Secrets of high-performing concierge teams

Key Takeaways

• Hire for curiosity, not just experience. The best concierges are inherently curious and passionate about their city. Look for candidates who can demonstrate deep local knowledge and problem-solving skills, even if they don't have a traditional hotel background.
• Your concierge is a profit centre, not a cost centre. A high-performing concierge drives revenue through high-margin bookings (tours, private cars, exclusive experiences) and creates the "wow" moments that lead to five-star reviews and valuable repeat business.
• Empower your team with a discretionary budget. Give your concierges the autonomy and a small budget (e.g., $100 per incident) to solve guest problems on the spot without needing manager approval. This turns a complaint into a moment of exceptional service.
• Technology should enable, not replace. Use a modern CRM or guest management platform to track guest preferences and build a digital "black book" of contacts. This allows the team to share knowledge and provide seamless, personalised service across shifts.
• Build a "local heroes" network. The concierge's true value is their network. Actively support your team by giving them time to network with local restaurant owners, gallery curators, and tour operators. These personal relationships are what make "impossible" requests possible.
• Technology enables, it doesn't replace. Equip your concierge team with a guest experience platform that integrates with your PMS to track preferences and automate logistics, freeing them up for high-value, personal interactions.
• Monetise ethically to prove value. Turn your concierge desk into a measurable profit centre by creating a formal preferred supplier program with transparent commission agreements, but ensure the guest's best interest always drives every recommendation.

Introduction: The new competitive edge in Australian hospitality

In the competitive Australian luxury hotel market of 2025, the battle for guest loyalty is won and lost on the quality of the experience. With the strong return of international tourism, a report from Tourism Australia highlights that high-value travellers are increasingly seeking authentic, personalised, and seamless experiences. While technology has streamlined bookings and check-ins, the human touch has become the ultimate luxury and your most powerful differentiator.

Nowhere is this more evident than at the concierge desk. Far from being an outdated relic, a high-performing concierge team has become a modern hotel's secret weapon. They are the human search engine, the problem-solvers, and the curators of unforgettable experiences that booking websites simply cannot replicate. This article explores the secrets behind the world's best concierge teams and provides a practical guide for Australian hotel managers on how to build, empower, and measure a team that turns guest satisfaction into tangible profit.

Moving beyond the cost centre mindset

The first and most critical step is to reframe how you view your concierge desk. For too long, it has been seen as a cost centre, a necessary but non-essential service. A high-performing team, however, is a powerful profit centre.

• Direct revenue generation: Your concierge team directly sells high-margin services. This includes commissions on tour bookings, private car services, theatre tickets, and exclusive experiences. A proactive team doesn't just answer questions; they actively make tailored recommendations that enhance the guest's stay and drive revenue.
• Indirect revenue and retention: A great concierge is the primary driver of the "wow" moments that lead to glowing online reviews and, most importantly, guest loyalty. According to industry research, guests who have a positive interaction with a concierge are significantly more likely to return. The lifetime value of these repeat guests often far exceeds the cost of the concierge's salary.
• Brand enhancement: Your concierge team embodies your hotel's brand promise. When a concierge pulls off an "impossible" request, it creates a story that guests will share, reinforcing your hotel's reputation for exceptional service.

Hiring for curiosity and connection

The foundation of a great team is hiring the right people, and the traditional checklist of hospitality experience can be misleading. While a hotel background is useful, the two most important traits for a world-class concierge are innate curiosity and a genuine passion for making human connections.

When interviewing, go beyond the standard questions and look for these key attributes:

• Deep local knowledge: Ask them to plan a perfect, non-touristy day in your city for a specific type of guest (e.g., a family with young children, an art-loving couple).
• Problem-solving skills: Present them with a classic concierge challenge: "A guest's luggage has been lost by the airline and they have a gala dinner in three hours. What do you do?"
• A proactive mindset: Ask them how they stay up-to-date with what's new in the city. The best candidates will talk about reading local blogs, visiting new bars, and actively exploring their surroundings in their own time.
  
  

A great concierge doesn't just know their city; they are in love with it.

Building the "black book": The power of a network

A concierge's value is directly proportional to the strength of their network. The legendary "black book" of contacts is what allows them to secure a table at a fully booked restaurant or arrange a private gallery viewing. As a manager, you must actively support and invest in the building of this network.

• Allocate time for networking: Give your concierge team dedicated time during their work week to get out of the hotel. This means visiting new restaurants, introducing themselves to tour operators, and building personal relationships with key people across the city.
• Fund industry memberships: Support their membership in professional organisations like Les Clefs d'Or Australia, the premier association for hotel concierges. This provides access to an invaluable national and international network.
• Create a shared digital network: While the physical black book is iconic, a modern team needs a shared digital equivalent. Use your hotel's CRM or a dedicated platform to build a central database of trusted suppliers, restaurant contacts, and guest preferences. This ensures that the network belongs to the hotel, not just an individual, and that service is seamless across shifts.

Empowerment: The key to creating "wow" moments

A high-performing concierge needs the autonomy to solve problems on the spot. If your concierge has to seek a manager's approval for every minor decision, you are creating a bottleneck that frustrates both the guest and the employee.

A realistic scenario: The forgotten anniversary

A guest mentions in passing to the concierge at a Sydney hotel that they are disappointed because their partner forgot their wedding anniversary.

• A disempowered concierge: Can only offer a sympathetic ear and perhaps a verbal recommendation for a nice restaurant.
• An empowered concierge: Immediately takes action. They have a small discretionary budget for "guest delight." Without needing approval, they send a complimentary bottle of high-quality Australian sparkling wine and a handwritten note to the guests' room.
  
  

The result: This small, proactive gesture, costing less than $100, transforms a moment of disappointment into a highlight of the guest's stay. It generates immense goodwill and will almost certainly be mentioned in a glowing online review, delivering an ROI far greater than its cost.

Measuring success beyond guest comments

While positive guest feedback is a key indicator, you need to track tangible metrics to truly understand your concierge team's performance and justify the investment.

• Conversion rates on recommendations: Track how often a concierge's recommendation leads to a booking. For example, what percentage of restaurant recommendations result in a reservation made by the desk?
• Ancillary revenue: Directly track the revenue generated from tours, transport, and other services booked through the concierge desk. Set monthly targets and incentivise the team.
• Guest preference data: Track how many new, specific guest preferences (e.g., "prefers a foam pillow," "always requests a 6 PM dinner reservation") are captured and logged in the CRM by the concierge team. This data is invaluable for personalising future stays.
• Review analysis: Use sentiment analysis tools to track how often the "concierge" or "service" is mentioned positively in your online reviews.

Technology the modern concierge's toolkit

While the core of a concierge's value is human connection, a high-performing team in 2025 is empowered by smart technology. The right tools don't replace the personal touch; they enhance it by automating administrative tasks and creating a shared brain for the entire team. This allows them to spend less time on logistics and more time delighting your guests.

• Guest experience platforms: Modern concierge desks are powered by dedicated software (like ALICE or Knowcross) that integrates with your main Property Management System (PMS). These platforms act as a central hub to log guest preferences, manage requests (e.g., a dinner reservation or tour booking), and ensure a seamless handover between shifts so no detail is ever lost.
• Digital communication tools: Today's guests often prefer to communicate via messaging. Using a platform like WhatsApp for Business or an integrated app allows your concierge to provide a direct, personal line of contact for the duration of a guest's stay, answering questions and confirming bookings instantly.
• Supplier booking portals: The most efficient teams leverage online booking portals for restaurants, tours, and transport. This is faster, more accurate, and more reliable than making phone calls during a busy service, allowing your concierge to handle a higher volume of requests with greater precision.

A framework for ethical monetisation

To truly function as a profit centre, your concierge desk needs a structured and transparent approach to generating ancillary revenue. The golden rule is that the guest's best interest always comes first. Revenue should be the outcome of an excellent, unbiased recommendation, not the driver of it.

• Develop a preferred supplier program. Instead of ad-hoc recommendations, create a curated list of high-quality, vetted local partners (tour operators, car services, restaurants). Formalise these relationships with simple agreements that outline service standards and expectations.
• Establish transparent commission structures. It is standard industry practice for suppliers to pay a commission (typically 10-20%) for referred business. These agreements should be formalised in writing. It is critical that your team is trained to recommend the best option for the guest, regardless of the commission rate.
• Track and report all revenue. Use your guest experience platform or a simple spreadsheet to meticulously track all commissionable bookings made by the concierge team. This data is essential for accurately measuring the direct financial contribution of the desk and proving its return on investment to senior management.

Conclusion

In an increasingly digital world, the true art of hospitality is more valuable than ever. A high-performing concierge team is the ultimate expression of this art, blending deep local expertise with genuine human connection to create unforgettable experiences. By hiring for curiosity, empowering your team to act, and investing in their network, you transform your concierge desk from a simple service point into a powerful engine of guest loyalty, ancillary revenue, and brand differentiation that technology alone can never replace.