Originally Posted by
NotSoMuch
The state of the US Centurion service is deplorable. While the pod model is being implemented, the long wait times and poor handling hasn't been seen in the UK (maybe just not yet).
The only mishap I encountered so far is the direct line for the executive/pod (which is different from the one on the back of the card) wasn’t able to pick up my account for a few weeks. But I can still ask whoever picked up to transfer the call or just send an email asking for call back.
It does sound like it's worth considering. One more caveat I would add since you mentioned you are in tech -- Velocity Black is even more big city focus than Cent. When I first subscribed, the app had a prompt asking you to select London, New York or LA when you first create your account, and the services are based on the selection. The list has since then expanded, but I am pretty sure it does not cover the Bay Area or Seattle.
It's still a solid travel agent outside of those focus cities -- but say you are based out of another country/city for a few months a year, and you need reservations for guests/meetings. You will be screwed with either Velocity or Centurion.
When I was speaking with one of the cofounders, he claimed they had local experts all over the world, even though they have only three main offices. It would be a pretty useless service if it literally could only provide expertise on those three cities. I do happen to live in LA, but one of the main reasons I'd use them is for travel to cities around the planet. He emphasized their global reach despite having three primary offices.
I mean, the old Platinum concierge service for a while was based in Canada, but they did an excellent job with European recommendations when I used them, including finding really cool out of the way places to eat and things to do. But Amex jettisoned them and now seems to be relying on Indian-based reps for at least some of their calls. I have nothing whatsoever against Indians - I work for a company with plenty of staff in India. But whoever they've got now seems to be just going through the motions at least in the cases I've tried, and I could do just as well Googling things on my own.