Traditionally, the concierge was the guy in a corner of the hotel lobby who helped guests arrange a car and made sure your luggage was ready for loading. Abroad, in cities like Paris, New York or London, the concierge had a more elevated profile; he/she was the person who arranged tough-to-get theatre tickets, reservations at night spots and other exotic requests. I once asked a hotel concierge in London how he kept demanding guests happy, and he attributed it to networking, having contacts in all the right places and a discreet quid pro quo system, which he refused to elaborate on. He even offered me a ticket for a sold-out show at the West End as proof.
Over the last decade or so, the concept of the concierge has expanded into a rapidly expanding business offering called lifestyle management services. This includes procurement of high-end luxury goods and services anywhere in the world, VIP access to shows and events, chartering private jets or yachts, hard-to-get restaurant bookings, theatre or concert tickets, maybe a seat at Wimbledon?s Centre Court or even a rare pedigree dog that has caught your daughter?s fancy.
Not surprisingly, considering the number of high-net-worth individuals in India, signing on for a luxury concierge service has become the new status symbol. Heading the list in India is Quintessential, the UK-based concierge firm, with a range of celebrity clients, from Madonna to Paris Hilton. They offer 24×7 bespoke services and have representatives in 60 countries around the world. In India, they have private members in cities like Chandigarh, Jaipur and Bhubaneshwar. There is also T?Rouge Concierge India, a branch of Les Clef D?Or, the luxury concierge service founded in Paris that boasts a long list of VIP clients. Then there is One Concierge with a luxury service directory of 150 offerings. India also has Club Concierge, a branch of Les Concierges, India, an uber-luxury concierge company. Club Concierge claims over 3,000 members in India and charges between R50,000 and R5 lakh a year as membership fee depending on the range of services on offer. Finally, there is Concierge India, an online service.
Apart from these, American Express Platinum Card members have access to concierge services as do those who own ultra-luxury Vertu phones, which come with a concierge button. Leading builders Sunteck have signed on Vertu Concierge to offer Signature Concierge Services to residents of their upcoming luxury apartments in Bandra-Kurla Complex. Those who spend between R18 crore and R20 crore on an apartment will be given a Vertu mobile handset (worth over R29 lakh) free to directly access the concierge. Quintessential has also tied up with builders of high-end apartments like the Lodhas and DLF to offer similar concierge services to their clients.
The rich can be quite demanding and concierge services are geared to satisfy every whim. Quintessential was asked to procure two Japanese pups after a client?s daughter saw the Richard Gere movie, Hachi: A Dog?s Tale, which featured the rare breed. The pups were imported directly from Japan. Les Concierge was asked to procure a tie that an Indian CEO had seen in a store on London?s Regent Street, but could not buy it then.
Quintessential offers five levels of membership, from the invitation-only Worldwide Elite Level (the company would not disclose the annual membership fee) to the Bespoke Elite Level, which costs R7.5 lakh annually. Next is the Dual-Dedicated Level, targeted at people who travel frequently to one particular city abroad. Membership fee is R3.76 lakh a year per person. Below that is the Dedicated Level, which comes for R1.65 lakh a year and finally, the General level which is available for R70,000 a year So what do you get for your money? One client, a media baron, wanted to attend a performance of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in London, which was sold out. He got a front row seat. Another member wanted to present his wife a Mont Blanc limited-edition pen of which only 70 pieces were made. He got the pen in time for her big day. Not all demands are possible to meet. Concierge India found it impossible to procure a limited-edition Roger Federer Nike tennis shoe, but say their client satisfaction rate is over 75%.
What it boils down to is catering to status-conscience Indians, who have the money to spend on exclusive products and experiences. Much of this is to do with travel and itineraries or personalised shopping, but for this type of clientele, brand names are a big deal and many of the demands are to do with getting a product?say the latest Birkin bag?before it officially enters the Indian market. The most popular demand across the board is for hiring nannies while on holiday abroad so the parents are free to hit the hottest night spot?entry obtained through a concierge service, of course.
The writer is Group Editor, Special Projects & Features, ?The Indian Express?