
Guests at luxurious hotels are accustomed to rely on their concierge for almost everything – from making last-minute dinner reservations at the trendiest restaurants, through finding long-lost relatives, to supplying 100 plastic flamingos for a practical joke. And even the most strange and seemingly impossible requests are usually satisfied – as long as they are not immoral or illegal. Over the centuries the concierge service has seen brilliant professionals who became living legends among guests and within the hospitality industry alike, and turned the métier into a refined art. Speaking of art…
The Art Concierge
Searching for inspiration? Royal Monceau Raffles ensures their guests are absolutely ready to explore the amazing Parisian art scene and cultural life. This is where the dedicated Art Concierge comes in. She keeps track of the most high-profile events – openings, exhibitions, festivals, concerts, performances – so art lovers can receive expert guidance and assistance while establishing the highlights of their stay in Paris and planning their activities. The concierge also accompanies guests during their visit of the hotel’s in-house contemporary art gallery.
The Soap Concierge
Mexico is the perfect destination for people looking for a relaxing, stress-free vacation and the signature concierge service at Viceroy Riviera Maya is the ultimate proof. Upon arrival, guests are greeted with a Mayan blessing and escorted to their villa. Then the Soap Concierge introduces them to a variety of exquisite soaps made by local organic ingredients according to the Mayan traditions. Each of them brings a different scent and experience, meant to suit every mood. Once guests make their choice, the concierge slices two or more bars from large blocks of soap. In case guests are willing to explore more scents, the concierge delivers an even wider selection.
The Running Concierge
Accommodating guests’ health-conscious lifestyle, Westin Hotels & Resorts created a new position – the Running Concierge. Actually, there is one national Running Concierge, as well as local ones in many Westin properties in the USA. The local concierges lead 3- or 5- mile group runs – a different way for guests to explore the surroundings through the most inspirational sites and views. The national Running Concierge tours Westin hotels to assist guests participating in the Rock ‘n Roll Marathon. He approves specially designed menus for the runners, recommends running routes, provides training and race advice, initiates warm-up runs and makes sure guests have everything they need before the start.
The changing perception of luxury is the catalyst for the concierge profession.
The Ski Concierge
Described as a winter wonderland, Aspen is a heaven for ski enthusiasts. And skiing is taken seriously here, as The Little Nell demonstrated when the Ski Concierge was first introduced. In fact, there is an entire team, devoted to guests’ memorable ski experience. Every single aspect of it is covered – from hot beverages and fresh pastries, sufficient UV protection and tune-ups before venturing out, to information regarding the current conditions and grooming. The experts arrange intermountain transfers, tours and lessons, and keep skiers in the know on exclusive opportunities such as sweeping the mountain with Ski Patrol.
The Sleep Concierge
The Montcalm Luxury Hotels provides guests with the ultimate luxury experience in London, and a good night’s sleep is an essential part of it. The Sleep Concierge offers a pillow menu, herbal tea and milk, eye masks, bath- and aromatherapy oils as well as a special lavender turndown service. And finally, there’s the bedtime service – the room temperature, the noise level and the lightning are adjusted to create the perfect soothing atmosphere that everyone craves at the end of the day. Sweet dreams!
The Robot Concierge
The recently opened “Strange hotel” – Henn-na Hotel in Japan welcomes guests with quite unusual staff. After the greeting by an English-speaking robotic dinosaur, the individual Robot Concierge in each room doesn’t exactly come as a surprise. The room concierge is in fact a small tulip-shaped robot, named Chu-ri-chan. The smiling Chu-ri is always ready to have a little chat, turn the lights on and off, offer a weather forecast or a wake-up call. The ambition of the man behind the Henn-na Hotel is to build hundreds of similar hotels around the world. So the robot concierge might become a regular hotel feature soon.
The concierge profession keeps evolving, along with the needs, requirements and eccentricities of guests. It is hard to predict what the next unique service will be and where it will emerge. Three things are certain though. The smart technologies will play a significant role, taking away some of the traditional concierge roles and leaving more room for extraordinary ones. Guests’ endless curiosity towards new exclusive experiences will continue to inspire the industry to reimagine the concierge over and over again. And finally… despite all changing trends, the classic concierge service will remain – simply because nothing can truly replace the human touch and the personal approach.
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