Originally Posted by
number_6
This is the problem, most hotels seem to have no system for concierge service, rather it is up to the individual concierge, so some have great connections, are smart at reading people (to understand what you are really wanting them to do) and have initiative and conscientiousness. The only role hotels seem to play in this is staffing levels (how much time they are allowed to spend with a customer). When a great concierge leaves a hotel, the service often suffers and even collapses. Strange when it is an advertised service, even the key differentiator. A few hotels do pull off having more than individually good concierges. After all most of the requests are repetitive -- even the great example of hiring a pianist, that happens dozens of times a year at the Waldorf. Personally I'd have insisted that my guests sing for their supper instead
You're quite right that the individual concierge is often more useful than the hotel's service. Case in point: I frequent a particular hotel in a city that I also live in for a number of months out of the year. One concierge in particular is very helpful, and I frequently call him for requests such as reservations/tickets/etc even when I'm not in residence at the hotel. This isn't an arrangement between me and the property, it's between me and the concierge. Of course, we both benefit from it, but it's based on a personal relationship rather than any interaction with a service the hotel is providing.
I've never actually stayed in a hotel that advertises a particularly effective or unique concierge
service, to my knowledge. What are examples?