Hotel in 13 stories: Concierge - an escape to Wonderland

We bring you a series of columns Hotel in 13 stories author Domagoj Grgić, a hospitality manager who will explain through 13 short stories from his point of view pictorial representation of the hotel and hotel business.

Domagoj Grgić He has built his career in tourism at Le Meridien Lav 5 * (Grand Casino Lav and Club Lav), Martinis - Marchi 5 *, multi-award winning Marina Frapa Resort Rogoznica and Hotel Imperial, and is currently engaged in Ireland as an ambitious and experienced manager. in Monart Spa Destination 5 * (ranked among the top 1 percent of hotels in the world by Tripadvisor for 2020).

After the first two stories, we bring you a new story Concierge - an escape to wonderland.

"In the last 24 hours, x new cases of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection have been recorded, and the number of active cases in Croatia today is a total of x," the Headquarters announced. You’ve had enough of more news like this and just turn off the radio.

Distracted, you come to the hotel ramp and open the window. It welcomes you in detail, superbly dressed and decorated Concierge services, kindly greets you by name, welcomes you and directs you to the hotel.

On the way to the entrance to the hotel, you think that you have not been so warm and nice for a long time. You arrive at the entrance and as you prepare to get out of the car, the door opens equally polite and classy Concierge services. He welcomes you, asks you how you traveled and if he can help you bring your suitcases to the hotel.

Like a prince getting out of a car, you watch the concierge carefully carry out your suitcases while handing him the car key at the same time. He opens the front door for you and lets you in. While he is marking your suitcases, he tells you that he will take your suitcases to your room as soon as possible and that he will disinfect your car when you park it, and then connect it to the charger.

As he leads you to the reception, he tells you about the glorious history of the hotel and how you will sleep right in the part where the famous warrior slept. Upon arrival at the reception, introduce yourself once more and say that it is made available for anything you need. In an instant, remember that you forgot your cell phone charger, and it tells you that it will be waiting for you in the room.

When you arrive at the reception, you have long since forgotten about the headquarters and COVID. Your vacation, your escape to Wonderland, has just begun.

Concierge - comte des cierges - in translation - candle keeper. In the Middle Ages, they allegedly took care of the lighting in aristocratic castles, and as guests of aristocratic castles were led to the rooms, key keepers were also named.

There is only one concierge school and only one association. Unobtrusively, and always at hand. Decent, and clear enough to know they are there. Neat and elegant, but not kitschy.

In times of online booking, online check-in, a person really feels special when someone takes care of him. And that really worries me.

After the check-in, your concierge suddenly appears next to you and offers to take you to the room. As he leads you to the room, he mentions how crowded the hotel restaurant is and offers to book a dinner table or arrange room service. Although you didn’t mean to eat anything, of course you agree to go to a restaurant because if it’s such a good concierge, what kind of food is it.

Before entering the room, greet the concierge and think that he must have forgotten something. But no, you see your suitcases by the bed, your coat is in the closet while a mobile phone charger is already waiting for you on the table.

Who thinks more of headquarters, who thinks more of COVID?

If you ask me, this was an example of the ideal approach of a concierge service. In a nice, sleek and decent way in coordination with the reception, a slightly distracted guest was introduced to the hotel and given maximum attention, suitcases taken, parked, disinfected and a car connected to the charger.

In this way, from a state of distraction, the guest came to a state of carefreeness and on the way from the reception to the room decided to eat dinner, and thus achieved the desired cross selling.

A guest in this state of carefree is certainly ready to be treated and spend more money than he planned in the restaurant (ideal opportunity for up selling), so with the maximum satisfaction of the guest, additional income will be generated. Toothpaste as well as sleeping pills are possible additional requirements of such a guest, but with good coordination with the reception, such problems are solved without any problems to the satisfaction of all.

Finally, a guest who has forgotten about his daily worries will be happy to reward the concierge service when he leaves and sit carefree and happily in a disinfected and powered car. 

In the end, the only question left is when the guest will return and escape to his wonderland again.

Author: Domagoj Grgić

Photos: cottonbro, Pexels.com