What does a concierge do?
You know the city well enough to solve a stranger's problem in ten minutes, and you know which promises you can actually keep.
Also called: guest relations, hotel concierge, chef concierge.
A day looks like
- 1You read the arrivals list and work out which guests are going to need you before they do.
- 2You ring people you know — a restaurant, a theatre, a garage — and they take your call because you have never wasted their time.
- 3You tell somebody honestly that the thing they want is not possible tonight, and offer the version that is.
- 4You keep a book of what worked, because next month somebody will ask the same thing.
Hardest part
Saying no without saying no. Guests ask for things that cannot be done, and the skill is offering something real instead rather than promising and failing.
Best part
Getting somebody into the restaurant that had no tables, for an anniversary, because you spent two years being worth a favour.
How you actually become a concierge
- At schoolReception or guest services, and genuine curiosity about the city you work in.
- TrainingOn the job; the Clefs d'Or association is the recognised professional mark.
- How longTwo or three years to be useful, a decade to have the contacts that make it easy.
- Your first jobReceptionist or bell desk — the desk is where you learn who asks for what.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the golden keys concierges wear?
- The crossed keys of Les Clefs d'Or, an international association of hotel concierges. Membership requires years of experience and references, and it is how concierges in different cities know they can ask each other for favours.
- Can a concierge really get you anything?
- No, and the good ones are direct about it. What they have is contacts and judgement — they know what is genuinely possible tonight, and the professional skill is offering that instead of promising the impossible.
- Is this job disappearing because of the internet?
- Search can tell you what exists; it cannot ring somebody who owes you a favour, or judge that a guest asking for a romantic restaurant actually needs somewhere quiet. The relationships are the product.
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