Concierges serve as a helpful link between institutions in the hospitality industry and their patrons. Any form of travel can benefit from the expertise of a skillful concierge. But perhaps in no other travel segment is the role of the concierge so vital as it is in luxury travel.
Whether it’s in a 5-star tropical resort or a luxury beach villa rental, the concierge is important in ensuring the elite guests’ high expectations are met. The following are some of the ways a concierge makes a difference during a luxury travel vacation.
1. Facilitate Travel
In the absence of a dedicated chauffeur, a concierge at a luxury resort plays the role of one. It’s more than just driving guests around. The concierge serves as a personal assistant. They handle arrangements for airport transfers as well as organize the itinerary for local tours and excursions.
Luxury travelers usually need a lot more individual attention than ordinary travelers. Ergo, the concierge should be prepared to develop a deeper relationship with the guests while being careful not to come across as intrusive. It’s the little things that will matter the most, like making sure the guest has their favorite magazines in their cab or hotel room.
2. Assisting Visitors
Other than the more standard aspects of luxury travel, guests will occasionally require more specific or specialized assistance.
For example, if a guest falls ill during their stay, the concierge should be ready to facilitate the evacuation process (for major emergencies) or arrange for a doctor’s visit. For the solo traveler, the concierge may also serve as a key point of information when relatives back home call to find out which hospital the guest is in and, where applicable, whether they have been evacuated.
Apart from such illness-related assistance, the concierge would also be the one to arrange for customized entertainment or gather information from patrons on special dietary requests.
3. Informing Patrons
A standard task for all luxury travel concierges is to disseminate general information, communicate changes on the availability of hotel amenities, and respond to the questions guests may have.
Patrons may require information on tourist sites in the area, nightclubs, regional cuisine, and the meaning of the most commonly used words in the local language. While the guests’ experience within the hotel or villa rental is important, it’s usually how exciting their time outside the hotel will be that determines how positive memories of their stay will be.
Concierges, therefore, have to be extremely knowledgeable. That means spending plenty of time reading about the area’s history, knowing which the most interesting sights are, regularly talking to area locals, and attending training that covers the unique offerings their company has. It’s a plus if the concierge can speak more than one language.
4. Event Planning
Sometimes, guests of a luxury hotel are there for a specific event such as a wedding, workshop, or corporate team-building. While there’s likely already an individual or group charged with planning the event, the concierge is inadvertently part of the planning by the very fact that the event will be happening on their property or the guests spending their nights there.
They’ll, therefore, be expected to welcome guests, control event access, ensure security, protect privacy, manage crowds, handle reservations, arrange seating, expedite bar or kitchen services, and facilitate emergency response if a fire or other life-threatening incident occurs.
5. Receiving and Acting on Guest Feedback
The concierge is the person guests will have the closest interaction with during their stay. In this regard, their role will not only pertain to sharing information with patrons but also receiving feedback.
Even the most exclusive resorts in the world will always have areas they can improve on and make guests more comfortable. The concierge is a critical resource for obtaining candid feedback from clients that would help the business continuously be and do better. They should have the ear of the hotel’s manager so guest concerns can be addressed with buy-in from the highest level.
The concierge’s role is indispensable to luxury travel. Hotels and villa rentals that fail to designate a concierge or give them the leeway they need to do their work are only shortchanging themselves.
