Concierge

Concierges

The Fixers

Every time I stay in a hotel that has a concierge, I make a point of enlisting his or her services. Why? Because a good concierge is usually the smartest person in the hotel, a veritable walking guidebook, as well-connected as a local politician.

By: Everett Potter *

    While the image of the concierge is usually that of someone behind a podium in a five-star property in London or Paris, an increasing number of lower-priced hotels have begun to offer concierge services to remain competitive. In other words, the Marriott you’re staying at next month is just as likely to have one on the premises as a nearby Ritz-Carlton.
    The best concierges exude a quiet confidence. They can make things happen and in the process transform your trip into a travel experience that’s easier, perhaps more interesting, and often a lot more fun. A concierge in Rome found a great guide to take me through the Vatican Museums last year, completely bypassing the long lines. Another in Budapest got me front-row tickets to a “sold-out” opera, while the concierge at The Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle pointed me toward the hippest sushi bar in the neighborhood. And experience has taught me to always use concierges to make restaurant reservations in Paris, a city where their reach and clout are legendary.
    In short, the concierge can quickly become your new best friend during a hotel stay. Here’s what a good one knows and what he or she can do for you: getting a cab

Recommend restaurants and make reservations. The latter is an invaluable service in cities like New York, Paris, Los Angeles or London, where dining is a competitive sport. A concierge can even tell you what to eat.

Get tickets for sporting events, theater and concerts. If you want to see the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field or attend the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, it’s the concierge who has the connections to find tickets.

Arrange transportation. The concierge can get you a taxi, a car and driver or a rental car (and have the latter delivered to the hotel in some cases). Need an English-speaking driver in Cairo or Bangkok? He can find one. And if you’re placed on interminable hold by the airlines, a concierge can often take over, booking your flights, printing boarding passes, helping with visa arrangements and switching seat assignments.

Advise you where to shop. Recommendations in guidebooks and on the Internet are often out of date, but a concierge lives in the city and knows what’s available. Clarence McLeod, chef (head or main) concierge and manager of The Gold Floor at The Fairmont Washington, D.C., says that with one phone call, shops like Louis Vuitton and Chanel will open after hours for his guests.

Obtain forgotten or lost items. That might be a toothbrush or an entire wardrobe. Houston Vissage, chef concierge at The Cloister on Sea Island, Georgia, recalls helping Jeane Kirkpatrick, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Kirkpatrick had arrived in the airport, her luggage had not, and she had a major speech to deliver the next day. It was already evening, and armed only with her dress size, Vissage telephoned a friend of a friend who owned a shop on nearby St. Simon’s Island. Thanks to this contact, Kirkpatrick had a new wardrobe by 10 that night.

Provide directions. The concierge will know the fastest route from point A to point B, as well as the most scenic and the most cost-effective. He or she can tell you which neighborhoods are safe and which are not.

Speak for you. Concierges are fluent in the local language, which may not matter in Detroit, but it does in Berlin, Buenos Aires or Beijing.

Organize day trips. Christopher Gould, chef concierge of the Umstead Hotel and Spa in North Carolina, says the nearby city of Raleigh is “one of the best places in the world to see mid-20th-century modernist architecture,” and he often sends guests there. “I have a list of 50 homes and buildings,” he says, “and I can map out a driving itinerary.”

Give you a head start before you arrive. According to Vissage at The Cloister, “We have repeat guests who call us to create an itinerary for them.” So phone or e-mail up to one month before your arrival to discuss your wish list, from restaurants to exhibitions and performances.

Do the impossible! McLeod at The Fairmont Washington, D.C. is adept at arranging after-hours tours of the Phillips Collection, one of the city’s finest art venues. And Christopher Gould at the Umstead says, “We had a legendary Hollywood actress ending a tour here, and she wanted to throw a party for the cast and crew in a restaurant that was closed for the night. Well, we made it happen with less than 24 hours’ notice.”

* Everett Potter is a four-time winner of the Lowell Thomas Travel Journalism Award.