How to be welcoming if you’re a concierge

TThe concierge service is all about being hospitable – you want your guests to come again and even recommend friends and family to your establishment. 

We have covered a few ways to be welcoming, and providing a concierge service means being up-to-date on traveller trends and likes. Lessons from the 5th annual Concierge Conference, the theme of which was fittingly ‘Welcome’, include:

• Goal setting: Thuli Sithole, a former Miss South Africa and the owner of Uthukon Concierge, spoke about the importance of goal setting. Her tip is to make sure goals are time-bound, measurable and attainable. What goals have you set for your concierge? It can be anything from reaching 1 000 Facebook likes in six months, to being completely booked out three months before the festive period.
• A warm welcome: Annual Concierge Conference founder and organiser, Deon Prinsloo unpacked what being welcoming entails and pointed out that everyone in your business can take part. These include small gestures such as a warm, friendly greeting to your guest, being friendly and sincere. He says these meaningful gestures are a way of assuring guests that their needs will be met throughout their stay.
• So that they can come back: South African Tourism Global Manager: Product, Neesha Padayachy had these words to share with guests: “It is their [concierges’] welcoming spirit that makes guests feel welcome in South Africa and then go back and recommend the country and its wonderful hotels and places to their friends and families.”

Our Welcome resource pack also has some suggestions on being welcoming:

• A warm greeting is the first thing you do, greeting your guest in their own language is a plus.
• Gifting is a nice way to make sure your guest remembers your establishment. Perhaps offer a keyring?
• Treating your guest to uniquely South African tastes, such as biltong, will be exciting and engaging for them.

What other ways have worked for your concierge in making guests feel welcome?