Jack Nargil , head concierge at the Hay - Adams Hotel in Washington , D.C. , can get Edgar Albert Guest anything they want – provide that it ’s " effectual and ethical . " He ’s routinely called upon to do everything from securing a dinner reservation at a engaged restaurant to making sure a guest ’s shirt are cleaned and pressed in time for dinner . On juncture , he ’s even been require to take care of more ambitious postulation – for instance , filling a rock star ’s suite with thousands of dollars ' worth of blanched bloom .
concierge like Nargil are " part Merlin , part Houdini , " according to the hotel concierge association , Les Clefs D’Or . They can solve virtually any problem , and palm seemingly impossible undertaking with surprising speed and alacrity .
Although the basal image of the concierge remains the hotel employee who have dinner party and show reservation and Holy Writ sightseeing tour , the responsibility that fall under the title have thrive significantly over the past three decades . Today , concierges offer a wide range of services in a change of venues , from corporations to condominium . And despite the common misconception that concierges work only for the very flush , in reality , their services are available to people of all income .
In this clause , you ’ll find out what it ingest to be a bang-up concierge , learn the history of the profession , and translate some of the bizarre requests that concierge have suit over the years .
The nub of the concierge job is to provide service . Ahotel conciergeis there to ensure that guests have everything they postulate during their hitch . Typically , the concierge sits at a desk in the lobby , and guests can either break off by or call with their asking . Those asking may include :
In the next section , we ’ll look at personal concierge .
Personal Concierges
Personal conciergeswork in a diversity of configurations . Office buildings or luxury condominiums may hire a concierge to attract and keep back tenant . corporation offer concierge services as a welfare for their employee and a perk for their clients . Retail stores and private clubs have concierge who take fear of client services . Tour and conveyance services have concierges who act as as go guides and travelling consultants .
The goal of a personal concierge is to take care of all the small betting odds and ends that get overlook in the frenetic pace of daily lifetime . " Everyone is time - starved , and we ’re endeavor to squeeze 36 hours into a 24 - time of day day , " explains Katharine C. Giovanni , President and Co - founder of Triangle Concierge , Inc. , and Chairman of the Board of the International Concierge and Errand Association ( ICEA ) . " A concierge can do the things that have to be done so that you may do the thing you want to do . "
A personal concierge may plow any of the following jobs :
Hiring a personal concierge can cost anywhere from $ 25 to $ 65 per hour . In New York , Los Angeles and other big city , rate typically originate at $ 50 per minute .
Next , we ’ll study about the breeding that goes into become a concierge and get a sample of some unusual postulation posed to concierges .
Concierge Training
Although a few university hotel school offer program in hospitality , and many of the large hotel bring home the bacon training for their concierges , most of the skills needed to be successful in the placement are either visceral or learned on the job . In fact , some of the best concierge in the business never had any stately education . They ’ve started in other positions at the hotel , such as bellman or front desk clerk , and worked their elbow room into the concierge caper .
Larry Johnson , Lobby Concierge and Historian of the Seelbach Hotel in Louisville , Kentucky , start out as a doorman . He then work his direction up to bell maitre d' , and finally became a concierge in 2002 . Johnson learned the business concern by literally pounding the paving . " I would pick two street a week , and all I would do is walk up and down the street to see all of the eating house and businesses , " he recalls . In the process , he became so knowledgeable about the metropolis ’s historic and cultural site that the hotel made him its prescribed historian .
know your metropolis within and out – every restaurant , theater , attraction , and store – is essential to becoming a successful concierge . Other necessary skills let in :
concierge also need great connection – a Rolodex stuffed with physical contact in the restaurant , amusement and touristry diligence . So when a guest come in ask for ticket to a blistering new Broadway show , or front - row nates to a sold - out concert , the concierge fuck exactly who to call to get them .
Despite their often classy surroundings , the modal concierge earns only about $ 23,500 a year , according to theU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics . More experienced hotel concierge can make about $ 50,000 . The stance does come with some perk , however . There are free meal from local restaurants trying to make a safe impression , and complimentary tickets from theaters and variation arenas . Concierges also receive top , from $ 5 to $ 100 or more , depending on the serving they provide .
By far the most profitable side of the profession is the personal concierge stage business . Personal concierges who own their own caller can earn well into the six figures .
In the next section we ’ll look at the unusual asking concierges sometimes deal .
Unusual Concierge Requests
Because concierges pledge to satisfy every postulation , every once in awhile , concierges are asked to provide some pretty bizarre services . Here are a few of the strange requests concierges have received :
No matter how strange the asking , concierge rarely turn over down a client or guest . " We always say that if we ca n’t get you a white elephant , perhaps we can get you a pinkish elephant , " suppose Nargil . " The word ' no ' really does n’t exist . It ’s a Holy Writ concierges maverick against . "
Concierges will turn down a asking if it is illegal or unethical , however . " Once I had four hombre hail in , and you may estimate what they expect for , " says Johnson . " I gave them one of the local publications that had phone numbers in it and told them to call for themselves . I ’m not a pimp . "
Another red-hot button for concierge is confidentiality . It ’s an spontaneous pattern , and a stipulation for joining organization such as ICEA , that concierges never discover their client ’s requests . " I treat with famous person all the time . What they ’ve said to me stays with me , " says Giovanni .
We ’ll look at the chronicle of concierge and what ’s in store for the futurity next .
History and the Future of the Concierge Industry
The root of the title , " concierge " are from the Romance wordconserves , mean " fellow striver . " The word itself is French , intend " custodian of the keys . " During the Middle Ages , concierges did just that . When castles across Europe hosted visiting grandeur , the concierge kept the key to the castle rooms , and ensured that guests had everything they needed during their check . By the 1800s , a routine of building in Europe , from government offices to prisons , had their own concierge on faculty .
In the 20thcentury , the introduction of steamship and steam train helped found the modern locomotion industry . Guests from remote locus trust on hotel employee for turn assist and other services during their stays . hotel throughout Europe began creating concierge positions to take concern of their Guest .
In 1929 , Ferdinand Gillet , nous concierge at the Hotel Scribe in Paris , constitute Les Clefs D’Or . This association enable concierges throughout Europe to partake estimate with one another . Today , Les Clefs D’Or has 3,000 member in 39 country .
It was n’t until the seventies that the concierge position emerged in the United States , although hotel Vanessa Stephen captain and front desk staff had unofficially been performing the same duty for many years . Thomas Wolfe is known as one of the first American concierges . He worked in Europe for several years before take up a view with the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco in 1974 , and he establish the original West Coast chapter of Les Clefs D’Or ( the West Coast and East Coast chapters eventually merged to form the constitution ’s innovative incarnation ) .
Technology has impacted the concierge job , just as it has nigh every other diligence . Using a internet - based organization , concierges can now cut across guest requests until they ’re fulfilled , and can make reservations even before a eating house opens .
In some hotels , soupcon - silver screen stall have affix or even replaced concierge . These kiosk provide data on restaurants , shopping , metropolis tours , and services . guest can use them to print out maps , coupon , and tickets without ever interacting with a human being .
Personal concierge Service also have go virtual . For a located fee , companies such asVIP Deskprovide potbelly with 24 - time of day - a - dayphoneande - mailaccess to concierge for their employee and clients .
The hotel concierge business has also changed in another mode . Not all hotel concierges today are the real things . They may wear the concierge uniform and bring home the bacon the same services , but many are actually declaration employees of cordial reception company and ticket brokers . Outsourcing save hotel on benefit , and some hotel industry insiders say it help scurvy - tier ( two- and three - asterisk ) hotels supply a military service they could n’t otherwise afford . But outsourcing may not always be in the best interest of the guest , says Shujaat Khan , President of Les Clefs D’Or , and Chef Concierge at the Capital Hilton in Washington , D.C. The contractor may have relationships with particular restaurants , sightseeing company , and locale , and it may tell its concierge that they can only recommend those spot to guests . " Whereas , as an employee of the hotel , I have no indebtedness other than to the node , " explains Khan . " I will commend the place that is well suited to the guest and is of the highest quality . "
For lots more information on concierge and related topics , fit out the golf links on the next Sir Frederick Handley Page .
