The Ingredients for a Great Concierge
© Holly Stiel
5. Master Collaboration: Success through teamwork and partnership.
Here is a sweet story that vividly illustrates this quality.
Mr. Grey, a dapper Scotsman, approached the concierge at The Campton Place, a Taj Hotel in San Francisco. He showed her his beloved eyeglass pouch, which he had purchased 20 years prior at a Mexican market. Since it was falling apart, he asked if he might find one in the city’s Hispanic neighborhood. Knowing this would be an impossible task, she took a photo of the pouch with her cell phone and e-mailed it to a colleague in Mexico City. The colleague was unable to find the pouches anywhere, so offered to have it custom made.
In the meantime, the guest returned Scotland. I think the correspondence between the three parties is priceless and expresses the very heart of the concierge motto “In Service Through Friendship.”
Dear my "New Best Friend,”
My colleagues and I in Mexico are very happy that you gave us the opportunity to create magic. That just reminds us what friends are for.
I just want to share the letter that we sent with the eyeglass pouches.
Dear Mr. Gray,
Half of the satisfaction that we got from this "saga of the eyeglass pouches" was getting them custom-made for you. The other half: imagining the smile on your face when you see them!
Mr. Grey’s Response:
Brilliant! Amazing! The concierge network brings a ray of optimism to this benighted world. I can't thank you enough for your and your associate’s success in resolving a problem, which, if it doesn't actually keep me awake nights, has caused a thread of disappointment since my original pouch began to disintegrate. Thanks to your kind initiative, the Mexican eyeglass-pouch industry has now fulfilled its biggest order from Dumfriesshire, Scotland. Being English and living in Scotland, I am rather envious of the variety of tartan pants that Scotsmen wear. Now, this formerly bland Englishman will be able to make his own colorful fashion statement. I may even set a trend.
Marjorie Silverman, former president of the international Les Clefs d’Or association, described the difference between concierges and everyone else as the dedication to saying “yes” and making it happen. Willingness, commitment, readiness for action, “putting your whole self in” and master collaboration are the underlying principles. When “no” and negativity are so prevalent in the world, the concierge is, indeed, a welcome haven. We harness the power of “yes” and make miracles happen. It’s what we do.