Arnaldo vividly remembers his first and last contacts with a concierge. First contact – Not knowing the correct term, he would simply have called him “the Supe”, or building superintendent. He was unshaven and less than tidy. His uniform du jour was a undershirt, a stick of Gauloises (French cigarettes) in one hand, and a glass of cheap Beaujolais in the other. | Concierge (cone-se-air-j) Mario Arnaldo Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Arnaldo vividly remembers his first and last contacts with a concierge. First contact – Not knowing the correct term, he would simply have called him “the Supe”, or building superintendent. He was unshaven and less than tidy. His uniform du jour was a undershirt, a stick of Gauloises (French cigarettes) in one hand, and a glass of cheap Beaujolais in the other. Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Cont. Last contact – This article was written in 2004. She was punctual. Polite. Charming. Endearing. Never forgot the slightest detail. Never overbearing or invasive. Since 1997, she has faithfully written us every year during the holiday season with neat, short, hand written, personal notes. If Arnaldo and his wife were given complimentary reservations at another Seattle property, we would still go to Annie’s property and pay for their rooms. Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Cont. Reviewed the Withiam concierge articles, used Google to point him to a few hundred pages of articles, scoured dozens of concierge-related web pages, E-mailed and talked to dozens of hospitality professionals, and finally interviewed concierges in Honolulu, Hawaii to highlight six significant findings about the modern concierge. The six findings concern passion, titles, technology, Les Clefs d’Or, stars, and Aloha! Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Passion Finding #1: Passion – The concierges and guest service staff Arnaldo talked to, whether they had their “keys” or not, are without exception, extremely passionate about what they do. They all have what some have called “Gotta-Wanna.” Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Titles Finding #2: Titles – Job titles he compiled included: Concierge Head concierge Chief concierge Concierge supervisor | Concierge (cone-se-air-j) Mario Arnaldo Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Arnaldo vividly remembers his first and last contacts with a concierge. First contact – Not knowing the correct term, he would simply have called him “the Supe”, or building superintendent. He was unshaven and less than tidy. His uniform du jour was a undershirt, a stick of Gauloises (French cigarettes) in one hand, and a glass of cheap Beaujolais in the other. Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved Introduction Cont. Last contact – This article was written in 2004. She was punctual. Polite. Charming. Endearing. Never forgot the slightest detail. Never overbearing or invasive. Since 1997, she has faithfully written us every year during the holiday season with neat, short, hand written, personal notes. If Arnaldo and his wife were given complimentary reservations at another Seattle property, we would still go to Annie’s property and pay for their
