What would it cost to staff the largest mansion in America?

You may have heard of a super-mansion in Bel Air, California called The One. It's been billed as the largest and most expensive home in America. The original asking price was a half billion dollars. Yes, $500,000,000. You may be wondering, as many of us are, how many domestic staff would you need to hire and what would it cost?

Before we get into the staffing cost for mega-mansions, let's put things into perspective. I used to work at the world-famous Beverly Hills Hotel (aka The Pink Palace) on Sunset Blvd. It has about 200 rooms with 600 staff members. There are two important factors to consider when staffing a mega-mansion: How many people will be living in the home, and what level of service do you want?

Some ultra-high net worth families want a lot of service like in a 5-star hotel, others don't. But considering the size of "The One," there are some non-negotiables because the property is just so massive -- a little over 100,000 square feet. Simply put, many staff and engineers need to keep it clean and running, whether the VIPs want privacy or not. 

Now that you have a better understanding of the property, let's talk about top-of-the-line staffing. This would be the minimum number:

• 1 Chief of Staff ($250,000)
• 2 Personal assistants ($120,000 ea.)
• 3 Chefs ($125,000 ea.)
• 1 Governess ($125,000)
• 2 Nannies ($75,000 ea.)
• 1 Executive Housekeeper ($85,000)
• 5 Housekeepers ($60,000 ea.)
• 2 Drivers ($65,000 ea.)

• 10 security personnel ($100,000 ea.)
• 1 Maintenance man ($60,000)
• 1 Engineer ($95,000)
• ​2 Gardeners ($60,000 ea.) 
• 1 Drink mixologist ($60,000)
• 1 Personal trainer ($75,000) 
• ​1 Massage therapist ($75,000)
• 1 Private tutor ($120,000) ​

With the above listed positions, we are well over $3,000,000 for estate staff; and this would be the bare minimum. For a very large family and/or guests at the property, then the numbers would skyrocket. ​

In a 5-star hotel, there are a number of different departments, including but not limited to:
​

• Front Office (aka Front desk reception)
• Food & Beverage/Catering
• Maintenance/Engineering 
• Accounting/Finance 
• Security Department 
• Housekeeping and Laundry
• Spa and Health Club
• Restaurants 
• IT: Information Technology/Media 
• Gardening and Groundskeepers 

​​
Taking all of that into consideration, let's discuss what features "The One" has so that we can get an understanding of what staffing arrangements they might need for such a big estate.

The cigar lounge

The home theater

The features and amenities in the Bel-Air mega-mansion known as "The One"

Being inside this mega-mansion is like having your own private resort. Take a look at the features:

• ​100,000+ square feet ​
• 21 bedrooms + 42 bathrooms
• Almost 4 acres 
• A moat of water (75%)
• Five swimming pools
• A 10,000-square-foot deck 
• A 400-foot outdoor running track
• A wellness center with a juice bar
• A large salon with a spa
• Several game rooms

• Wet bars
• A bowling alley
• A full-size cinema 
• A golf simulator 
• A Miami-style rooftop lounge
• A cigar lounge and humidor 
• A charity pavilion (Special event space/nightclub)
• 10,000-bottle wine cellar
• A tennis court
• And more...

This amenities like this, it's no wonder the original asking price was $500,000,000. 

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