The life of a Concierge – Introducing Paul Fitzsimons
The life of a Concierge is always in motion, we are always learning, always surrounding ourselves with persons of interest to our profession, and feeding ourselves with as much information as we can gather and passing it on to our guests. We know all the ins and outs, the dos and the don’ts and every nook and cranny of our cities.
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We consider it the best job in the hospitality sector and many would agree with us and some maybe would even envy us. This envy may be the fact that we get invited to all the latest shows and events, that newly opened restaurant that’s been in the media for weeks prior, visiting the next big attraction due to open or just because we are able to achieve things that some have deemed impossible, on the other side there’s the invites to the small café opening across the street or that little boutique shop that says they could be of interest to our guests, and this is why we attend no matter how big or small the event is, we attend on behalf of our guests interests, so when asked by them we can recommend accordingly and tailor to their needs.
A little history of the Concierge:
The Concierge profession is hundreds of years old and there is some debate into the actual origins and history of the Concierge with some saying the profession originated along the old Silk Road where exhausted travelers were catered for at stations called caravansary by a person believed to be similar to a Concierge. This ancient Concierge would direct travelers to their next destination and offer the best route to take and the conditions along that route. However we do know that during the Middle Ages between the 5th and 15th centuries, aristocrats had a Concierge or “Compte des Cierges” in their castles to assist them, this term means the “Keeper of the Candles” and an important role at that, the Compte des Cierges would ensure all visiting royals and their aristocracy needs were met.
The term Concierge then derived from Compte des Cierges and transpired later to the meaning “The Keeper of the Keys” another important role in the medieval castles, the Concierge holding the keys to all the rooms and allowing access again to the visiting royalty and dignitaries.
In modern times Concierge are found in the finest hotels around the world and we are the go to guys for all your required needs if it be transport, restaurants, attractions, directions, before, during and after your visit, we are here to assist you in any moral and legally way possible.
If for some reason we cannot assist, we will endear at all costs to find a solution to your needs; we may even call upon one of our Concierge colleagues in another hotel to assist us with the task in hand. We are able to do this through our Society, Les Clefs d’Or or The Golden Keys, I will tell you about this Society in a later article but for now remember when visiting a hotel, look for the Concierge wearing the Golden Keys on the lapels of their uniform, this ensures you are in the good hands of a professional Concierge dedicated to maximizing the potential of your visit.
About the Author
Paul Fitzsimons 20 years working as a Concierge and currently Head Concierge in one of Dublin’s well known hotels, I’m President of Les Clefs d’Or Ireland, a Concierge Society of over 4000 members worldwide approaching 50 countries with origins dating back to 6th Oct 1929, officially the Society was founded on April 25th 1952 with Ireland being one of the founding members. Follow @Paul_LCD
