Talk:Concierge/Archives/2012

Link Spamming

 * In a moment of bold editing, I removed what seemed to be blatant advertising for various concierge companies. I left in the link to the trade association - as it is non-profit and serves the industry. But given the history of edits, there appears to be a fair bit of "advertising" being added and removed.
 * If someone feels strongly, then create a List of famous concierges page. AMe 21:44, 24 March 2006 (UTC)
 * Agreed. This is an encyclopedia, not a directory. Heyyou20 09:00, 7 February 2007 (UTC)

Hotel Concierge Service -- Fee Required
BigMack 19:06, 4 September 2006 (UTC)I specifically looked up this word to find out if it costs extra to avail oneself of the typical hotel concierge service, or if it's simply a "free" service provided by a hotel. This article does not provide a clear answer. Can the answer be added? Thanks!

no there is not a fee, however gratuity is appreciated and often expected. tip based on the amount of time he/she has spent and the difficulty of the task(s) your hotel concierge has completed ($5 - $100 is the standard range, in the US)208.54.15.41 (talk) 04:35, 11 August 2009 (UTC)concierge

There is an interesting etymology to the word concierge. One school of thought suggests that the Latin root is conservus, or fellow slave. Les Clefs d’Or members, however, prefer the Old French derivation that can be traced back to feudal times. The comte des cierges, or keeper of the candles, needed to know where all the functions in the palace would take place; as they were in charge of maintaining the candles for each event. Over time, the comte des cierges became the person in charge of catering to every whim and desire of a palace’s visiting nobility.

In the Middle Ages, the concierges were the “keepers of the keys” at noted government buildings and castles. There is even a famous prison in Paris named The Conciergerie in honor of the warden who kept the keys and assigned cells to the inmates.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the international tourism industry experienced a tremendous boom, in large part due to the increasing popularity of rail and steamship travel. Switzerland’s “grand hotels,” in working to satisfy the needs of these travelers, created the “Hall Porter” position. These first-ever modern concierges were responsible for everything from meeting the guests at the station in a horse-drawn carriage to assisting them with every detail of their stay.

With time, these Swiss concierges relocated to other cities throughout Europe as a means to stay at the constant disposal of their traveling clientele. In October 1929, three of the more prominent concierges met in Paris to exchange service tips and ideas. They found that, together, they could more effectively network and enhance guest services throughout their cities. As a result, many European countries created national concierge “societies.”

The end of World War II sparked a renewed interest in the need for these societies. Concierges throughout Europe created a chain of mutual assistance and friendship to help smooth the journeys of their clients who were traveling in post-war Europe. On April 25, 1952, delegates from seven European nations met in Cannes to hold the first ever “Congress” and create “L’Union Europeene des Portiers des Grands Hotels (UEPGH). Ferdinand Gillet [right] (then concierge at the Hotel Scribe, Paris) masterminded this effort and is considered the “father of Les Clefs d’Or.” Mr. Gillet served as president of this association until 1968.

In 1970, with the acceptance of Israel as a member country, UEPGH became UIPGH (Union Internationale des Portiers des Grands Hotels) signifying that not just Europe, but countries from around the globe, were joining forces. Today, the UICH acronym stands for Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels “Les Clefs d’Or.” The word concierge appears in the name as a way to strengthen the brand-name recognition of UICH as a society of professional hotel concierges.

The USA section of Les Clefs d'Or was formally recognized on November 21, 1978, when the United States became the 19th member of UICH (Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hôtels) at a meeting in Vienna, Austria. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Concierge212 (talk • contribs) 22:54, 11 January 2007 (UTC).

apocryphal?
In upscale establishments, a concierge is often expected to "achieve the impossible," dealing with any request a guest may have, no matter how apocryphal or strange correct me if i'm wrong but the word apocryphal doesn't really fit in that sentence. removed the apocryphal part. if anybody can explain how it would fit in there then we can put it back in. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cryo921 (talk • contribs) 18:46, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

"When something is missing"?
I removed this sentence because I couldn't even understand what it meant, let alone whether it was relevant or true: "Concierge is now a term used for when something is missing due to the loss of the costs owned by such companies opposed and allied with said Concierge. E.g. Concierge Toilet = Lack-of/No Toilet." Cruzich (talk) 01:34, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

Entertain?
"Concierges also entertain their clients." What does it mean?--Samnikal (talk) 07:27, 23 March 2008 (UTC)

Page destroyed
This doesn't even tell people what a concierge is, it looks like an edit war took place that both particpants gave up on, then subsequntly, no one cleared up the ruins. 82.4.36.18 (talk) 01:22, 4 July 2008 (UTC)
 * I can only agree that this article is incredibly messy. I came here to find out more about the role of a hotel concierge but there's no mention of that until halfway through the article. Surely there should be some kind of introduction to this article that briefly lists the variety of meanings and then each meaning could have its own more detailed section after that. Jammycaketin (talk) 15:26, 25 July 2009 (UTC)

Combine articles
How about combining this article with the one for Building superintendent? Cobylub (talk) 18:38, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

yes then we will combine the articles about cobblers with Nike. There are some historical commonalities, but in modern times building superintendents and concierges have very little in common.

The best definition I have heard for a concierge is - a multilingual problem solver, and add the Les clef d'or motto of "if it is not illegal or immoral, we will make it happen" (assuming the guest/client does not have economic constraints). From booking return transportation to the airport from a hotel to securing tickets next to Jack at the Oscar's a true concierge will make it happen. 208.54.15.41 (talk) 04:54, 11 August 2009 (UTC)

Janitors who achieve the impossible??
The first sentence of this article says the duties of a concierge are similar to those of a janitor. But the next section says:
 * In hotels, a concierge assists guests with various tasks like making restaurant reservations, arranging for spa services, recommending nightclubs, booking transportation (limousines, airplanes, boats, etc.), procurement of tickets to special events and assisting with various travel arrangements and tours of local attractions. In upscale establishments, a concierge is often expected to "achieve the impossible", dealing with any request a guest may have, no matter how strange, relying on an extensive list of contacts with local merchants and service providers.
 * In hotels, a concierge assists guests with various tasks like making restaurant reservations, arranging for spa services, recommending nightclubs, booking transportation (limousines, airplanes, boats, etc.), procurement of tickets to special events and assisting with various travel arrangements and tours of local attractions. In upscale establishments, a concierge is often expected to "achieve the impossible", dealing with any request a guest may have, no matter how strange, relying on an extensive list of contacts with local merchants and service providers.

Since when do janitors do things like those? Michael Hardy (talk) 16:29, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

A mess
I have added more tags because this article is a mess. It gives primacy to a French meaning of the term, which is not appropriate in the English wikipedia. It needs to be completely rewritten, covering all current uses of the term in a balanced way. Luwilt (talk) 15:33, 20 February 2011 (UTC)
 * I would certainly agree with Luwilt. This article is a mess. It is not a concise description, nor is it fully accurate. The definition, and duties, of a concierge are as varied as the locations and types of places that they work within. The definition of a concierge, and the description of the several duties needs to be separated into more detailed sections. Davjohn (talk) 21:58, 12 December 2011 (UTC)

In Canada
Here in Canada, I grew up with concierge being synonymous with janitor, in the French language anyways. Such that the "concierge de l'école" was the school's janitor. This person was responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the school. Perhaps it would be worth mentioning this, and maybe include regional differences in the word. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.186.64.197 (talk) 18:54, 24 November 2012 (UTC)