They may know the secrets of ultra-rich families, but luxury housekeepers are paid six figures to keep the mansions clean and keep their mouths shut.
“We ask about everything,” Anna, a West Palm Beach housekeeper, told The Post. “Cheating, money, divorce. We know them better than their best friends. I don’t think they know how much we know.”
But getting them to confide in you can be tough. “I really feel like they’re family,” Ana says. “So I listen to their stories, but I don’t repeat them, not even to other people in the family. I really like them.”
Not that she was always so discreet: “I learned that the hard way in my last job. I told a wife I’d seen her husband at a Starbucks in Miami Beach, and she said, ‘He must be in Chicago.’ Turns out he was up to no good with one of her friends.”
She stopped and said, “They’re not together anymore.”
A second housekeeper told The Post that when she overheard her boss talking to his wife about the near bankruptcy, she knew it was time to look for another job.
“He said I needed to trim down,” she says, “and I thought, ‘I’m that trim person.’ About a month later I got fired. I was out of work for three days, but then I got a better job.”
Her current salary? $152,000, plus benefits.
As demand for domestic services grows, salaries for luxury housekeepers are soaring in cities like New York and Florida, with elites turning to recruitment agencies to find the right fit.
“The pandemic has started to change things dramatically,” said Melissa Psitos, a domestic helper who works for a staffing agency. Lily Pond Services“These are ultra-rich people who want the best, and they’re willing to pay for it.”
“If you have a home that’s worth $100 million, it’s an investment,” Psitos continues. “They want smart people to manage it. People who can handle high-end marble surfaces and not mess with carpets that they imported from Italy. They’re used to working in luxury homes.”
According to Psitos, the ideal housekeeping candidate has years of experience in a similar role, learning how to manage a home and keep it clean, and for all their hard work, they can command a six-figure salary, including bonuses and perks.
“I made $161,000 last year,” said Anna, who said her boss is a big shot in the hospitality industry, “and I get a car to run errands and a ride home at night.”
What kind of car is it?
“Well, it was a Tesla, but it wasn’t a top-of-the-line Tesla. It was a mid-range Tesla.”
But it’s not all fun under the sun.
“I work so hard,” says Anna, who asked The Post not to use her last name. “It sounds very glamorous, but these people expect everything to be perfect and fast. They want their kitchen to be sparkling clean, even if you just had breakfast 15 minutes ago. So I’m always in a hurry.”
Another executive housekeeper whom Psitos helped put in her current role in the tech giant’s home told The Post she earns six figures and receives regular bonuses. “I’m in their home,” she said. “They need to know they can trust me like a family member. I keep secrets. Do you think Bill Gates is going to run to the store to buy something? No, he’s going to send someone like me.”
As an executive housekeeper, she’s responsible for cleaning luxury furniture with organic products. “I do a lot of research,” she says, “and they’re happy with my work, so they pay me well.”
“Some people will laugh and say I’m just a housekeeper,” she said, “but I’m a housekeeper who makes six figures and I get dental insurance, medical insurance, a 401(k) and I can survive.”
