Search

×

Gostelow Report: A passion for concierge

In India, having a strong woman concierge, as at Four Seasons Hotel Mumbai, sends a comforting signal to female guests.
 
“Business travelers are busier than ever, and some are already checked in from our Wi-Fi-enabled BMWs on their way from the airport, a journey which can sometimes be quite trying because of Mumbai’s notorious traffic,” said Andrew Harrison, the hotel’s general manager. “Once they get to the hotel they then spend on average a mere 30 seconds in the lobby. This can sometimes present a real challenge when it comes to reading their needs. The concierge is key, in all senses of the word.”

If any staff member overhears a guest even mentioning private dining, for instance, that person immediately offers to take the order.
 
Head concierge Valencia Albuquerque heads the five-strong concierge team at the 202-room hotel. Before the property opened in April 2008, she was learning to be a restaurant server, but the then concierge boss, Liloo Alim, who now heads the team at Four Seasons Toronto, heard about Albuquerque’s passion for and knowledge about what was happening in Mumbai and hired her.

Today, Albuquerque keeps abreast via her iPhone, loaded with such apps as Brown Paper Bag, CNNgo and Mumbai Boss. There is also a helpful WhatsApp Les Clefs d’Or group that updates all concierges.

Valencia Albuquerque and Andrew Harrison
Valencia Albuquerque and Andrew Harrison

“Valencia and her colleagues make this hotel work,” Harrison said.

The hotel’s 2014 occupancy was 73.1%, up from 2013’s 71%, with average stay of 2.3 nights. “One happy business executive has clocked up a total of 150 stays totalling 350 nights,” Harrison added. “Valencia truly understands repeat guests’ idiosyncracies, and she has a reassuring touch when advising single women how to get back to the hotel after functions elsewhere.”

Comment