Concierges help hotels offer guests exactly what they want

Leisure guests at the three Meyer Jabara Harbor Magic branded hotels in Baltimore are typically pleasantly surprised when they receive a phone call a week before their arrival from an "experience specialist." This concierge extraordinaire is charged with calling each guest to determine his or her needs and interests before his or her stay. When the traveler checks in, the experience specialist calls the room or greets the guest in person to welcome him or her to the hotel and to Baltimore. Going one step further, the experience specialist will provide the visitor with a tailored trip itinerary.

"It's all about building relationships," said Ken Conklin, Meyer Jabara's senior v.p. of destination marketing.

Based on the tremendous success of the program in Baltimore, Meyer Jabara has spent the last three months introducing experience specialists at its other 26 properties nationwide.

"Experience specialists go above and beyond [what a typical concierge does]," Conklin said. "That's why we rolled it out to the whole company."

"We want to give guests the best experience possible," said Heather Johnson, a veteran Harbor Magic experience specialist and now a senior catering sales manager.

Several other hotel companies are rolling out concierge services to create personal and memorable experiences for all types of guests. From sleep and fitness concierges to business butlers and engagement gurus, hotels are tapping into travelers' needs to generate loyalty and enhance business. Hotels also realize that augmenting personalized guest services is critical in order to better cater to discerning and demanding travelers.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, for example, has rolled out its Fairmont Gold concierge level to several of its properties. Guests staying on the Fairmont Gold floors pay extra per night and are pampered with ultra-luxury rooms, as well as a private lounge area where they can enjoy cocktails before dinner and complimentary breakfast. A special team of concierges also is available to meet their every need. The Fairmont Copley Plaza Boston, which just rolled out its Fairmont Gold floor in April, staffs seven concierges on the Gold level to service guests in 59 rooms, general manager Jon Crellin said.

Gold concierges call guests a week in advance to find out if they have any special requests.

"Our concierge staff makes you feel like you're a friend," Crellin said, adding that the employees do whatever it takes to make guests happy.

One concierge, for example, overheard a girl asking her mother for Froot Loops cereal at breakfast. The Gold Floor lounge kitchen did not stock Froot Loops, so the concierge ran out and bought a box for the guest.

"This type of service cascades throughout the building and helps raise the bar for service standards," Crellin said. A great experience leads to frequent visits as well as referrals, Conklin said. Harbor Magic's guest scores and repeat business are way up since the Baltimore hotels introduced experience specialists almost two years ago.

Whereas Harbor Magic's experience specialists help set the tone at properties by providing guests with "magical" experiences in Baltimore, Loews Hotels' new family concierges are trained to address the unique needs of families traveling with children and provide them with information and the type of kid-friendly trip they are seeking, said Charlotte St. Martin, executive v.p. of marketing and sales at Loews.

The family concierge program was unveiled in June to compliment Loews' family programs: Loews Loves Kids, T. Loews for teens, and General G for people traveling with grandchildren. Each family concierge, who has undergone a custom training program based on material from Parenting Magazine, calls families before their arrivals. If they need packing advice or tips on traveling with kids, the family concierge will send articles from Parenting. Traveling families also receive vacation planning packages with information on the destination's offerings and the hotel's family-friendly activities, St. Martin said.

"We believe that one of the things that differentiates us is that we're one of the best hotel companies for families," she said. "We're serious about taking care of kids and family concierge is a natural for us."

While Loews is serious about catering to families and kids, Affinia Hospitality's The Benjamin means business when it comes to taking care of its Manhattan guests, who, like all travelers, need a good night's sleep to be productive at work or enjoy their vacations, said Eileen McGill, the hotel's sleep concierge.

McGill, along with the rest of The Benjamin's concierge staff, offers guests a pillow menu upon arrival. The staff also explains the hotel's complimentary sleep amenities, including white noise machines and specially designed beds. Sleep concierges will do anything within their means to ensure that guests sleep soundly, including arranging massages at the hotel's spa and ordering warm milk and cookies for a bedtime snack, McGill said.

McGill said The Benjamin's rate of return visitation is phenomenal and she attributes this to its focus on sleep and comfort.

"We tell every guest about the sleep program and they love it," she said. "It's ironic that our focus on sleep has become so groundbreaking."

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