A Concierge and Lifestyle Manager. Defining Our Profession Part 3
April 13th, 2010
Definition of Concierge
I believe that to define concierge and lifestyle management we must first look at its origin and then quickly modernize our definition to make it CURRENT.
Entrepreneur Magazine’s Concierge Start-up Guide gives the following definition of Concierge.
Definition Concierge Lifestyle Management
“Although more and more people are becoming familiar with the
term ‘concierge’, very few know where this customer service-based
profession originated. The word ‘concierge’ evolves from the French
comte des cierges, the ‘keeper of the candler’, a term that referred
to the servant who attended to the whims of visiting noblemen at
medieval castles. Eventually, the name ‘concierge’ came to stand for
keeper of the keys at public buildings, especially hotels. There is even
a famous prison in Paris that is called The Conciergerie, in honor of
the warden who kept the keys and assigned cells to the inmates.”
What is a concierge?
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary offers this definition of a Concierge:
French, from Old French: a resident in an apartment building especially in France who serves as doorkeeper, landlord’s representative, and janitor. 2:
a usually multilingual hotel staff member who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations, and arranges tours.
How do we modernize these ideas but keep it simple. I simply tell people that I am a personal assistant. What do I do? I help others lead more productive and healthy lives. Still too broad? Let me ask you this: If you could have your very own personal assistant for one day, what would you have them do? If your answer if moral, legal and ethical, then that is what we can help you with. Many of my friends joke with me and say, “well you cannot help me then”. All jokes aside what do others in the industry think about defining the term concierge?
Ron Giovanni at Triangle Concierge simply states that, “A concierge/lifestyle manager is a purveyor of time.” Simple right. But is that all we do? Save people time? Saving people time or giving someone more time is just a fraction of what a concierge can do for you. It is more complex then that. We provide everyday type lifestyle management services. Many of my clients have plenty of time but they are just not physically able to do something. Seniors need help moving, homeowners go out of town and need someone to watch their homes. Other clients have all the time in the world but they just want to be “pampered in paradise” or receive different kinds of luxury services.
One great way to understand what a concierge and lifestyle management company actually does is to spend some time on their websites. Much like mine (below) you will find a master list of concierge services right on their homepage that will give you a better idea of what a modern concierge offers the public.
Current Concierge, LLC – Your Lifestyle and Vacation Management Specialists
Categories: Defining Our Profession - Personal Concierge and Lifestyle Mangment
