Ms. Silverman

Concierge

Save Money, Save Service: Working Smart in Economic Hard Times

By Marjorie Silverman, Honorary President, UICH, Les Clefs d'Or

In The New York Times (October 7, 2008) Joe Sharkey, wrote in an article entitled "Travel Industry Shaken by Economic Downturn":

• "Cancellations of existing reservations are running about 50 percent above normal at full-service hotels," said Bjorn Hanson, an associate professor at the Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management at New York University.

• "Third-quarter profit fell 28 percent at Marriott International, which is considered an industry bellwether because of its big global presence and its wide range of hotel brands, from midlevel lodgings like Courtyard by Marriott to five-star luxury hotels like Ritz-Carlton."

Eric Fox solemnly observes in his article "Luxury Hotels See Massive RevPAR Declines" INVESTOPEDIA, (November 18, 2008): "InterContinental Hotels which owns the InterContinental, Crowne Plaza and Holiday Inn brands reported pronounced deterioration in business in October. Revenue per available room (RevPAR) in the U.S. fell 5.7% and was down 4.5% globally in October".

Inevitably this signals across the board cutbacks for the hotel sector of the travel industry. If the layoffs are draconian, the guest is all too aware of lapses in service: long waits at the front desk, phones jangling incessantly, tired staff with long faces, under-trained substitutes trying desperately to step up. All of us in the industry have experienced this spirit-crushing scenario.

It presents a classic catch-22 dilemma: How can management reduce staff while preserving morale and without compromising the guest experience? Even if the guest is paying a discounted rate for a room at a four or five-star hotel, they still expect the service to be extraordinary. For my research for this article, I consulted some veteran hotel concierges. They work at the heart of the hotel, networking with all departments to provide service to their guests. They have developed a keen insight into what it takes to provide good service in every kind of circumstance.

The fact that experienced concierges have spent many years in their positions becomes an advantage during an economic downturn. They have been through it before and they are full of good ideas of how to step up to the challenge of saving money by using their creativity to enhance the guest experience of good service. " Impossible" you say? Remember that is not a word in a concierge's vocabulary-they love that kind of test.

My concierge experts offered some tangible techniques to make an immediate impact on the bottom line. They have learned to work with their management to reach revenue goals without shortchanging service. None of the ideas mentioned below are expensive to the hotel but they are creative and fun ideas for the staff and for the guests.

Generate new ideas or recycle some old ones-some cost effective ways to enhance guest experience and create a favorable impression of your hotel.

• Write a newsletter for your guests. Many hotel concierges write weekly or monthly newsletters highlighting their personal recommendations to events and experiences in their locale. One of the best of those is published by the Mark Roberts, Concierge, Sutton Place hotel in Chicago. Request a copy by emailing him at: concierge_chicago@suttonplace.com.

• Record an audio tour of the hotel, particularly an historic property. This idea is so successful at the InterContinental Chicago that it has attracted a great deal of publicity. The tour is offered on an iPod shuffle and they keep 5 on hand at the concierge desk to satisfy demand for the tour.

• Plan some jazzy give-away items for children and dogs. Stickers, crayons, color books, candy and treats for dogs have been known to delight.

• Capitalize on past experience. During the Barack Obama Inauguration in Washington DC, Shujaat Khan, chef concierge of the Capital Hilton, had the idea of having Brooks Brothers open a small temporary boutique in the lobby to answer the demand for formal wear as well as gloves, scarves and other winter wear. It was a win-win situation-Brooks Brothers paid no rent and made money and it was an added service offered by the hotel. I was at the desk on Monday night preceding the balls and saw a late arriving guest who was thrilled to find them there.

Maximize the dollars the guest spends in the hotel by upselling the hotel services and food and beverage outlets at the concierge desk.

• Work with room service to create a small list of items that can be easily sold by the concierges who are so often made aware of those guests celebrating special occasions. The list can include champagne, fruit and cheese plates, chocolates, cookies and milk or other local specialties.

• Spa appointments, shows (as in Las Vegas), ski lift tickets, hotel restaurant tables, and holiday special packages can all be successfully marketed at the concierge desk.

• Attend all pre-convention meetings so that the concierge meets the meeting planners and can suggest to them options for transportation and business office needs that generate income for the hotel. In addition, Jim McCasland, concierge Manager of Hilton San Francisco, advises that the concierge team get involved with the sales and meeting service teams to brainstorm service improvement to conventions, and catering events.

raining and Cross Training

It is often difficult to find the time to spare employees for service training when the hotel is operating at peak capacity. Take advantage of the slow times to accomplish it and share with other departments the expertise of the concierge. Many hotels rotate all front office employees through the concierge desk for at least a day so that they can be trained to respond with finesse to questions about the hotel, directions and become conversant on the services in the immediate neighborhood.

Shorter Hours and Team Spirit

Most concierge teams have some longevity in their positions. They are willing to cooperate with management by taking vacation time when business is slow. In addition, hotel management often asks the staff to reduce to a four-day work week. Todd Nelson, chef concierge, at The Peninsula Hotel in Chicago, negotiates a five-day 6.5 hour/day work week. This gives the desk the flexibility to adjust staffing levels for peak demand. Todd explains, "I like to keep appearances regarding staffing levels appropriate while not short changing service (or each other with a stressful day) ".

Most concierge departments, I have observed over the years value the team concept so much that they prefer to share any diminishment of hours rather than lay off the lowest person on the totem pole. The shared sacrifice builds morale and loyalty as well as developing staff for the future, thus avoiding the revolving door and constant training efforts of many front desks.

Elevate your service level because there are fewer guests and you can spend more time with them.

Guests love it when you are expansive and able to spend quality time with them. Take advantage of it when there are fewer of them. It is a golden opportunity to hone your skills, and develop techniques that you can use when it becomes busy again. In the words of Todd Nelson, chef concierge at The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, "while gratuities are grand, in tough economic times a personal note extolling a fabulous encounter at the concierge desk goes a long way."

• Go the extra step with each guest encounter-add the "Wow" factor. Gary Schneider, concierge, The Peninsula Hotel Chicago, took a call at the desk. The caller, a Mom, wanted to send an amenity to her traveling husband for his birthday. It would be a gift from their children-what would Gary recommend. Gary suggested milk and cookies at turndown and as an added finesse, without missing a beat, asked, "would you like me to write the note in crayons?"

• Have the concierge staff run errands on the way to and from work. In the old days there may have been phalanxes of pages to accomplish these missions and now-a-days there are bell attendants but they are also on reduced hours. It is not difficult for a concierge to accomplish such a simple task. Observe the result in guest reaction in early January, 2009: "I would like to inform you and your staff that I believe the Peninsula is the best hotel in the nation. The service was impeccable. I was given the distinct impression that every guest was treated so personally. The concierge on Friday morning, personally went to the drugstore for me for some medication because I was not feeling well and your gift shop did not carry what I needed. I have never experienced service in all my hotel visits here in the US and around the world. I will return and will continue to recommend Chicago Peninsula to all of my friends and colleagues. Thank you for making my stay memorable and so very comfortable."

There are lessons to be learned in tough economic times. Many writers have extolled the virtues of our grandparents during the Great Depression: thriftiness, shared sacrifice, team spirit, and greater efficiency. Professional concierges, most of them members of Les Clefs d'Or, trace their beginnings to 1929. Is that a coincidence? I think not, there are core values that they have internalized and passed on in their traditions, values and extraordinary commitment to service. Concierges care and they prove their worth on a daily basis.

Marjorie Silverman was in concierge for 25 years and now is a Consultant, Meeting Planner and Lecturer. She was the Chief Concierge of Hotel InterContinental Chicago, and the first female and first American to serve as President of Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hotels, Les Clefs d'Or. Les Clefs d'Or is the international association of concierges, headquartered in Paris, which groups 40 countries under its umbrella. The 3500 members join forces to promote tourism worldwide. She was a founding member of the Chicago Hotel Concierge Association. Ms. Silverman can be contacted at 773-248-7462 or marjoriesilverman@mac.com Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.