“Golden keys” that open all doors: What the world concierge organization is capable of. Why virtual concierges can’t beat real ones Closed Concierge Club Golden Keys
Wes Anderson's film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" has been released worldwide. The Golden Keys play a central role in the events presented there.
(Les Clefs d'Or)- a closed international organization of concierges. According to the film, humble concierges are capable of accomplishing the impossible, regardless of borders, wars and powerful enemies. Miloslav Chemodanov found out how much truth there is in this from the concierge of the Moscow Metropol and member of the Golden Keys, Anna Endrikhovskaya.
By the way, The organization recognized Anna as the best young concierge of a five-star hotel in the world for 2013. This title has never before gone to a representative from Russia or Eastern Europe.
Where did they come to us from?
"Golden Keys"
"Golden Keys" were founded in 1929. They were organized by a group of friends - a few years earlier they had all come to Paris from different cities and got a job in hotels: at that time there was a boom in travel. Because of their friendship, the motto of the “Golden Keys” came from - "In Service Through Friendship"(“Service through Friendship”). The organization currently includes about four thousand concierges of the best hotels around the world. It is believed that a five-star hotel must have a concierge from the Golden Keys, it’s like the stars Michelin in restaurants as a sign of quality. In our zone - in Russia and Ukraine - there are forty such concierges. For comparison, in France - about nine hundred, in America - one thousand and a half. In Moscow, in five-star hotels there is no member of society only in The Ritz-Carlton, but they are moving towards this, I hope.
Concierges are akin to some kind of Freemasons, and in order to get into their closed society, you must meet high requirements. The fact that the hotel concierge is a member of the Golden Keys means that you can turn to him with any request. This request can really be anything, with some exceptions. As stated in our code, we do everything that is moral and subject to the laws of ethics.
How to become a member
"Golden Keys"
IN different countries different requirements for concierges who apply to be included in the Golden Keys. We need to work for four years in a four- or five-star hotel, three of them as a concierge. Only after this can your candidacy be considered by the executive committee. Then everything is not easy either: you have to make a presentation explaining what you can bring to Golden Keys. In addition, two current members of the organization must vouch for the candidate. In the end, after difficult exams, the executive committee decides whether to accept you or not.
I was born in Moscow, but due to my father’s work, I did not spend my childhood in Russia. My best friends were receptionists, waiters, maids, hotel cooks and so on. And when I saw hotels in movies, they were always shrouded in magic: in a beautiful light, with luxury cars approaching, from which the characters appear. And hotel employees also often turned out to be key characters in the plot. I myself, from my experience working in hotels, have enough stories to fill a book.
Whatever the relationship between the governments of countries, concierges
from "Golden Keys" Always support each other
After the eleventh grade, I studied at the College of Hospitality in Tsaritsyn, then went to the Plekhanov Academy. But, of course, the best school is working in a hotel itself. In general, if we talk about concierges, then you need to understand that this is a profession for life.
This job is a huge responsibility. Because God forbid you write the time incorrectly, the guest will not be met, he will be late for the deal and lose millions. But there is another side: when I travel, I can go to any five-star hotel, and even if I don’t know their concierge, if he wears the Golden Keys sign, then he is already my friend. I have four thousand such friends around the world. Whatever the relationship between the governments of the countries, the concierges from the Golden Keys always support each other.
When we gather in a large group, about five hundred people, I notice how similar we are: in energy, in attitude to work. You have to love the hotel, love to constantly challenge yourself. The fact is that you never stop working. My mother has already come to terms with the fact that I won’t part with my phone; it’s glued to my hand. Or I came to meet friends at a new bar and ate delicious risotto there. I ate it not like Anya, but like the concierge Anna - and remembered it so that on occasion I could advise the guest if he was interested in such things. And so - in everything: you go somewhere and see that Tverskaya has been blocked, - you immediately call your colleagues so that they do not send anyone along this route.
We have a mobile chat - “Moscow Concierges” - and we write everything there. “Guys, it’s terrible there, don’t send anyone there!” Or vice versa. Or: “If someone needs a contact there, here you go.” We have all known each other for many years.
What are they capable of?
"Golden Keys"
Today I cannot imagine my life without the Golden Keys. Imagine, now a guest comes up or calls - a rich Russian who loves to eat and dress and go to fashionable places, and tomorrow he needs to fly to Paris, where I know nothing. What will I do? I’ll call my friend Sefa at The Ritz in Paris and say: “Mr. no one will tell and from which he will be delighted.” And Sefa will do all this - just as I will help him with the guests he sends to me. "Golden Keys" open doors.
In Russia, I still encounter the fact that people do not know who a concierge is. When people ask me what I do, I answer with pride, and people ask again: “What, you open doors in a hotel?” No, and I’m not the grandmother in the hallway. Do you remember when we ran into each other at the premiere screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel? My colleagues and I were wearing Golden Keys badges. Other spectators, celebrities, before the film started, looked at me and the other concierges like idiots: no one understood who we were. After the show it was a completely different story. Surely, to those who watch “The Grand Budapest Hotel” without knowing the question, the story of the all-powerful Golden Keys society seems far-fetched, but it is completely plausible.
We help to adopt children- let's go together
with guests this entire procedure. And when
they leave, you practically cry, worrying how they will cope there without you
Before filming, Wes Anderson went to Prague and met with our Czech colleague Petr, and he explained to him how our organization works. So that you understand the scale: we had a congress in London. I arrive there and get into a taxi. On the very first page of Time there is a greeting to the concierges gathered for the congress. The hotel announces that the ceremony will take place in the night Tower. There we have members of the royal family giving a thank you speech because we help solve the problems of about a million guests a year. We don't do anything! Here, a colleague of mine, at the request of a foreign guest, looked for a mass grave in Russia for a relative who died during World War II, and found it.
We help to adopt children - we go through this entire procedure together with our guests. And you not only help them sort out the documents. I taught the guest the basics of the Russian language so that she understood what her daughter would say when her stomach hurt or she wanted ice cream - in a variety of situations. I taught this girl words in English language so that they can somehow establish communication. And when they leave, you practically cry, worrying how they will cope there without you. And similar stories happen all the time. You never know who you will meet today and what you will have to do for him.
About changes for the better
Two main qualities to work as a concierge: you have to love your city and love the people.
When I was younger, before Golden Keys, I remember it was hard for me to react to emotional guests. Every second guest shouted at me. After all, as a rule, people living in a hotel pay money for it - as a result, they believe that they are owed everything. And they shouted at me, accused me of everything, threatened to fire me, and all for nothing: they could have done this just by passing by. This doesn’t happen now, but before it happened at every step.
About Russian guests
Most of my foreign colleagues are now learning Russian. The fact is that many wealthy travelers from Russia grew up at a time when it was not customary to seriously study foreign languages, and now it is not easy for concierges to understand them. It happens that they call us: “There is a Russian guest in front of me now, please explain what he wants.” In general, Russians are one of the most beloved guests abroad. They are described to me as people who are often interested in non-trivial, secret places, are drawn to art.
Or here’s another thing: we have one Russian guest with whom we have been working for a very long time. What we didn’t do for him! At the same time, he often doesn’t even live in the hotel - he simply comes from old memory, knowing that we will always help out. That’s fine, on the one hand, but here’s an amazing incident: he asks to somehow help him in Paris. We call our friend from Intercontinental there, he will organize everything, and just in case I warn him, they say, Philip, this is a strange situation: forgive me if he offends you. And he surprised me: “Yes, everything is fine, he left me a good tip.” And so you sit in bewilderment: why do people behave completely differently among us and them? Russian guests do not consider it necessary to leave a tip here.
Once my colleague was asked to urgently buy sporty Hyundai red, it was at night. The only thing she asked: “With or without a bow?”
I had strange case. A very rich Russian guest bet with other rich Russians which of them would find the best moonshine in the world. Each of them, of course, harnessed his own concierge or assistant. I called out to my contacts. In reply different people they bring me to the same grandfather, who lives one hundred and seventy kilometers from Kyiv and makes some simply legendary moonshine. I called the guest: it looks like I found it. And he told me: “Just don’t forget the best bottle.” This means that she should have such and such bubbles, such and such a chip, and she should be about sixty years old. As a result, I find such a bottle at a flea market that runs on Saturdays in Odessa. And one of my colleagues buys a bottle and delivers it to Kiev, another colleague goes and fills this bottle from that grandfather and returns to Kiev, after which the moonshine is sent to me in Moscow by ten o’clock train, and I send it to the guest, sit and wait. And yes - it is unknown how they measured the quality of moonshine, but we won!
How much I work with rich people, I keep thinking: if tomorrow a suitcase with money falls on me, will I also become like that? Guests come up to you with the words: “Look for gifts for New Year my wife and son, who love this and that, and they have everything, and I’m also going to a wedding tomorrow - I also need a gift, here’s money for you,” and the time is eleven in the evening, Friday. And everything works out again thanks to friendship: boutiques open in the middle of the night specifically so that we can fulfill these requests.
Once my colleague was asked to urgently buy a sports red Hyundai, it also happened at night. The only thing she asked after receiving the documents and credit card was: “With or without a bow?”
Photos: Mikhail Goldenkov
In 1929, the Association des Concierges d’Hôtels “Les Clefs d’Or” was created in Paris, and to this day the most hardworking and attentive concierges are awarded a real golden key. “Golden Keys” is a symbol of not only high-quality service, but also responsibility: to become a member of the association, a concierge must work at the hotel for at least two years, then submit an application, which will be considered without fail. Further, the concierge’s work will be carried out under the close supervision of a representative of the association for another three years, and then, in case of successful completion of the “probationary period”, the concierge will be able to receive the highest award.
Concierges with “Golden Keys” are always one of the leading members of the hotel team, the main organizers, advisers and ideological inspirers. Always prudent, very diplomatic, they are open to the world and people and carry a piece of the hotel’s soul. And most importantly, they never forget to smile at everyone.
The concierge acts as a trusted person and communicates very closely with the guest. The concierge knows every street and corner of his city better than anyone. He is an experienced psychologist, can instantly determine the client’s personality type and knows how to exactly satisfy his needs.
The Plaza Athenee in Paris employs a team of 12 people, all 12 are Golden Key holders. “If you count all the luggage that guests bring with them in a year, it will amount to one fifth of the weight Eiffel Tower! Our concierges are not afraid of any job, and our guests appreciate this,” proudly notes Jérôme Poret, Chief Concierge at Plaza Athenee. Receptionists not only carry more than 1,560 tons of luggage per year, but also deliver important packages and find gifts around the world at the request of clients. When they arrive at the hotel royal families, it happens that not only the receptionist, but also the concierges unload literally entire trucks.
Guest's best friend
“Most often, guests come to us with tourism questions: they ask about excursions, restaurants, etc.,” says Roger Bastoni, chief concierge of Cannes’ Majestic Barriere. – Requests are very different: guests come to me for a newspaper or a postage stamp, and a couple of minutes later they may ask me to order tickets to the World Cup or a concert of a popular star. They may ask about the possibility of renting a private jet or luxury yacht. I’m no longer surprised by anything.”
“All our guests benefit from our concierge service,” says Laurent Coppi, Chief Concierge at Le Royal Monceau Raffles Paris. “Particularly often, regular hotel visitors, or those who came to Paris for the first time, or married couples who came on vacation with children, ask for help.”
The most common requests are a private limousine for trips around the city, tickets to a theater or a concert. Upon request, the concierge will find you a temporary nanny, get you a charger for your smartphone, rare perfume or a rare record - you can make any request, the concierges themselves encourage you to do this.
The concierge service at Le Royal Monceau has a separate service – art concierge services. Professionals will not only advise which exhibition to visit or which museum is best to go to with children, but will also arrange a tour showing the hotel’s own exhibits (more than 350 works of art), organize a private tour of the Louvre at night, or take you to art studios that are closed to the public.
For guests of Le Royal Monceau who occupy the most luxurious rooms (for example, one of the three presidential suites with an area of 350 m2), the service of a personal butler is popular. The service allows them to use the best services palace hotel, combining this with the privacy and comfort of a private residence.
The question quite logically arises: what are the advantages of hotel concierges over international concierge services? Both promise to fulfill your every whim, but the former act locally, the latter – globally. The set of services is the same, and often these services jointly solve certain problems. However, if you are lucky enough to stay at a palace hotel, the level of service and the degree of personalization will still be higher: after all, hotel concierges act faster, since they know local features and partners better. Additionally, if you are a regular hotel guest, they are aware of your personal habits, likes and dislikes, and the relationship with them is more personal. Raffles Hotels & Resorts came up with a definition for their services: emotional luxury. “A hotel concierge is a very customized service; we treat every guest with care and do everything to ensure that clients return to our hotel again and again,” says Roger Bastoni.
Louis Vuitton, macarons and tiger cubs in the bedroom
The work of concierges can hardly be called calm and measured. But, they assure, the more complex and non-trivial the problem, the more interesting it is to solve. Any of them has a dozen favorite success stories.
“From July 12 to 16, 1998, as I remember now, at the very last moment I was asked to buy 8 tickets for the France-Brazil match of the World Cup in Paris, 8 seats for the performance of famous opera tenors, 8 tickets for the closing ceremony of the Tour de France “and the most difficult part was 8 rooms in a luxury hotel in Paris,” recalls Roger Bastogne. – Added to this list was the guest’s desire to celebrate his birthday in a medieval style, so that there would be horses at the celebration. Of course, it was troublesome, but everything was ready on time!”
“The most unusual thing I can say is the desire of one client, who wanted a famous group to perform in his suite and perform a couple of songs,” says Jerome. “And last year, one of the guests asked to deliver two tiger cubs to the suite for his little daughter’s birthday, so that she would remember this holiday for the rest of her life. As they say, nothing is impossible, and our concierge was able to accommodate such an unusual request.”
Curiosities also happen. A Brazilian guest staying at the Plaza Athenee on Sunday morning asked the concierge which restaurant his family could try white truffles at. The concierge, a young Italian, answered him with a broad smile: “You know, monsieur, the best truffles can only be tasted in Italy. I know a wonderful restaurant in the city of Alba,” he was clearly very pleased with the joke. A few minutes later, a gentleman from Brazil approached the concierge and asked if he could charter a private jet from Le Bourget to fly to Italy and have breakfast in the city of Alba. The concierge fulfilled his request. The family was taken by limousine to the airport, where they boarded a plane to fly to Italy. By 6 p.m., the Brazilian and his family were back at Plaza Athenee looking very happy.
Some time ago, a guest of Le Royal Monceau came to Paris to celebrate her birthday. “Knowing that she is a big fan of our pâtissier Pierre Hermé (“the Picasso of the baking world,” according to Vogue. – Ed.), her husband and I organized a completely unique celebration for her: she met Hermé himself, and he presented her with a macaron cake created especially for her, taking into account her taste preferences. This recipe has taken its place in Ermé’s collection, and a guest can order a box of “her” cakes at any time,” recalls Laurent. He also tells another, rather dramatic story with a good ending: a young man flew to Paris from the USA to propose to his beloved in the most romantic city in the world. He planned everything in great detail (it took months) - and on the night of the great event he realized with horror that he had forgotten the most important thing at home: his wedding ring. The concierge managed to convince the Louis Vuitton flagship store to open after hours especially for this guest so that he could buy a decent replacement ring. So he was able to carry out his plan for that night, and the girl, by the way, said “yes.”
French magicians
The first mentions of concierges date back to the 12th century: this was the name given to the people who kept the candles burning in the castle. Then they began to be trusted with the keys to the entire castle, that is, in essence, the concierge was responsible for the well-being of all its inhabitants.
It was in France, with its traditions of hospitality and love for luxury, that hotel concierge service in its modern sense was born. It was born and quickly became an integral part of the charm of the best French hotels, a kind of attraction, or rather the key to all other attractions.
Concierges are the soul and heart of any luxury hotel. They are the first people you meet in the lobby, they know the city like the back of their hand, are always ready to give valuable advice and will help you feel at home in the city - even if you are here for the first time.
Historically, a concierge is “the keeper of the keys in the castle.” In the Middle Ages, he dealt with the guests of the feudal lord. At the end of the 19th century, when the Hospitality Industry began to develop, enterprising young people appeared in many Parisian hotels, who rented a small area and dealt with the requests of guests. Over time, international hotel chains developed their own “concierge” position, which made it possible to monitor the quality of service and bring additional income to the hotel.
In 1929, the concierges of five grand hotels in Paris created a professional association with the goal of exchanging experiences, gaining new knowledge and simply helping each other. It was called Les clefs d'or, or the Golden Keys.
HM: Pavel, when did concierges appear in Russia?
P.N.: The first Western chains came to Russia around 1991. In 1998, the head of the receptionist (concierge) service at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel, Evgeny Bagdasarov, began creating the Russian Concierge Association. Legally, the organization was registered in January 2000, and a year later at the World Concierge Congress in Athens we received our international status. In general, this is a very large organization with a complex hierarchy, covering 40 countries and more than 5 thousand members.
HM: Is there a difference between concierges in Russia and abroad?
P.N.: If in Europe the average age of a concierge is 30–35 years, then in Russia it is 23–25. And, as you understand, a person at 30 years old, not to mention 50, has a completely different life experience. There is a lot of routine in our work, but even ordinary situations have their own nuances. And here we need a person with experience. So, you call the theater box office: “Are there tickets?” They answer, “Yes.” You agree that the courier will come for them in 40 minutes - he arrives, but there are no tickets. "Who were you talking to?" - “With Marivanna” - “We don’t have one like that!” A good concierge will eventually have tickets, one way or another.
HM: Are you establishing partnerships with the same theaters?
P.N.: Naturally. Although it is more difficult with theaters in our specific Russian situation, because there are a lot of people there with the Soviet mentality. If you call and introduce yourself as a person from the Central Internal Affairs Directorate, a major general or So-and-so’s adjutant, they immediately react differently. When you call from a hotel, they often perceive you as “some guy”; they are not interested. This is psychology. In the West, a completely clear business model has been built: a person sells and receives his bonus.
HM: How did you become a concierge?
P.N.: I am a land cadastre engineer by training. But it so happened that at the age of 15 I ended up in a hotel - I cleaned rooms, worked as a waiter and in the reception service. In 2000, I was hired as a concierge at the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel - completely by accident, I had no idea what it was. The first six months were terribly stressful - an unimaginable amount of information, difficult situations... Fortunately, my hair was not dark, otherwise the gray hair would have appeared!
HM: What was the worst thing?
P.N.: When you have 6 telephone lines, 4 of them call almost simultaneously, there is also a huge stack of faxes that need to be answered before the end of the shift, and a line like at McDonald’s - you need to explain to the guest how to get to the Kremlin in one and a half to two minutes, where to have dinner, how to get back, and even do it in such a way that he doesn’t get the feeling that they want to get rid of him.
HM: How did your career develop further, what important experiences did you gain?
P.N.: When I worked in the American Express concierge service, it was very interesting to create everything from scratch, make bases, prescribe procedures, collect contacts, understand how to manage orders from clients you don’t see. In a hotel, you can visually “scan” the guest to understand what to offer him. After all, there are a lot of Italian restaurants in Moscow, but each guest has his own expectations - and it is important to guess them. How can you tell over the phone what kind of person he is and what he needs? It was interesting. I also gained important experience as a business manager for a wealthy person—whatever I did! Then I returned to the profession - I joined the concierge team " Swissotel Reds Hills."
In my understanding, a concierge is a component of the person himself, that is, certain mental or human characteristics. It is not enough to know by heart all Moscow restaurants, descriptions of all museums, paintings, or remember all the alleys and streets of Moscow. If you start seriously testing me, I probably won’t pass the exam on these topics - but I don’t need to remember all the paintings of the Tretyakov Gallery or the menu of the Pushkin restaurant. My task is to find any information as soon as possible. And I will find everything that is legal, moral and ethical.
HM: What tools do you use for this? How long does it take to process one request?
P.N.: We use the Internet and telephone. I have about 2.5 thousand people in my contact list - these are acquaintances from completely different fields. Some requests take 30 seconds to process, others take several weeks. At one time we were looking for an antique book for one of the Iranian Shahs. It was a rather labor-intensive and complex process - we persistently called second-hand bookstores.
HM: What other unusual requests do you get?
P.N.: In the summer I delayed the flight of the plane. My guest entered the airport 5 minutes before departure... and flew away. I don't know how I did it. We say that a concierge without luck is not a concierge. In that particular situation, chance helped, the stars aligned that way. The help of a colleague from another hotel played an important role in resolving the situation. The airline employee doesn’t care why a person is late, he receives 10 thousand such calls a day - he answers with memorized phrases. And here information heard somewhere, intuition, knowledge of psychology comes to the rescue: somewhere you need to sympathize, somewhere to put a little pressure, somewhere to ask, somewhere to cry...
Or another situation. A man comes up and says that in 10 minutes he needs a car. But during rush hour you won't get a car in such a short period of time! Here I act in different ways: I call transport companies, persuade the dispatcher to announce on the radio - suddenly someone is nearby, or I contact familiar drivers. Any issue can be resolved if there is time and money. The concierge is not God, of course. But again, a flight to the moon is theoretically possible. The only question is when and how much it will cost.
Recently, our regular guests came up to me and said that they were going to Barcelona and they needed tickets for the Barcelona - Real Madrid match - and the best ones! But there are no tickets anywhere, I looked all over Barcelona. I finally called a colleague, he promised to get tickets to the box located next to the presidents. The guests were stunned by the price, although before they said that it was not important to them! Is this a resolved situation or an unresolved one?
HM: Were there any funny incidents?
P.N.: One day a guest came up to me, put his suitcase near the counter and left, saying that he would come soon. Another one immediately comes up and puts two more suitcases next to each other - apparently, they are together. While I was busy, the latter orders a taxi, takes all the suitcases, confirming to my colleague that they belong to him, and leaves. After 10 minutes the first gentleman returns and asks for his luggage. I had to say that we put it in the storage room. We had a little time left - we very delicately, without making a fuss, demanded the suitcases back and received them after agreeing with a taxi. Everything ended well, the guest never found out that his luggage had been traveling somewhere for half an hour.
HM: What requirements must a candidate meet for the position of concierge?
P.N.: Each hotel has its own. I prefer it to be guys and not girls - after all, you have to stand on your feet for 8-10 hours and carry suitcases. Although, on the other hand, a girl will quickly “talk” an angry guest and smile at him, ladies in general are often more tactful and attentive. So, only girls work at the Marriott Royal Aurora, but they sit and do not stand, like we do at Swissotel. There are no age restrictions, but in principle I would not hire a concierge under 22–23 years old, because life experience is very important here. Basic knowledge of psychology is also required. This is a person with well-developed intuition, inquisitive, and all knowledge must be sorted into shelves. Knowledge of languages is required. If you call, for example, Paris and start a conversation in English, the result will be the same, but if you speak at least a couple of phrases in French, the result will be different. I can at least explain myself in Spanish, Italian, French.
HM: How many people should work in the service?
P.N.: It all depends on the hotel, on the financial situation and how management sees this position. At first we had 3, now there are 4. I know hotels that have 18 of them, but this is not in Russia. HM: How is this profession perceived here? P.N.: Many people don’t even know what it is. Well, theater tickets, taxis, guides... But here everything is so multifaceted! You need to follow discoveries, know trending places - keep your finger on the pulse all the time!
Navigate in almost all areas of life. There was a famous concierge, Jean-Claude Ilger, who retired about a year or two ago. So Jean-Claude worked at the Plaza Athenee hotel in Paris for about 50 years. He started as a messenger at the age of 14. The whole of Paris knew him literally. When he walked out of the hotel in his chic red and gold tailcoat to do something for a guest personally, all the directors of the boutiques on Avenue Montaigne came up and shook his hand. He's a legend!
HM: What in Russia can attract young people to take this position?
P.N.: Now there is already interest. Higher educational establishments, who train personnel for the hospitality industry, little by little began to train concierges. There are already guys who are asking to join this service. What attracts me is the constant drive and, in a sense, the opportunity to create every day. A good concierge, as a rule, does not leave the profession. I worked in an office, had the title of “executive director,” but I quickly got bored with it.
HM: So the staff turnover is low?
P.N.: Yes and no. It all depends on the hotel, on the specific person. In Russia, after the revolution, caste and continuity disappeared altogether; now everyone wants to be a boss and drive a car with a driver, hence the constant search for some new horizons. But if concierges change every three months, what good are they? During this time, a person can only master the very basics. I often remember the general director of the Baltschug Kempinski Hotel, Hans Siebest. He was very emotional, sometimes eccentric, and demanded a lot. And for him, the concierge has always been the main person in the hotel. He said: “I don’t care how much you earn in tips, but if I hear a complaint from guests that it’s too expensive, that they are poorly served, that they don’t smile at them, I’ll ask you!” Swissotel General Manager Jan Chovanec is more of a teacher, a mentor. I have never heard him raise his voice to anyone, but he explains and tells a lot. We generally have a very friendly team.
HM: For a good tip, can you take on a request that concerns your ethical principles?
P.N.: There were several such situations, but for me the name is more important than the money. Of course, I don’t know what I would have done if they had offered me 10 million dollars - maybe I would have taken it and disappeared! (Laughs). But in general, reputation is much more valuable. HM: Do restaurants pay any commission for cooperation? P.N.: They offer almost everything. Personally, I don’t think this is correct: the guest should be advised what he wants.
HM: How can you improve in your profession in order to achieve success?
P.N.: Self-education is a non-stop process. The concierge must periodically go to exhibitions, theaters, restaurants, entertainment centers. You need to study a variety of directions and aspects of life - modern art, impressionism, icon painting, fashion trends; know why sometimes a business class ticket can cost less than an economy class ticket, etc. In general, constantly invest in yourself and your education.
HM: Are there special trainings?
P.N.: The Moscow concierges and I get together about once or twice a month and visit some new place. Recently, the chef of the Swissotel Red Hills, Jean-Michel Hardouin-Atlan, told us about gastronomic restaurants - many things were a revelation. Periodically we meet with service providers. For example, there was training on servicing VIP lounges at airports, conducted by the Senator company. All this helps in work.
HM: Has anything changed since you became president of the association?
P.N.: There is more work and more worries. The more I delve into everything, the more I learn new things about the association itself - now as a leader who directly communicates with colleagues of the same level.
HM: How can you get into the professional community?
HM: Can we say that golden keys are a kind of sign of quality?
P.N.: Keys are certainly a sign of quality. A guest who approaches the concierge, who has the keys on the lapel of his jacket, can be sure that in front of him is a person with experience and a certain amount of knowledge, which means that he will make every effort to resolve the issue.
HM: How often do large-scale meetings of professionals take place?
P.N.: All-Russian - twice a year. International Congress – once a year. At the congress you can gain invaluable experience, which is especially important for young people. There professional trainings are held on service, psychology, sales, the concierge gets to know another country and expands his horizons. I wrote letters of support to the directors of many hotels so that they would cover the costs associated with the trip of young colleagues. Some people think that we just relax there, go to restaurants and excursions - where is the profit here? But this is all part of our job. We sell emotions! Any five-star hotel has almost the same beds, walls, showers...
But people come to your hotel because they feel comfortable. So, is it still worth investing money in your employees?! How to calculate the profit that a maid will bring if she knows that the client does not like fluffed pillows? What if the concierge, remembering all the guest’s preferences, organizes everything even before he was asked to do so? Yes, concierges go to restaurants and parties - communicate, learn new things! Boring trainings only discourage you from learning.
HM: What positive changes would you like to see in the profession?
P.N.: The profession in our market is still very young. You can count the number of professionals in Moscow on one hand. Not all of them are members of the Association, believing that everything is fine with them. But we offer not only access to certain resources in the form of concierges from other countries, but also development, new knowledge, and ready-made solutions. All this is very important. Our Association has a future, young people come who want to study and work. We need support from hotel management and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. All over the world, officials understand that tourists mean money. But for some reason no one needs tourists in Moscow. A lot of things need to be changed, take for example the situation with taxis and inscriptions with Latin letters In the underground. I hope that in 10 years the picture will be completely different.
Anna Endrikhovskaya knows everything about hospitality - she is the concierge of the world famous Golden Keys association. This means that Anna is a bit of a magician: she can solve any problem, find the rarest things, organize an excursion anywhere and get an invitation to any private event. Over the ten years that Anna Endrikhovskaya has been working in best hotels Moscow, its guests were many famous people: from Hollywood directors to frontmen of the most popular bands in the world.
The editors of PRTBRT asked Anna about the peculiarities of her profession, the most difficult guests and what the “Best Young Concierge in the World” award gave her.
How did you start working with Golden Keys?
After receiving my specialized education, I worked for two years as a butler at the Aurora Hotel. It was a difficult period: a lot of work, including night shifts. I learned about the organization “Golden Keys” (Les Clefs d’Or) while studying at Tsaritsyno College. It was as if a whole world had opened up for me! In order to join the association, you must work for five years at a hotel, three of which as a concierge. Then you submit an application and they begin to consider you as a candidate. You go through many stages: exams, essays, mysterious tests, and so on. You are also doing a project that should somehow show why you need the “Keys” and, conversely, what you can give to the “Keys”. And then the executive committee makes a decision. I was taken to "Keys" and immediately nominated for international award"Best Young Concierge" I went to London, but didn’t win because I lost my voice on the day of the presentation. Even though I didn’t win, it still gave me wings, and I began to even more actively popularize this profession in Russia.
Due to the rules, you can only participate in such a competition once in your life. A year later, the president of our association wrote a huge and very touching letter to Golden Keys, where he said that “gentlemen, I am absolutely sure that you should give Anna a second chance, because then something played a cruel joke, but I never I met such a young concierge.” And I again took part in this competition. But this time I was much calmer. When I was flying to New Zealand, I was sure that the trip itself was already a reward. And when I met all the other participants, I was simply stunned by their coolness. I was sure that the concierge from either the Netherlands or Australia would win. But in the end I won. By the way, this is the first international hospitality award that went to Russia - it was, of course, a big deal.
Reference: The Concierge Association “Golden Keys” (Association des Concierges d’Hôtels “Les Clefs d’Or”) is a world-famous organization that includes about four thousand concierges around the world. Five-star hotels are very happy to have such a concierge on their staff - this not only makes the hotel more prestigious, but also raises the level of service for guests. You can contact the Golden Keys concierges with almost any request - the main thing is that it does not go beyond the boundaries of morality and ethics. The Golden Keys Association is surrounded by an aura of romance and mystery, which is reflected in many films and books. She gained particular fame after Wes Anderson's film The Grand Budapest Hotel. It is almost impossible to study to become a Golden Keys concierge - there is no such specialized education in the world. In addition to education in the field of hospitality, the Golden Keys concierge must have an excellent understanding of many areas, from gastronomy and fashion to the history of his city.
What has changed since you won this award?
I got a lot of subscribers, everyone started reading my hotel stories. I remember how Andrei Korystov and I ( president of the association. - Approx. ed.) gave an interview on one radio. Everything was very cool, for the first 40 minutes we told some stories, and for the remaining 40 minutes people called and asked questions. I remembered one question very well: “Hello, it was very pleasant to listen to your stories, very interesting, but tell me, does it bother you that you are a service person, a servant?” To which I asked: “Excuse me, but what is your profession?” He: “I’m an engineer.” I say: “Well, great, imagine, no one will know about you from those who come to our city. And the way I answer them, the way I smile at them, the English I speak to them, the place I send them, the thing I recommend to them - they will take it back and tell all their friends. Therefore, perhaps I am the face of the whole country.”
When I went to work at Aurora, I told my father about my choice: “Oh, you will work at Aurora. I have meetings there all the time, are you going to serve us there?” And now he is proud of me. And he’s not just proud. My younger sister entered hospitality, and he took her hand: this is where you go. I experienced many misunderstandings with society, with the city, with my parents. But it was all worth it. Now I'm exactly where I need to be.
Posted by @mosshotel.moscow May 4, 2017 at 9:15 PDT
What qualities help you, as a person with a Russian mentality, in your work, and which, on the contrary, hinder you?
Russian ingenuity helps, because I won a lot of hearts of guests after they ran up to me at the last minute and said: “Ah-ah, my dress was torn.” I attached it with tape, glue, something else. Nowhere except Russia have I seen such quick intelligence when they tell you: “I need it right now.”
What’s hard is that in Russia the answer “no” is perceived completely differently. We are all reliable. That is, Europeans, if they cannot do something, can calmly say so. They have an objective reason for this: the place is closed, something else. It doesn't work for us. People are not ready to hear “no”, and you follow the lead of these people - you are still trying to arrange something. Do the impossible.What do you think made you a professional? Maybe working with some difficult guest?
Every story had an impact on me. But the biggest impact, of course, was the mistakes. And the funny thing is that it is easiest to make mistakes in very simple matters. For example, in the morning you were able to quickly not only find the latest model of a Chanel backpack in Dubai, for example, for a famous politician, but also think through all the logistics. But the next guest came up to you to order a transfer, and due to overload, for some reason you wrote “Domodedovo” instead of “Sheremetyevo”. And the way you save the situation at such a moment is professionalism - you begin to count every second and manage to make the right decision and save everyone.
Posted by ANNA ENDRIHOVSKAIA (@aendrihovskaia) Jul 19, 2016 at 1:03 PDT
What very difficult request did you receive?
I was asked to get tickets to a Roger Waters concert in a year and a half. I tried to explain that the concert would be in a year and a half and that for the next year I could just relax. And the guest said: “Now I need you to buy out the entire VIP sector. Now". It was impossible to do - I tried all the options. And so, when I had already buried all hopes, my dad called me and asked: “Why are you so upset?” Me: “Dad, can you imagine, I don’t know what to do.” He’s like: “Well, well, Misha is my deputy at Olympic.” And that’s it, we bought the entire sector for some incredible money, the guest himself was surprised that we did it. In general, magic often happens in the work of a concierge. It could easily happen that a person will come to you and say: I need a bottle of selective perfume like this, I’ve already looked everywhere and haven’t found anything. You have 24 hours, and you start digging around the whole world, writing and calling all your colleagues. And that’s it, you already think that you won’t be able to do anything, but suddenly at the very last moment everything happens, and you’re just thinking about how you can manage to deliver everything to the address in those three hours. And then you find people who are ready to help. This is incredible!
Are there any things that terribly irritate you in hotels?
I hate modern hotels that have transparent bathrooms and toilets. I worked at Intercontinental, and this was one of the factors why I didn’t like it there - simply because I was ashamed in front of the guests that we had such toilets.
I also really don’t like it when in five-star hotels the staff often behave in a creepy manner. Over the course of my career, I have met various guests, especially during the well-fed years in Russia. But I never allowed them to communicate with me in a derogatory manner. This is what later helped me - I still work and are friends with many of them, we have known each other for ten years. Although the first acquaintance could be very abrupt.
Do you have many problems with guests? Is it often difficult with them?
What can I say? Many guests have truly difficult lives, and they can be understood and forgiven. I was very much influenced by the story of the drummer of a very famous foreign rock band. I worked with them a lot, and the vocalist was the most difficult guest in my life. But the drummer was the nicest and calmest, he sat in the lobby all the time, drank black coffee (they lived in our hotel for a whole month) and didn’t really go out unless necessary. And one day he comes running to me and says: “They refused me coffee, they said they couldn’t bring it to me in a thermos.” For some reason this was the only way he drank coffee. I go there and ask what happened. Me: “Well, we told him that this was a room service order, we don’t have such coffee in our bar. This coffee is available in room service, but for such an order the wait is at least 20 minutes according to standards.” I look at this man: “What happened to you, what fly bit you?” I go back to this drummer, start apologizing, and he almost cries: “Lord, do you really think that I want to sit in this lobby and drink this terrible coffee? Yes, I just can’t go outside. As soon as I take a step out of the hotel, they attack me, they all want something from me: to take a photo, an autograph, so that I give away my T-shirt or something else. I can't do it anymore, you know? I want to walk around the city without anyone bothering me, but I can’t leave this fucking hotel.” And I realized how difficult it all is. She almost burst into tears herself.
Posted by ANNA ENDRIHOVSKAIA (@aendrihovskaia) May 18, 2017 at 6:54 PDT
Tell me, do foreigners often ask you difficult questions? About politics, about life in Russia?
I always speak honestly on these topics. But I always remind guests that this is just my opinion. It is very important for me to separate where I speak as a professional and where as a simple person who expresses his opinion. My guests always understand and appreciate this.
Tell me, where do you work now?
We are an experience agency. We are the ones who welcome very important guests. We carefully prepare for everyone and create special programs. It’s very interesting for us ourselves, because thanks to this I can talk about a lot of interesting things. For example, I recently learned all about Freemasonry and black magic. We met the founder of the project, Olya, when she was the host and producer of the opening of Garage. She was responsible for this entire event. And she attracted me as a concierge. Therefore, all their VIP guests called me around the clock for a month, and I organized everything for them.
It was a very difficult job: guests ranged from Peter Jackson to directors best museums peace and close friends of Abramovich. It was a difficult experience, I didn't sleep at all. But we worked very well and it was then that Olya and I became friends. Nargiza comes from big business - she worked for Rostelecom, concluded agreements between countries on technical communications. She was very tired of a demanding corporate job, despite the fact that she had a cool life with travel and endless business trips. But she knew what she wanted to do next, and when she met Olya and me, she realized that these two talents - one of the best producers and the best concierge - needed to be combined. And she, as a person who has financial knowledge and so on, was able to organize everything.
Are you thinking about developing further? Leave your job at the hotel and, for example, do events?
The girls would love this, but I'm not ready to give up hotels just yet. I still have so many plans! You see, before I won the award in New Zealand, I wanted to leave the country. I considered several cities for myself, even selected hotels, and contacted colleagues. I chose between Berlin, London, Paris and Amsterdam. But when I won the award, I realized that now I simply couldn’t leave. My conscience won't let me do this! Well, what kind of winner am I if I just take and use this award only to get a better job in Europe? I understood that I had to leave something here in Russia. Do something cool right here. That’s how it all turned out, I’m glad that I’m working here and now in Moscow.
Unlike foreign tourists who regularly use hotel concierge services, many Russian travelers are just beginning to discover the benefits of this service. Who is a concierge and why do guests and, importantly, hotel management value him?
In short, the main task of concierges is to provide guests with everything necessary for a comfortable stay at a hotel during a business or tourist trip. At the same time, their range of responsibilities is much wider than that of reception staff or service personnel.
Responsibilities of the concierge: instant answers to any questions
It is generally accepted that the birthplace of the position was France; the word concierge itself comes from the French concept Comte Des Cierges - “candle holder”. Indeed, the first and only duty of these people was to ensure that all the candles in the castle were constantly burning, but with the invention of electricity and the advent of other conveniences, the profession itself changed.
"Concierge of the Future" on a French postcard from 1910
As a rule, the following issues are within the competence of a modern concierge service employee:
- Providing guests with complete information about hotel services
- Providing background information about the city, events, historical and cultural attractions, entertainment venues
- Order, purchase and delivery of tickets to theaters, cinema, concert halls and to city events
- Booking tables in city restaurants
- Booking and delivery of air and train tickets
- Ordering excursions and organizing entertainment program for guests
- Handling incoming correspondence, delivering letters and faxes
- Carrying out personal errands for guests (delivering documents, taking care of pets, parking cars and much more)
In large hotels, the concierge can also manage service personnel: couriers, maids, doormen. In this case, he does not perform all the above responsibilities independently, but supervises the work of others, but, nevertheless, bears full responsibility for their actions.
The concierge service guarantees guests 24/7 access to information of interest
In other words, a concierge is a link between a guest and line employees, a person who can be contacted at any time of the day for operational information or assistance. Often such a specialist actually becomes the “face” of the hotel, and his work directly affects its status.
Beyond the instructions or how to recognize a professional
Regular guests of hotels where a concierge service operates are well aware: a true professional is not someone who only flawlessly fulfills every point of the job description, but who knows how and tries to do something more for guests.
Professional concierge:
- I personally know regular guests
- Knows their dates of birth and other important dates
- Get to know their tastes and preferences
- Always polite and helpful
- Sincerely ready to provide a service to the guest
At the same time, it would be a mistake to call the concierge a “servant” - good specialists are always distinguished by a sense of self-esteem, which allows them to remain almost on an equal footing even with high-ranking guests.
“Gold” standards
Another sign of a true professional will be a small golden key - it can be seen on the lapel of a uniform jacket. This is a symbol of prestigious international organization called Les Clefs d’Or - “Golden Keys” (French).
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. November 16, 1999— founding meeting of the national section of the RPO “Golden Keys of Concierges”; . year 2001— at the congress in Athens, the RPO “Golden Keys of Concierges” was given the official status of the Russian branch of the International Union of Concierges. The President of the regional branch of "Les Clefs d'Or" Russia is Pavel Nikolaev(pictured) - chief concierge of the Baltschug Kempinski Moscow hotel. |
The choice of symbolism is not accidental - after all, the concierge is truly able to “open any door” and help the guest solve the most difficult issues. Key holders are employees who have worked as concierges for more than four years, have significant achievements in this area and support from existing members of the organization. Today, the regional branch of "Klyuchey" has almost 40 participants - employees of prestigious hotels in Russia and the former CIS countries.
Concierge services of other hotels also strive to meet international standards, regularly improving the level of qualifications of specialists. And on the VHOTEL reservation service website, guests will be able to view accommodation options where concierge service is available and book the hotel they like.
