The Ingredients for a Great Concierge
© Holly Stiel
1. Willingness is the capacity to be one of the greatest in one’s field, while remaining humble. With humility, comes a passion for continuous learning and a deep-seated desire to be helpful.
2. Commitment is the unrelenting dedication to find a way to make it happen, no matter what “it” is.
3. Readiness to Take Action. To borrow the Nike tagline, great concierges “just do it.”
A story that illustrates all three of these qualities was printed in a small brochure that the Four Seasons hotels created to help their guests understand the role of concierges and take advantage of their services. (Remember, not all that long ago, the entire concept was brand new in North America.) The brochure, The Four Seasons Field Guide To The World Of The Concierge, told a story that went something like this: A guest told a concierge, “Your cheeseburgers are really great here. I want you to send one to my brother who lives in Bahrain. And oh yes, I want it to arrive hot.” The concierge’s response: “Would that be cheddar or blue, sir?”
I would repeat that story over and over, like a mantra to start my day. I did it so, when faced with a challenge, I wouldn’t say, “You want what? We can’t do that! “ Quite the contrary: An excellent concierge has the willingness to be of help, the commitment to the “cheddar-or-blue” mindset, and the readiness to take action. The next step requires the capacity to get it done, which often arises from drawing from one’s personal experiences. This brings us to the fourth quality.
4. Make it personal. As they say in the Hokey Pokey, “Put your whole self in….”
For the excellent concierges, it’s always personal—meaning they bring all aspects of themselves into their work. A perfect example: Two male guests approached a concierge, asking for a costume shop. Knowing that great masters pose questions and don’t merely answer them, she asked what they were looking for. The answer: A man’s French Regency costume. This prompted yet another question: “What are you using it for?”
As it turns out, they were opera singers from Brazil and had been unable to source French Regency costumes in South America. If this concierge had been simply going through the motions, she would have sent them to a costume shop. Instead, she went above and beyond the call of duty and “put her whole self in.” Since she happened to be a costume designer, in addition to a great concierge, she suggested purchasing patterns that could be made to order, rather than attempting to modify ready-made costumes. After the guests had checked out, she researched and found authentic period costume patterns and sent them on to their next hotel. This bit of whole-self personal service not only created loyalty and a good story, it saved the guests $2,000. Because this concierge was willing to draw upon all the “threads” of her life (so to speak), she was able to create an experience her guests would never forget.
Making it personal (while not taking anything too personally) is a powerful tool. However, there are times when we need call upon others for help or offer help to others, which leads us to the last quality. next page >