An Analysis of the Changing Roles of Hotel Concierges

Abstract

The focus of this research was to analyze how the role of the hotel concierge has changed with regard to the types of services offered and the volume and types of customer requests that concierges in the United States receive. Concierges in selected major cities were surveyed. Concierges felt that guests of today are more savvy and that technology helped them give better information and service. However, they felt that although guests have access to a great deal of information, most guests continue to rely on personal recommendations from concierges. Concierges also have new roles such as monitoring hotel websites or social media sites and are confronted with a great deal of new and changing information. Conclusions stem from the fact that although hotel companies have a great deal of technology available to them, the person service provided by concierges is still preferred by customers. The literature related to the use of concierge services is sparse and therefore, this paper was intended to provide a basis for future investigation. Implications related to maintaining a high level of guest were discussed.