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The new age concierge

Impossible is nothing, is a punch line is often used by the concierge desk whether in a luxury hotel or a boutique hotel. By Sangeetha Neeraja

"A concierge is the chief assistant of the hotel. The job is advisory in nature and involves walking the extra mile. We play a role in helping a hotel keep its time honoured perception of hospitality finesse," says SV Ramesh Kumar, assistant manager (Concierge), Taj Coromandel, Chennai. Though the concept of a concierge remains the same and will continue do so, there have been changes over time. Not all hotels have a separate concierge department Taj Coromandel is the only hotel in the city of Chennai, where concierge is functioning separately as a department. In other hotels, this is taken care of by the front desk itself.

In a new generation boutique hotels, things are system driven, synchronising the work. "Guests are primarily looking for information. We have an exhaustive database, which puts various systems in place, and helps us cater to our guests' needs. If they need more we are always there at the desk, to take care of it, at a moments notice," says Akshay Dimri, associate director (Front Office) of The Park, Chennai.

In a day's work

A day in the life of a concierge starts with taking stock of the day's arrivals including checking VIP flight arrivals and sending cars for pick-ups. The entourage of the cars and the bell boys, all come under the all-seeing eye of the concierge. "The early part of the day keeps us on our toes, doing regular follow ups, meeting requests for the day. Regular requests include, tickets for movies, dance recitals and other cultural events of the day, boutiques with exclusive stuff, and itinerary planning are the regular request, we face in a day, there are some very exotic requests, which add spice to our day." In The Park, the story is little different. It is the systems that keep the place going, with people keeping a regular check on it. Dimri says, "Most of our guest's requests are generally made by corporate guests. These are taken care by the travel and bell desk, so we at The Park, have a Techno-Concierge, who help the guest to navigate their gizmos to tap the necessary information they need."

Things can get heated up and demanding. Some requests need to be met at a short notice, and it requires the presence of mind and patience. Kumar, who has been nominated for the Golden Keys, says, "It is very important for us to be level headed at all the time, maintaining a good network really helps us get the work done fast, and above all a presence of mind helps us do our job to the satisfaction of the customers." Golden Keys is the highest order of recognition given to the concierge by the Singapore based 'Les Clefs Oor', the Union Internationale Des Concierges D'Hotels. At Taj it is the personal touch, which is very much a part of the hospitality luxury tradition it is so famous for.

Things work different in the trendy Park, the working style is altogether different, roles or job description are not too narrowly defined. Every body at the front office is equipped to answer all guest queries. Dimri echoes this attitude, "At The Park we are very technology driven, we make use of technology in the best possible way to bring in comfort. We are planning to become completely paperless, and also hope to bring in Bio-Scanning, eventually making the arrivals and departures more streamlined and hassle free. The whole idea is using technology in the best possible way, taking customer satisfaction to the optimum."