The hotel concierge of Les Clefs d’Or invented the profession the world now calls ‘concierge’. To determine what role Les Clefs d’Or continues to play in redefining the modern concierge, it is first necessary to examine the origins of the profession and the organisation.
History lesson
The roots of the concierge position date back to the middle ages when there was a specific attendant at European palaces who was responsible for literally carrying the keys to the palace gates. Visitors to the palace would be greeted by the concierge and their needs would continue to be catered for during their sojourn by the concierge.
As these grand European palaces were gradually converted to hotels in later years, the concierge remained at their post just inside the main doors ready to greet visiting hotel guests – they became the central point from which to receive a room key. The concierges even took to wearing an emblem of a pair of crossed keys on each side of their uniform collar so as to be readily identified.
During this period the concierge position existed primarily in Europe, but as air travel expanded following the Second World War, the concierge started to make appearances in other parts of the world as well. Ferdinand Gillet, Chef Concierge at the Scribe in Paris and then President of Les Clefs d’Or France (an organisation founded in 1929 by Pierre Quentin, Chef Concierge at The Ambassador Hotel) proposed that the various concierge organisations that had sprung up throughout Europe combine to form a European co-operative association of hotel concierge which they called: Union Européene des Portiers des Grands Hôtels (U.E.P.G.H.), but most often it was called simply: Les Clefs d’Or (which translates from French as ‘The Golden Keys’).
Global and gender expansion
In 1970 with the admission of Israel as a member section, Les Clefs d’Or became an international association. This period of time saw a rapid expansion of Les Clefs d’Or throughout the rest of the world. In time, trailblazing concierge started working at hotels in countries outside of Europe. More often than not they were the only one of their profession in the entire country.
The first concierge to arrive in my home country of Australia came from Europe in 1966. His name was Antonio Lauro Facciolo, but everyone called him Tony. A Venetian by birth, Tony had come to Australia by way of London where he had worked at the Ritz hotel. Tony was employed at the Wentworth in Sydney, which was at the time a subsidiary of Qantas Airlines. Being the first concierge in the country, Tony Facciolo literally set the standard for all hotel concierge that where to follow him in his adopted homeland. Tony spoke close to half a dozen languages (though some would contend that he never quite mastered English; he was renowned for his malapropisms), and he was the embodiment of the consummate concierge professional – with outstretched hand, ready to greet the world traveller. Everyone who ever met Tony remembered him, and Tony remembered everyone. Tony had been accepted into the Society of the Golden Keys in London and was the first wearer of the crossed golden keys in Australia.
At the same time that Tony was defining the role of the concierge in Australia, other Les Clefs d’Or members were doing likewise throughout the rest of the world. Among a number of concierge pioneers outside of Europe was Holly Stiel, Chief Concierge at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco. In the United States, Holly was the first female to be appointed as Chief Concierge and in 1978, the first female to be accepted into Les Clefs d’Or.
At the time there was much discussion (and some consternation) about allowing the fairer sex into the hitherto male bastion of the crossed keys. Today more than 60% of the 550 members of Les Clefs d’Or USA are women, and the Society, in this part of the world at least, has done its part in addressing the gender imbalance. Tony, Holly and many others like them in emerging countries taught both their hotel guests as well as their fellow hotel staff what a concierge truly was. Their Les Clefs d’Or motto was (and still is today): ‘In Service through Friendship’; an oft quoted maxim among concierge that became the precept by which many hotel guests received the ultimate in customer service.
Membership prerequisites
For those who haven’t encountered the golden keys of Les Clefs d’Or in hotels throughout the world, it is important to note that it is a prerequisite of membership in Les Clefs d’Or is that the wearer of the keys must work at a hotel. No other industry is eligible to apply.
Wearers of the golden keys are required to follow a rigorous entry process that tests areas such as the candidate’s tourism knowledge, current events in theatre and entertainment, hotel policies and procedures, airlines processes, duty of care, postage and courier procedures as well as restaurant knowledge. By enforcing these exacting standards on its membership Les Clefs d’Or is making a concerted effort to protect the integrity of its brand.
These members of Les Clefs d’Or from the sixties and seventies did a magnificent job of teaching the world about exactly how good customer service can be when delivered by a Hotel Concierge. The Concierge of Les Clefs d’Or were so good at fulfilling their roles within their respective hotels that they created a significant reputation for the word and appellation ‘concierge’. In time hotel concierge desks became the norm in all luxury hotels and the most significant outcome of the Les Clefs d’Or members’ working proficiency was that the word ‘concierge’ became part of the common vernacular with almost every world traveller. As more people travelled, there was a greater need to supply information and advice on things to see and do in each individual hotel location.
The Concierge of Les Clefs d’Or are directly responsible for the rapid expansion of the concierge profession. The concierge ideal has now been imitated in so many customer service areas and so many unrelated industries that it has become a terminology synonymous for any customer service that is provided at a high level.
It’s quite flattering to note as was written in a recent Les Clefs d’Or publication that, “the hotel concierge has become one of the world’s most copied models of service behaviour”. Apple technology stores have ‘concierge’ staff, car dealerships have ‘concierge’ staff, medical clinics have ‘concierge’ staff, and even office buildings have ‘concierge’ staff. Alongside the flattery, there is also a willingness among the current generation of Les Clefs d’Or concierge to remind our hotel guests and remind the customer service industries (as a number of our International websites now boldly declare), that “The hotel concierge of Les Clefs d’Or invented the modern profession the world now calls ‘concierge’. In the same way that true ‘Champagne’ must come from Champagne, a true concierge must come from a hotel lobby”.
A true concierge is first and foremost a tourism professional. A true Concierge has an intimate knowledge of their city and is an ambassador for all that their city offers – whether that be restaurants, theatre, shopping precincts, attractions or even knowing about that little deli in the laneway behind the main street that serves an amazing chicken soup which according to legend cures the common cold.
Adapting to change
While the core tenets of the concierge profession have remained essentially unchanged since the founding days of Les Clefs d’Or; the position of hotel concierge has never been an entirely static concept. There has, by necessity, been a great deal more fluidity to the nature of the profession. A concierge can never be sure what will be asked of them on any given day. The remarkable and extraordinary requests placed before concierge has become the stuff of myth and legend. The word ‘no’ has never been part of the vocabulary of the professional hotel concierge and this has ensured that those in the profession have always been adaptable and movable to the trends of the tourism and hotel industries.
In the mid-nineties as luxury hotels moved away from metal keys there was a modicum of concern among the hotel concierge of the day that because hotel guests would no longer have to come and collect their key from the concierge, they would have less guest interaction. In time this proved unfounded as the hotel concierge continued to evolve their specialist skills of tourism information along with their specific and intimate knowledge of their individual cities. The hotel concierge has always had a knack of remaining relevant to meet the needs of current trends.
Les Clefs d’Or members meet at international congresses each year in addition to meetings held on an individual national level. The concierge of Les Clefs d’Or also regularly host local meetings in each of their own cities, where members meet to organise events and receive regular support and training. Training and development has always been a key to the continuing success of Les Clefs d’Or, both for the ongoing development of current members and also to foster the youth of the association.
The association of Les Clefs d’Or recently celebrated 60 years since it was first organised in its transnational form. The profession of hotel concierge seems to really be hitting a comfortable stride as it enters this next decade. There is a willingness to improvise among the current membership and to experiment with new ways of approaching the concierge role. Contrary to some gloomy predictions of imminent extinction brought on by the digital age, the profession has continued to flourish and in some respects is now entering a golden age.
Concierge in the digital age
A contemporary brand study conducted for our most recent international Congress found through extensive consultation and a number of surveys, that the Golden Keys of Les Clefs d’Or are seen as a trusted symbol of quality and that the wearers are viewed as respected customer service professionals. This has allowed Les Clefs d’Or national sections and individual members throughout the world to parlay this trust (that originates in the hotel lobby) into a combined significant worldwide online presence. An online presence that includes blogs, Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Startle social media sites and other online resources, all of which offer first-hand credentialed and reliable information and opinion. The ability to provide objective and credentialed information that users and hotel guests can actually trust, is by far the most important and valuable asset to the association. A concierge will always endeavour to provide the best possible advice that meets the needs of the guest.
Hotel concierge have continually endeavoured to remain ahead of the curve in as many areas as possible and this has meant that they have most often been early adopters of technology. The hotel concierge of Les Clefs d’Or has been networking between nations since the nineteen fifties, so social media was a natural extension of the profession and quickly spread amongst the association. Within days of Apple launching the first iPad, one large hotel chain’s concierge advisory board announced globally that they would be providing the device immediately to every concierge desk at each of their hotel properties worldwide. These days most Les Clefs d’Or concierge desks would consider the iPad to be an essential tool of the trade, much as the rolodex and telephone directory were to our predecessors.
It is said that concierge Tom Wolfe, who founded Les Clefs d’Or USA in 1978 and turns 70 this year, has on his San Francisco Concierge desk, both an iPad and a manual typewriter side by side. (Tom is also a prolific Facebook user and has his own YouTube channel). While members like Tom form a bridge from the past to the present there is an increasing number of young concierge who are very much of our times. Typical of this new breed is Jacob Detering, Concierge at the InterContinental Melbourne The Rialto. With a degree in Media and Communications, Jacob oversees Public Relations and Media for Les Clefs d’Or Australia and is heavily involved in administering our Facebook page, Twitter account and in establishing the Society’s blog. Tech savvy, highly articulate, and with an eye for brand awareness, Jacob represents the future direction of Les Clefs d’Or. A respect for the history and traditions of the past combined with a willingness to embrace the technology and changes of the future has always placed the Concierge of Les Clefs d’Or in an enviable position of solidarity amidst the ever changing marketplace of the tourism and hotel industries.
Although it may appear somewhat paradoxical that in order to remain a constant in the hotel and tourism industry, the Les Clefs d’Or concierge – steeped in history and tradition – have been required to unceasingly change and re-define what a concierge actually is. It has only been possible through the worldwide support, resources and innovation provided by Les Clefs d’Or that the entire concierge profession has gradually and continually shifted in synchronicity.
About the author
Colin Toomey has been the Chief Concierge at the Shangri-La Hotel in Sydney for 19 years. He is also a 1st Vice President of Union Internationale des Concierges d’Hôtels.
