How the Super Rich Do the Super Bowl

Jan. 28, 2008 — -- It's the biggest game of the year. It's also the biggest chance that high-rolling execs have to impress clients.

So, how do the mega-rich and corporate elite do the Super Bowl? VIP access, five-star hotels and limos are just the skeleton package. You could book a private jet to Phoenix, a palatial estate in a posh neighborhood, like Scottsdale or Paradise Valley, and a Lamborghini to roll around in for the weekend.

Or, you could hire an all-service agency like TSE Sports & Entertainment to do the heavy lifting for you.

"We manage everything. From the minute you leave home to the minute you're back," said TSE president Rob Tuchman, who has designed luxury packages to major sporting events for 10 years.

According to Tuchman, the basic luxury package — four- or five-star hotel, limo service, choice game seats — runs $4,000 to $8,000 per person. Add-ons, like private dinners and meet-and-greets with the players, bump it up to the $10,000 range, and springing for a private jet propels spenders to $15,000, or even $20,000 per person.

Most clients are high-level Fortune 500 executives, entertaining clients and some wealthy individuals.

"We also assign an account manager to each individual group, whether it's two people or 50. That means if it's 3 a.m., and you want a cigar, there's someone you can call who will figure out how to get it and bring it to you," Tuchman said.

That's not all they've figured out. TSE is ushering nearly 1,000 fans to the game this year. And to satisfy the growing appetite for more high-profile events, Tuchman and his crew have organized the weekend's Celebrity Golf Tournament, to take place on Saturday, Feb. 2, the day before the big game.

Current and former NFL stars, like Daryl Johnston, Karl Mecklenberg and Marshall Faulk, are set to play for $20,000 a hole, with all proceeds going to charity.

The night before, Nick Lachey and NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson will host a pre-party at Scottsdale's upscale Axis/Radius nightclub, and Sean "Diddy" Combs will perform just outside.

It's a steep $1,000 cover to get VIP entry into both gigs.

Of course, the main event is the game itself.

The University of Phoenix Stadium has 88 luxury suites available, which "all have wet bars, flat screen HD TVs, and dedicated suite service," according to Scott Nolan, sales and marketing director for the stadium. Some lofts even have video messaging for special orders to the kitchen.

However, Tuchman said most of his clients prefer 50-yard-line seats to the view from the luxury lofts.

And while there are many luxury hotels in the Phoenix area — unlike past Super Bowl cities, like Jacksonville, Fla., said Tuchman — many of the ultra rich are, instead, choosing to rent out private homes.

Some estates were already on the rental market, but a large number are private residences that owners are vacating for Super Bowl week.

"The most expensive property we've rented so far is $250,000 for the week," said Deb MacLean, a realtor with Scottsdale Fine Properties.

Depending on what's negotiated, that caliber of property comes with amenities like a private chef, dedicated chauffer, and heated pool and spa.

"Many people are looking to private homes, rather than five-star hotels," MacLean added. "One celebrity client we've helped this week has his family with him, and wants to be able to take wife and kids to the pool without being mobbed."

Some are eschewing limo service, as well as the traditional hotel. Status Toy Rentals, which rents exotic cars, like Ferraris and Bentleys, is completely booked up for Super Bowl week.

"We're charging a 50 to 100 percent premium, in addition to the rental cost itself, and requiring at least a one-week reservation, with the amount of interest we've had," owner Adam Collins said.

Two reservations, he added, are from NFL players. But who are the others?

"Almost everyone, with one exception, is from the Northeast — from New York or Massachusetts," Collins said, describing the same clientele Tuchman tailors his luxury packages for — those Fortune 500 business moguls and wealthy individuals who score a six-bedroom mansion, and roll to their 50-yard-line seats in a Bentley.