Insider Info

"A turtle might not be what many people think of when contemplating customer service," says Holly Stiel, who was a concierge in San Francisco for 16 years before starting her own consulting business. Stiel believes, however, that turtles embrace what people in the service industry need to remember: you need to stick your neck out, learn to have a hard shell, slow down and not react so quickly.

Being a concierge means filling just about any request. You may be asked to buy gifts, book flights, call a doctor or recommend a good novel. "There is no total description," says Stiel. "You just do anything that is legal and kind."

In order to be a good concierge, it is absolutely necessary that you know how to multi-task, says Stiel. There are many guests in the hotel. No matter how many tasks you are working on, you can't let the guest know that you are taxed mentally. On the surface, you should remain calm.

One example of multi-tasking is making dinner reservations over the phone while using the computer to check on the time of the next showing of a movie. "Multi-tasking needs to be a comfort zone for you," says Stiel. You must also be curious, energetic and social.

Bertine Hage, a concierge, likes the variety and the challenge of being a concierge. "You walk dogs [and you] arrange weddings," she says.

Concierges make it easier for the guest to be away from home, she says. "Your job is to serve people and put yourself last." Anyone can build a glorious hotel with amenities in all the rooms, says Hage. What sets hotels apart is the service they can offer. That is why concierges are important.

Hage says many people think her job is glamorous. Certainly, there are the lifestyle perks. Many concierges receive free meals and entertainment so that they can make knowledgeable recommendations to guests.

Troy Glenn, a hotel concierge, gets to see his fair share of celebrities too. He has helped the Rolling Stones, novelist John Irving, the Canadian prime minister and Chevy Chase. Celebrities, he says, are great people. "They are very approachable."

Beneath a concierge's calm facade, however, the brain is doing double time. "Behind the scenes, this is a stressful, high-volume position," says Hage, who doesn't let on when she's helping one guest that she is also working on 20 other requests.

Stamina is essential, says Stiel. "It is relentlessly busy at a concierge's desk -- and demanding." Work doesn't stop at the end of a shift, either, says Glenn. With the lifestyle perks comes a busy social life.

You must find time outside of work to visit galleries, see IMAX movies and try new restaurants. "You need to stay on top of what's going on in your city. You do a lot of work on your own time," he says.

Concierges must be the best possible resource to the guest. "You might have to direct someone how to get across town by bus or know the hours of operation of a retail store," explains Glenn.

"I don't think I could do any other job," says Hage. The job is challenging, but also gratifying. "Every task is a little project in itself that you bring to completion."

Glenn wouldn't do anything else. "The idea of being a concierge has always intrigued me. There is a different challenge each day. I never deal with the same request," he says.

Glenn says one skill that he thinks is invaluable is etiquette. Concierges need to know how to address celebrities, but more importantly, diplomats. As a hotel concierge, you will also deal with different cultures, each of which has different sets of etiquette and protocols. What may be polite in America could be rude in Asia, says Glenn.

Perhaps the most difficult skill to learn is controlling your emotions, says Stiel. You must learn not to react to people. "You need to detach yourself from the situation. You become an observer," she explains. "In the hospitality industry, it's not about you."

In an information sheet she uses to train people to become concierges, she identifies several personalities that a concierge will encounter. These people manage to "push the buttons" of service people, triggering negative emotions, which often leads to less-than-acceptable service.

The six common guest attitudes that Stiel identifies are:

1. The entitled: "You owe me...I expect you to do this....No one else exists and you have nothing else to do but to help me."
2. The panicked: "What do you mean my order isn't ready...but you promised...Now what am I going to do?"
3. The high and mighty: "Don't you know who I am?...I know more about this job than you."
4. The bottom-liner: "Can you do this for me, yes or no?...Tell me exactly when I can expect the answer."
5. The clueless: "If I go outside and it is raining, will I get wet?" (This was an actual question Stiel says a guest asked her.)
6. The imprisoned: "Why does something always go wrong here?...Nothing ever works out for me."

These attitudes are so common, Stiel says, that when she outlines them to students, they say, "That guest was in the hotel yesterday." If you can learn to see these personality traits as a shortcoming in the guest, you will be able to serve people better.

"In order to do this work, there are certain pre-conditions [you must have] to excel at it," says Stiel. Taking care of people must be one of your values, she says. Multi-tasking is equally important. "The reality is this job is not about procedures and functions. This job has a psychology and a spirit and a mindset."