This subject has been on my mind about a year at this point, and I was hoping to get some input from more seasoned luxury travellers than myself.

How do you handle hotel requests? Do you send them to your TA, to the front desk, concierge or someone else? I usually end up having some sort of contact at the hotel in question, usually someone I get in touch with through my TA that help me with a few things, but I'm never sure if I should keep making requests through them or not. To put it another way, is the "please don't hesitate to let me know if you need any further assistance" genuine or not?

When it comes to non-hotel related requests, such as tickets or restaurant reservations, how early do you usually get in touch with concierge? I've tried anything from months before an upcoming trip to just a few days before, but I'm not sure which actually gives the best result, and which is just because some concierge are better than others.