A luxury concierge is someone who takes care of any tasks that their clients are too busy to perform and complete themselves. They are the personal assistant who helps a traveler to reach the travel goals by taking upon all the matters connected with travel, stay in another country, relocation, business and leisure trips, etc. So, it is someone who brings in the peace of mind and saves time and money by undertaking everything.
A concierge provides a variety of services to guests. It may be a person or service that provides assistance with personal business such as making Travel (Hotels, Villas, Jets, Experiences) arrangements, scheduling appointments, or running errands. Thus though typically concierges work in hotels, but they may also work in clubs, restaurants, and other venues. A concierge provides guests with information about locations and services about a certain place. They may book services for guests, such as transportation and activities.
They main objective of a Global Concierge Company is Customer service as it follows the process of offering assistance to all the current and potential customers – answering questions, fixing problems, and providing excellent service. The main goal of customer service is to build a strong relationship with the customers so that they keep coming back for more business.
A few of the typical job responsibilities of a concierge include:
- Responding to guest inquiries and questions.
- Providing directions to hotel guests.
- Arranging local and airport transportation (Ticketing and Travel).
- Making reservations, such as for dinner, spa treatments, or golf tee times, and obtain Exclusive Events Tickets .
- Providing information about local activities, such as shopping, dining, nightlife, or recreational destinations (part of Lifestyle Services).
- Making travel arrangements for sightseeing or other tours.
- Planning special events, parties, or meetings.
- Providing business services for guests.
- Arranging childcare services for guests.
- Receiving, storing, or delivering luggage, packages, or mail.
Discussed below is a list of the most important skills for a concierge, as well as related skills employers seek in candidates for concierge jobs.
- Communication skills – The most important skill that a person associated with a concierge must possess is excellent communication skills which are absolutely critical for a concierge. Concierge personnels have to speak with guests all day. So it is important that they speak clearly and maintain a positive tone and a helpful attitude. Individuals who are fluent in more than one language naturally would have an advantage when applying for jobs, particularly in major metropolitan areas.
The success of a concierge as a good communicator depends on how he gets on with other people. It affects both acquiring new clients, and maintaining good relations with the clientele to turn the first-time clients into return or regular customers.
However, communication skills are much more than just an ability to keep the conversation. They also include listening, knowledge of etiquette and discretion.
Being a good communicator demands being a good listener. Listening as a communication skill includes the ability to remember every detail of the client’s requirements. Concierges need to listen carefully to their guests’ requests to provide a customised positive experience for them and to proactively identify any particular support they may require.
Personal concierge is someone who saves busy person’s time so one should not count on the client to repeat the task’s description several times. Moreover, effective listening skills facilitate understanding the client’s needs and problems
The image of a concierge would always influence the number of clients he has and knowledge of etiquette would help to behave naturally and move comfortably in the world of the well-to-do. As a personal concierge, one would know small secrets of the clients. A concierge is required to understand that these are to be kept in confidence. Thus for such a concierge profession, one needs to know social, business, dining and telephone etiquette.
Few of the activities related to communication that a concierge needs to do are:
- Answer Email
- Answer Online Chat
- Answer Phone
- Answer Text Messages
- Arrange Package Delivery and Pick Up
- Computer
- Confirm Flights and Print Boarding Passes
- Maintain Database of Local Information
- Make and Confirm Reservations
- Marketing
- Microsoft Office
- Order Amenities for Guests’ Rooms
- Public Relations
- Secure Tickets for Events
- Sell Tickets to Guests
- Send Pre-Stay Correspondence
- Verbal Communications
- Written Communications
- Behavioral skills – A concierge is one of the first few people a guest sees on landing at the airport or upon entering a hotel—they are the real “face” of the organization. Therefore, concierges need to have an extremely welcoming demeanor. Thus no matter how long they might have worked or how tired they may be, they should greet every guest with a smile and a kind word.
Concierge is expected to
- Make courtesy Calls to VIP Guests
- Provide customer service
- Manage customer relations
- Ensure customer satisfaction
- Greet guests
- Manage guest relations
- Have Interpersonal skills
- Must be of outgoing nature
- Be personable
- Must have a positive attitude
- Organizational skills – Personal concierge is someone who assists and facilitates other people’s lives providing busy people more time for their personal life, family and leisure. So he needs to organize the time and working day, and put clients’ life in order. A concierge has to manage multiple tasks at once. They have to serve many guests at a time, make appointments and arrangements for numerous people, and more. Being organized allows a concierge to juggle these multiple tasks without losing his or her cool.
To develop good organizational skills, a concierge should always pay much attention to details. Manage tasks keeping a record of everything to be done, especially when he is new in the business. Being detail-oriented will not let him forget the client’s preferences, plans, peculiar needs, and any other points the client might appreciate. One must always remember that in the services industry customer’s satisfaction is of utmost importance. Thus one must excel to impress the clients to earn their accolades.
Another crucial point is time management. It includes dividing all the tasks according to their urgency and importance. First, one needs to allocate time and energy to solve urgent and important tasks and only then move on to those which are not urgent even if they are easier, faster or more pleasant to complete. Only when one manages own time, he would be able to manage other people effectively.
A concierge
- Accommodates guest requests
- Arranges airport transportation
- Coordinates guest requests
- Distributes printed materials
- Does Event Planning
- Arranges Local Transportation
- Maintains and Posts Daily Event Schedule
- Maintains Menu Books for Local Restaurants
- Maintains Supply of Brochures, Flyers, Handouts, and Maps
- Monitors and Replenish Lobby Refreshments
- Masters Multitasking
- Excels at Prioritization
- Provides Business Services
- Schedules Activities
- Sets Up Special Packages
- Makes Travel Arrangements
- Local Knowledge – According to taste and choice of the guests, concierge provides guests with suggestions for entertainment and various services within the hotel itself and in the surrounding geographical area. Thus, it is very important that a concierge knows the area, its best restaurants, and most interesting attractions, and the other sorts of services available in the region.
They must
- Arrange Transportation
- Deal with all Booking Services
- Book Show Tickets
- Book Tours
- Make Dinner Reservations
- Provide with maps and directions
- Knowledge of Hotel and Resort Features
- Knowledge of Local Dining, Entertainment, Theater, Shows, Sports, and Events
- Recommendations about the area and the city at large
- Strong Knowledge of Local Area
- Professionalism – As a concierge is representing the company and is interacting directly with guests, he or she must look and act professionally. Professional attire and demeanor will make guests trust the concierge and pay value to his or her suggestions.
A successful concierge
- Deals with Conflict Resolution
- Is Dependable
- Is Flexible
- Shows Patience under all circumstances
- Professionally Promotes Resort Activities to Guests
- Maintains Punctuality
- Telephone Etiquette
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- Problem-solving skills – Problem-solving skills is crucially important as they are required in almost any job. Once one develops such skills he would find it easier to manage everything, including his own life, as well. Personal concierges have to show their problem-solving techniques when a problem arises like a client requesting a sold-out ticket to an event, when he has to choose the right gift for the client’s partner or to book a room in a favorite hotel which is booked up.
Each of the situations requires creativity and ability to make the decision quickly and effectively. The more solutions one can think up, the chances are more that he would come up with the right decision which the client would appreciate and, probably, like even more.
An intelligent concierge should always think of an alternative plan or “Plan B” just in case the original plan or “Plan A” does not work out. A concierge must use his creativity, brainstorming techniques and other resources. A professional concierge having a wide network of contacts would be very useful and would save lots of time on outsourcing the best options and a professional to help to perform a task perfectly
- Problem-solving skills – Problem-solving skills is crucially important as they are required in almost any job. Once one develops such skills he would find it easier to manage everything, including his own life, as well. Personal concierges have to show their problem-solving techniques when a problem arises like a client requesting a sold-out ticket to an event, when he has to choose the right gift for the client’s partner or to book a room in a favorite hotel which is booked up.
- Learning skills – People seek personal concierges’ help when they need help with some work or tasks and require a professional approach to their specific needs. Thus, to be a successful concierge one must be well-versed in many areas of knowledge. Luckily, today it is easy to find professional literature on any topic of interest in bookstores, libraries and online. Gathering knowledge in different spheres always comes handy. When one has a deeper knowledge of a problem, he might take up a course either at a university or online and on top of that he would also receive a certificate confirming the qualification, which would aid in gaining more recognition.
