6 Ways to Offer a Better Hotel Concierge Guest Experience

Want your hotel to stand out from competitors? Offering concierge services could be the key to more bookings and higher revenue.

Does your hotel offer concierge services through one dedicated person or a team dedicated to answering guests’ questions and fulfilling their special requests? If not, consider adding a concierge to your hotel staff for a better guest experience.

If your hotel already has concierge services, management can always look for ways to make these personalized service services even better for an outstanding guest impression.

Concierge services typically include:

• Arranging car and airline transportation
• Planning special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and more
• Informing you know about local attractions, entertainment and restaurants
• Reserving a table at restaurants and entertainment and
• Arranging ticket purchases and reservations

“Concierges are the face of the hotel and offer an important point of contact for guests throughout their stay,” according to hotel technology provider Canary. “However, they do fewer admin-related tasks such as check-ins and check-outs. Instead, they’re more focused on shaping the guest experience by helping to create a memorable, personalized stay.”

Read on for six ways a hotel concierge can improve the guest experience.

1. Hire the right person

The first step in offering exceptional concierge services is making sure you hire the right personality for the job. Concierges must have a friendly, engaging, and helpful personalities – with enthusiasm for creating a memorable and pleasant stay for guests.

The best concierges are members of the highly respected Clefs d’Or Association. After they complete their intensive training, these skilled concierges can be recognized by the gold lapel pin with a pair of crossed keys that they wear while on duty.

2. Offer pre-arrival services

“You might think your relationship with the concierge only begins when you arrive on the property but concierges can help you plan your trip as soon as you book your room,” says hotel software provider HotelTechReport.

For example, the concierge can make dinner reservations at busy restaurants, arrange sightseeing tours or make sure a guest is booked for a spa appointment before the schedule fills up.

3. Assist with medical needs

If a guest forgot to pack prescription medications or needs an emergency dentist or doctor’s appointment, the hotel concierge can arrange for the prescription to be picked up at the pharmacy chain’s local store and schedule doctor’s appointments during the stay.

4. Share traffic tips

Nobody gives better traffic tips than a local. “Google Maps can only tell you so much; a concierge knows the busiest times on the road from their own experience and can recommend alternate routes, public transit or ridesharing,” says HotelTechReport.

5. Handle unusual, one-off requests

“Concierges also do their best to fulfill extravagant wishes,” says Canary. “Whether it’s helping guests get the paperwork for their pet to join an international move or planning for the traveler’s arrival by parachute, the answer is hardly ever ‘no.’”

6. Offer guest-facing concierge technologies

Today’s concierges rely more on technology today than in the past, says Canary:

“This has created new opportunities, especially since guests have become more demanding and expect responses or solutions faster than ever. Modern tech tools create the chance to meet and even exceed these expectations.”

For example, including the concierge on guest communication tools such as real-time and artificial intelligence messaging allows more options for guest/concierge communication.

“Modern guest communication tools allow concierges to keep an overview of all incoming messages and respond promptly via the guest’s preferred channels,” says Canary.

“These solutions also make it easier to loop in team members from other departments that need to get involved [such as] housekeeping or food and beverage.”