concierge | report
For clients where money is no object, specialist travel and lifestyle managers are increasing in popularity, reports Maria Lenhart
CONCIERGE SERVICES ARE on the rise, venturing into realms far beyond making dinner reservations and securing show tickets. For travelers seeking to mingle with celebrities at glitzy catwalk events, rest their heads on the perfect pillow or receive immediate help when flights are canceled, there’s a concierge service to handle these and myriad other requests. Te expanding array of concierge services is
also having an impact on the role of the travel agent, particularly those specializing in the luxury market. Not only can agents partner with concierge service providers to bring extra value to their clients, but the concierge-style approach is gaining ground as a new business model for travel agencies. But what’s fueling the concierge boom? Tose
who study consumer travel trends say it’s tied with a growing demand for out-of-the-ordinary experiences that require expert guidance and insider connections. “Consumers are looking for the ‘what else’
in travel,” says travel industry consultant and educator Steve Gillick, president of Talking Travel in Toronto. “Tose who have travel experience want something different, something that gives them bragging rights to tell their friends and relatives when they return home.” While consumers at the top end of the income
spectrum can afford whatever travel experiences or services they desire, what they often lack is the time to research or secure them. Tis phenomenon has created a niche for a growing number of concierge or ‘lifestyle management’ companies serving ultra-wealthy clients aquire everything from a wait-listed Hermes handbag to VIP access to celebrity-studded events. “Our clients are often time-strapped and overwhelmed by all the choices they have,” says
Arman Motiwalla, CEO of One Concierge, a global company serving clients who often have a net worth of $150 million or more. “Even their personal assistants may be overwhelmed. What we do is streamline the process, take care of it and give them back their time.” Even those consumers who aren’t among
the super rich may need someone to navigate through the wealth of options available at their fingertips. Ironically, the fact hotel guests now have greater access to dining and sightseeing information has only heightened their reliance on concierge guidance, according to Robert Marks, long-time concierge at the Omni San Diego Hotel and a spokesman for Les Clefs d’Or USA, an elite association of hotel concierges. “Te traveling public is bombarded with so
much information on websites and social media that they need someone to filter it out,” he says. “Guests are looking for truth behind all the hype. A good concierge will boil it all down and give
HOTEL CONCIERGE TRENDS
At many upscale hotels, the concierge concept has broadened to include a specialty concierge or butler whose services go far beyond making reservations. The Accessories Butler at New York’s Hyatt Union Square, for example, lets guests borrow jewelry, hats, belts, scarves and other items for the duration of the stay. The Sleep Menu at the Hotel Conrad in Chicago, meanwhile, offers a range of on-demand sleep- easy products, gadgets and treaments, from
sleep elixirs to specialized nightcaps, while over at New York’s Hotel Benjamin, a Sleep Team provides guests with pillow choices from its Refresh & Renew Pillow Menu. Further afield, the Sorbet Butler at Jumby Bay, a Rosewood Resort on a private island off Antigua, offers the refreshing dessert to sunbathing guests, while the Entertainment Concierge at the Park Hyatt Tokyo escorts VIP guests to exclusive bars and boutiques and assists with gift purchases.
them a recommendation that really fits what they want.” Customer service consultant Bryan Williams,
author of Engaging Service: 22 Ways to Become a Service Superstar and a former Ritz-Carlton concierge, agrees. “Today the hotel concierge is more about advice and having the connections to get you into a hot restaurant,” he says. “It’s no longer about making reservations. You can easily do that with your smartphone.” At the same time, a growing number of hotels
have redefined the scope of what a concierge does — particularly luxury properties, where butler services, including everything from unpacking a guest’s suitcase to keeping the minibar stocked with requested beverages, have become the norm. Another trend is for hotels to engage concierges for a particular service. “Tere may be a pillow concierge, a sleep concierge or a towel concierge. It’s getting very specialized,” says Williams. Te concierge trend is being emulated by some agents, who are also finding that providing u
summer 2014 | ASTAnetwork | 51
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