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Can you trust your concierge?

Mon Oct 9, 8:25 PM ET

If your hotel concierge recommends a restaurant, can you trust the tip? Or does the concierge stand to gain from recommending one place over another?

I posed those questions to business travelers and to hotel industry professionals, wondering just how trustworthy concierge recommendations really are.

What I found is that travelers are pretty cynical about concierge recommendations, and they assume that most concierges accept comped meals once in awhile. And travelers wouldn't be surprised if some hotel concierges actually earn hard cash for steering guests to particular eating and drinking establishments.

According to a Wall Street Journal article, "hotel-employed concierges receive commissions of up to 15% on some bookings — say, from a limousine company." But the article notes that they have an incentive to keep guests happy so they'll return to the hotel.

The irony is that the era of the concierge as a local expert may be waning. As with booking flights and hotel rooms, the concierge's role as a guide is being supplanted by online services, not merely because travelers are doing their own research online, but because concierge services are being outsourced to online travel agencies such as Expedia or Vegas.com.

Yes it's true, the classic role of the hotel concierge as in-the-know expert on every nook and cranny of a particular town is quickly being replaced by generic services.  Expedia, for instance, operates activity and concierge desks at 76 locations in North America, almost all located in hotels. Some of the desks are branded with Expedia signage; others are not.

Not surprisingly, the National Concierge Association doesn't think much of this trend. "When you eliminate that personal expertise, you eliminate the service," says Sara-ann Kasner, president of the association. Hotels, she says, "are taking away the personal side of it and that's wrong."

The trend toward outsourcing restaurant recommendations may be a little sad, but business travelers have already moved on, become more reliant on themselves, and figured out how to use the system. "I tend to do my own legwork and THEN ask the concierge for the inside scoop or to get me a reservation,'' writes Karen Chiantella.

Whether the concierge is a local expert or simply operating as an arm of an online travel service, travelers probably will still question the trustworthiness of their recommendations.

During a stay in Orlando last month, frequent flier Jay Hibbard approached a concierge asking for directions to a fondue place he'd heard about.

"He said, 'Gee, that's a long way away. You'd do better at a different restaurant.' I said, no, this is what I want. In the end, he did help me with directions. ... It took him a few minutes to figure out not to try to send me to a different restaurant,'' says Hibbard. "I don't know if there was any commission or kickback, but there was probably some arrangement.'' It turned out that the place wasn't all that far away, and the food made it worth the hassle.

"A concierge getting kickbacks?! What's next? Politicians telling lies?! It is so common that I venture to guess 99% of all concierges get some sort of 'help' deciding where to send their guests," says Steve Roeger of Golden, Colo. "I, however, do not mind this practice. I have yet to be disappointed with a recommendation from a concierge. I believe that while they may get a referral fee, they are not going to jeopardize their reputations by sending guests to lousy restaurants or bars, regardless of the profit potential.''

Write to Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.com.

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Comments

Join the discussion. Here you'll see the comments in the order they were posted.

1
Getting you a reservation in a tight market, great. Recommending places? Do not need it. Most of the time I could have done it better online or in the phone book. If this is overhead being charged for in the room rates, dump it. The loyalty programs are so pathetic right now, the biggest danger is the cynical frequent traveler who is seeing less and less of a difference no matter their loyalty to one chain or another. Suddenly the hotels are making money again and it is damn the traveler. That is fine, I told one Marriott resort this past week. I will now book on price. Remember this when times get rough.
Posted by jameskelble on Tue, Oct 10, 2006 12:45 PM ET
2
When I was in Vancouver at a convention, we were headed to a hotel that the concierge had recommended (not my choice). It was the cab driver who told us the restaurant in question gave free meals to the hotel to get recommendations. He told us to go to a different restaurant. Is he getting kickbacks, too?
Posted by pwremo on Thu, Oct 12, 2006 12:00 AM ET
3
I work at a 4-star Resort and while it seems like concierges clean up with commissions and tips - let me tell you the ones I know, do NOT. It's quite shocking to see a concierge, who arranges days and days worth of dining, golf, tennis, spa, salon hot air balloon rides and surf lessons getting continually stiffed by the guests! Oh wait, there was the guy who left a half-empty bottle of gin as a "tip". Restaurants don't give anything either - so the Wall Street Journal is certainly not speaking for everyone.
Posted by sheripavelich on Sun, Oct 22, 2006 1:28 AM ET
4
As a long time concierge at a five-diamond resort, I find your article highly offensive. A true concierge will not accept cash from a restaurant as this is unethical, and grounds for termination at a real concierge desk. Perhaps Ms. Correa should have done a bit more research before writing this article. Yes we do get a "comp" meals, of course we do! How else are we able to describe it to our guests? One "comp" is certainly not going to affect where I send my guests. I get comped at many restaurants, as I have the potential to send them thousands of dollars worth of business. Perhaps you travelers should stick to the Internet, or do a bit more research before arriving at a hotel. However you can't go on line and say something so generic as "Hey, where is a good place to eat?" If you want your concierge to tell you about their personal experience at restaurants, visit their desk and ask them. Kindly be reminded that this is a service being provided to you, and you should tip your concierge just as you would tip your waiter.
Posted by brianlvdj on Mon, Nov 27, 2006 12:32 PM ET
5
I have worked for the last two years as a Concierge at a Chicago mag mile hotel. I must agree with the post above, the author of this article clearly has motivations other than providing useful and truthful information. I hope she didn't get paid for this as she has tried to disguise some suspicion she holds as an actual truth. She offers not a single fact to support her claims and no hint of investigation let alone actually interviewing a concierge. In my city, most restaurants don't even offer a comped meal, plenty do but most don't and a majority that do so in the setting of a reception or may send a 50 - 100 gift cert. for their restaurant. The kickback scheme she tries to claim may be in place is not even plausable. Do you know how many reservations we make a night? Financially a restaurant would fold. I would be better off reserving on open table and it is easier. But I 99% of times call because there is a definte pay off for me. ere is the big secret: when you did all your research online and settle on sushi at Japonais for your special Wedding anniversary trip to Chicago and presume that like Iowa on tuesday things will be slow so you won't need a reservation. I can help! As your about to walk by and ignore us but realize you never printed out the address and you coldly ask me to call a cab and aslo for the address and as i am meeting your requests I make friendly conversation which is indured by you. any good concierge would as an aside ask if you had or need help with a reservation. your response would be gruff and you in your head think the nerve trying to make money when you only wantedd an address - "No just the address, PLEASE" Still I perserver rather than see your night ruined, as your walking away upset you hear me say they book up a month ahead for the last few months ever since Jennifer aniston went there it has been mobbed but since I have been sending guests there since opening I can get you in and do. And no Japonais is not among the places that i get a free meal at not even a drink and no you won't tip and may not even thank me. And any good professional concierge would do the same. There are good and bad everywhere but a concierge is an odd bird it the money it is the connection or favor that motivates us. Favors that most often are not personally used but proudly called in for situaATONs like the one above
Posted by chgorkz on Sat, Feb 10, 2007 4:46 AM ET
6
Well said Brian. What we call these type of people making frivalous statements like that are HATERS!!! As a fellow concierge I was to thrown back by those comments about our profession. Why is it that it's always an ignorant person making comments on something they really know nothing about. The truth of the matter is that people will be lost without a concierge around.Well not everyone but a large percentage would be. And to the people of the world, TIP YOUR CONCIERGE AND THE SERVICE INDUSTRY. TREAT PEOPLE LIKE YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED..SIGNED CUBANSKYY
Posted by cubanskyy on Tue, Mar 6, 2007 5:57 PM ET
7
AND TO THE CLUELESS EDITOR, WITH ALL OF THOSE CREDENTIALS BARBARA YOU SHOULD BE MORE RESPONSIBLE WITH YOUR COMMENTS.IT SEEMS LIKE YOU HAVE A CHIP ON YOUR SHOULDER AND IN NEED OF A WEEK LONG STAY AT A SPA TO RELEASE THOSE INNER DEMONS OF YOURS. SIGNED CUBANSKYY
Posted by cubanskyy on Tue, Mar 6, 2007 6:15 PM ET
8
I'm not even a concierge and I thought the article came off as un-researched and not based on much of anything but an opinion or hunch.
Posted by desertmac2000 on Tue, Aug 14, 2007 1:26 AM ET
9
Not all concierge services get kickbacks. There are actually some concierge services that have only their clients bests interest in mind. Services that are run by reputable people who like making a living by servicing other people in order to get repeated business and referrals. Mari
Posted by marianelfurger on Mon, Jan 21, 2008 8:56 AM ET
10
So what if they get a kick back, you get to eat at a nice place, one you might not have tried without a recommendation. Plus, if the place is bad it reflects on them, so it is in their best interest to send you somewhere nice, kick back or not.
Posted by ateam4yeshua on Sun, Jul 20, 2008 8:35 PM ET