LITTLE ROCK — When the group on the third floor called down to ask for some ping pong balls, the concierges at the Sebastian Hotel in Vail, Colo., didn’t bat an eye.
When the same group wanted plastic cups an hour later, the concierges said, sure, no problem.
But when the call came down soon after for banquet tables, the Sebastian’s employees collectively rolled their eyes and put an end to it.
“We’ll try to accommodate just about any request,” says Iva Delorey, guest services manager for the Sebastian. “But that was going a little too far.”
Delorey says her main job description at one of Vail’s newest and hottest properties is “trying to make sure that the guests have a wonderful time” - stopping, maybe, at Olympics-style beer pong in the rooms - and that includes overseeing the three-person concierge department that the hotel staffs two at a time from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
By definition, a concierge is a hotel employee who “assists guests.” It’s a tradition that evolved in Europe from positions in apartment buildings, where concierges would serve as butlers who watched over the units when residents went out of town. Nowadays, in hotels around the world, the concierge is expected to assist in whatever way the guest asks, from making dinner reservations to helping plan the ultimate wedding proposal.
“They can do anything for a guest, starting with pre-arrival, such as how to get to us or how they are going to be spending their time,” Delorey says. “Do they need lift tickets or ski lessons, or are they celebrating a birthday here and they want balloons and cake in the room?”
The truth, however, is that the majority of travelers never use a hotel concierge, either because the concierge is considered to be a perk for elite guests or they feel that their request is too trivial.
“A lot of people are intimidated by the concierge,” Delorey says. “That’s a shame, because we are trained to have all of this information. We know the area, and we want to share our knowledge.”
We asked Delorey to give us the inside scoop on working with a hotel concierge.
Q: What is OK to request from a concierge?
A: Dinner reservations, restaurant recommendations, places to go and things to do in the area, directions, maps, if you are looking for a store that sells certain things - these are all things that the concierge is well trained to recommend and help you plan. Also, people come on vacation and they forget things, so the concierge can help you track them down. I usually get very excited when I get asked about things they don’t do on a regular basis, like a hot air balloon when they are going to propose, or a private sleigh ride.
Q: What isn’t OK to request?
A: We have had a guest before ask for an escort. We referred them to the Yellow Pages. That is not something we are able to help them with. And anything illegal, of course, or destructive. But other than that, it’s hard to think of anything we won’t at least consider.
Q: Should you tip the concierge?
A: They do not expect to be tipped, but it is viewed as a tipped position. The tip can be anything from a few dollars to a hundred dollars, but it’s up to the guest’s discretion, and it really depends on what you have asked them to do. It’s not why we’re here.
Q: How do I get the most out of the concierge service?
A: A good concierge will be honest about what is good and steer you away from the places that aren’t as good, and they will listen to you. Even if we can’t get reservations at [a popular restaurant] at 7 o’clock that day, we can recommend other places. It does happen so often that people want one restaurant and then it’s full, so we offer another one that is like what they wanted, and they come back afterward and say, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t even know that place existed, I had the time of my life.” That’s what we’re here for.
Travel, Pages 56 on 05/01/2011