorism, say security experts.
“I can’t fill them fast enough,” said CASS Global Security founder Shawn Engbrecht of requests for vacation bodyguards.
Rich people are hiring bodyguards to go to Disney World.
“Our summer was huge . . . on the heels of what happened in Paris and London,” said Paul Viollis, CEO of Viollis Group International, a global security firm. “We’ve gotten maybe 20 new clients.” His firm offers multiple layers of protection — from security drivers and armored vehicles with bulletproof glass to vacation bodyguards. But in the case of a suicide bomber or a truck plowing into a crowd, what can a bodyguard even do?
Engbrecht says it’s all about intel and prevention.
“The venues [where terrorists have struck in these cities] are absolutely predictable. We make sure [the client] is not sitting in an outdoor cafe at [the wrong] times,” based on intelligence gathered from governmental and private contacts, said Engbrecht, who charges up to $1,500 per day per guard. “When we go to Paris, we avoid the large concerts or venues where there are people in a concentrated area. We avoid anything that can be a target.”
Guards are also trained to take down an active shooter, if need be.
“They can’t predict a terrorist attack, but they can advise you to avoid an area where you shouldn’t be,” said Paul Michael Viollis.
His team acted as “sweepers,” with one walking in front of the family and one behind. Each day, the guards would go over the family’s itinerary and warn them against vulnerable spots such as the Eiffel Tower on certain days.
“They’re in touch with people there,” said Paul Michael Viollis, who deferred to the recommendations.
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