Hotel concierges often spend their days helping guests find their way around town, pick a restaurant for dinner, or get a ticket to a sold-out play. But some have elevated the profession, finding new ways to cater to their A-list clients and deliver exceptional travel experiences. Here, three such concierges—all from some of the world's most elite hotels—share their stories.
Rome wasn't visited in a day
Markus Dobritzhofer is the chief concierge at Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria property. Many guests coming to the Eternal City want to sample great food and visit world-famous sites like the Trevi Fountain, but Dobritzhofer once worked with a guest who had a very specific request. The guest, who was leaving the following day, wanted to go for a swim at Monte Argentario in Tuscany, a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Rome. The water there is known for its beauty, but the distance was an issue; how could he get to Tuscany and back to Rome for his flight—in a day? Dobritzhofer came up with a plan: He booked a helicopter to take the guest to Monte Argentario, giving him an opportunity to swim, then continue on to the airport. The guest made his flight with time to spare—and with an amazing story to tell his friends back home.
Hitting a home run for a special guest
As a concierge at the XV Beacon in Boston, Jonathan Nicholson is regularly tasked with getting sports tickets for guests. One request, though, made Nicholson go above and beyond his usual level of service. "We had a guest who was heading to a Red Sox game, who had a niece who was suffering from a form of leukemia. I discreetly learned that our guest would be at the game during batting practice," Nicholson said. "I called over to the Red Sox offices and asked if there was any possible way to arrange to have one of the players meet our guest near the stands, so the guest could record a video message for his niece. When the guest got back from the game, the concierge was surprised to hear the team arranged a special message on the video board in center field during batting practice. Several players on the team sent a personalized get-well message to the young girl." The XV Beacon was crowned the best hotel in the United States by Condé Nast Traveler readers last year, and with staff like Nicholson on board, it's easy to see why.
Serving those who serve
Beth MacWhirter, a concierge at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City just outside of Washington, D.C., had gotten to know one guest better than most: a military officer who stayed at the hotel just before she was deployed. The officer had sent several courier boxes from the Ritz-Carlton, but they were returned to the hotel by mistake. That's where MacWhirter stepped in. She recognized the officer's name and, while re-packing the boxes to send again, included many only-in-America treats she knew the guest had liked during her stay, plus personal, handwritten notes from staffers thanking the woman for her service to the country. When the packages arrived safely at the officer's base overseas, the officer sent MacWhirter an email saying that the unexpected treats made her "truly feel like she was at home."
Through all of these stories, even though they take place in different cities under different circumstances, one thing is clear: a great concierge can make a guest's incredible experience last well beyond check-out time.