Originally Posted by
free101girl
Just be aware that at many (most?) hotels, the concierge has a network of vendors who provide him/her with kickbacks. That's not a problem if the vendors are good, but unfortunately they sometimes aren't.
In particular, we've had issues with restaurant recommendations. In a few cases it was obvious we'd been sent to a particular restaurant to facilitate a kickback, not because the restaurant was good. This was very common in Rome, for instance. We've had some horrible (and ridiculously expensive) dining experiences at concierge-recommended restaurants. We've actually gotten better dining advice from people on the street!
As a result, now we always research restaurants before we travel. Sometimes we'll ask the concierge to make a reservation at a particular restaurant of our choosing, but we don't seek recommendations.
We've had great experiences with concierges arranging things like limo service, though.
Tipping is totally discretionary and varies by region of the world. In Japan, a tip would be perceived as insulting. In the US, I think $10-$20 is a reasonable tip for something that doesn't require anything more than picking up the phone (i.e., making a reservation). If the concierge does something more complicated, i.e., wangles you tickets to a show that has been sold out for months, a bigger tip is in order. Tip at the time the service is requested.
I'm actually going to have to disagree with this here (sorry). Of course some concierges will get kickback, but many in luxury hotels won't. I got phenomenal recommendations from the Grand Hyatt Tokyo. Everyplace the sent us was superb. At the Oriental in Bangkok, I felt that they sent us to excellent places, although they did tend to like the most expensive in Bangkok best (which wasn't a problem b/c it's what I wanted, but just an observation - they didn't send us to lot's of informal and cheap places).
Also, I've had concierges arrange tours (often the luxury hotels have access to some of the best guides in my experience), plane tickets, restaurant reservations. I use them to plan what to do, a bit (although I mostly do this on my own). Maps also, and that really basic type of stuff.
In terms of tipping, I'll give a gift at the end if service was extraordinary. I won't usually give cash, and it has to be incredible. I don't feel a concierge should get any tip (especially as generous as 10-20$) just for picking up the phone and making a reservation. If he/she really helps, though, then he/she deserves something nice.