A concierge is most valuable before anything becomes urgent. The number of requests matters less than their timing and quality. Room configuration, mobility, children, allergies and scarce appointments belong early; flower colour and minibar preferences can wait.
The right lead time
- At booking
- Connecting rooms, accessibility, children, pets and hard constraints.
- 6–8 weeks out
- Difficult restaurants, private guides, boats, spa and occasions.
- 7–14 days out
- Transfers, arrival details, dining times, preferences and reconfirmation.
- 48 hours out
- Flight status, meeting point, delay and operational changes.
- On property
- Weather adaptation, spontaneous advice and daily logistics.
Contact starts only when the booking, guest names and dates can be found in the hotel's system. It must still precede the holiday, fair or seasonal pressure that removes scarce options. The opening note therefore establishes priorities and the next decision date, not every minor preference. Decorative details can follow once the high-friction work is protected from disappearing inside ten non-binding wishes.
Advisor, concierge and supplier play different roles
| Partner | Strength | Not primarily responsible for |
|---|---|---|
| Travel advisor | Whole itinerary, hotels, rate, benefits, flights and inter-city transfers | Same-day local table or weather decisions |
| Hotel concierge | Local knowledge, hotel operations, restaurants, guides and last mile | Rebuilding a poorly conceived entire trip |
| Supplier | Binding service, safety, payment and cancellation | Coordinating every other trip component |
Les Clefs d'Or describes its members as local experts and explicitly invites contact once the hotel reservation is in place. That is the productive moment: the concierge understands house and destination; the advisor holds the journey together.
Give every task one owner. The advisor protects the logic of the whole route and catches collisions; the concierge coordinates the hotel and local network; the restaurant, driver, guide or boat operator confirms its own delivery, safety and cancellation. Copying everybody into every message is not coordination. One leading itinerary, one decision maker and explicit handoffs are.
The first requests concern the room, not dinner
Connecting rooms, twin beds, step-free access, lift proximity, cot, medication refrigeration and pet rules depend on real inventory. A courteous note does not guarantee them. If they are essential, confirm category and configuration before a non-refundable payment.
“Quiet” also needs translation: away from the lift, no connecting door, not above the restaurant or drive, dark in the morning or with a terrace The concierge can transmit priorities to room allocation, while the final room number usually remains operational.
Accessibility is described as a route, not a label. Vehicle arrival, entrance, lift, doorway, bed, shower, WC, restaurant, pool and evacuation must work together. For children, examine cot, bath, sockets, balcony, buggy and child seat. Sleep needs also require ranking: darkness may matter more than a view, and two genuine beds more than a higher category.
Scarce reservations need room to decide
For restaurants, guides, beach clubs, boats or therapists, a ranking is more useful than ten names. Provide date, time window, party size, budget, style and two acceptable alternatives. The concierge can then solve rather than guess.
The word “VIP” cannot create a sold-out table. A waitlist, different hour, sister venue or equivalent alternative is honest. Unofficial resale channels and invented guarantees are not professional service.
The concierge also needs a decision deadline. Until when may alternative B be confirmed without another exchange, when does a hold expire, and which neighbourhoods or travel times remain acceptable Naming one famous restaurant gives no operating authority. Supplying priority, time window, location, budget and a yes-or-no protocol enables speed without surrendering control.
Allergy, intolerance and preference require separate briefs
A medical allergy is identified with severity, cross-contamination concern and emergency information. An intolerance also needs clarity. Disliking coriander is a preference. Mix all three into one wishlist and a kitchen cannot prioritise risk properly.
The concierge transmits information but does not replace direct confirmation by restaurant, airline or caterer. A severe allergy must be reconfirmed with every supplier.
The reply should state what the kitchen or operator can do, where cross-contact cannot be excluded and whom to approach on the day. A diagnosis, full medical file or medication list need not circulate to every venue. Share only the risk and procedure needed for that service; individual clinical decisions remain with qualified professionals.
Transfers fail through detail, not vehicle class
Supply flight or train number, true arrival point, full passenger names, mobile with country code, luggage count, child seats, mobility and meeting point. “Mercedes with driver” answers none of these. Private aviation additionally requires FBO, handling and tolerance for last-minute change.
Review dispatch a week before and exchange the operating contact the day prior. Know who monitors delays and when waiting time begins.
A robust protocol says whether the driver tracks the flight, how long they wait after actual landing, where the guest stands when a terminal has several exits and which number is called first when contact fails. Luggage determines vehicle size; child seats are confirmed against age, size and provider rules. A no-show should never trigger three conflicting decisions from hotel, driver and traveller.
An occasion needs personality rather than decoration
“Birthday surprise” often produces standard cake and roses. Better information includes the relationship, desired mood, dislikes, timing and privacy. A handwritten letter may matter more than balloons; a child may need to participate, or the occasion should remain invisible.
Price, supplier, setup and cancellation are confirmed before ordering. Elaborate flowers, musicians, photographers and cakes are paid third-party services, not automatic hotel amenities.
The person being celebrated also deserves consent to the form of attention. Public singing, room decoration, a photographer or a social post may create joy or discomfort. A good concept fits in one sentence, carries a budget and respects explicit dislikes. Personalisation means a few relevant details, not the collection of unnecessary intimate history.
Use personal data sparingly
Passport copies, card numbers and medical details should not be volunteered in a long email chain. Ask for the hotel's secure upload or payment link and share only what the service requires. Children's names, room numbers and daily movements should not circulate more widely than necessary.
Never send a card number, security code or card photograph through ordinary email or messaging. The hotel or responsible supplier provides a verifiable secure flow; check recipient, amount, currency, service and cancellation before paying. If a link appears unusual, verify it through an already known official telephone number rather than replying through the same suspicious message.
Every reservation needs one final version
Seven to ten days before arrival, turn the email history into one confirmed document: date, local time, name, party size, address, meeting point, payment, cancellation, dress and operating contact. Duplicated tables, old times and unresolved pickups become visible.
The concierge confirms hotel and local arrangements; the advisor tests connections across hotels, flights and destinations. Both work from the same version.
Give every line a status and owner: requested, held, confirmed, paid or cancelled. A change belongs in the current version, not silently inside an old email. Record local time zone, total cost, refund terms, day-of contact and final free-cancellation point. The document then shows who may act when weather, delay or illness changes the plan.
A useful first message
“We stay 12–16 September under confirmation X: two adults and one child, age eight. Priorities are quiet connecting rooms, vegetarian food with no medical allergy, a private German-speaking guide on the morning of 14 September and dinner between 7 and 8 pm. Please quote cost and cancellation before confirming. Flight LX… lands at …; we have three large cases and do not require a child seat.”
It is short but actionable, separating need, preference and information.
Add only an answer deadline and authority: “You may confirm option A or B by Tuesday 6 pm within this budget; above it, please ask first.” Payment details follow solely through the supplier's secure channel. One structured opening note is easier to execute than several spontaneous updates, and every later change should refer to the current version.
What the concierge cannot guarantee
Sold-out restaurants, free upgrades, a specific room before final allocation, good weather, celebrity access and exceptions to law or safety remain outside the role. A strong concierge says no early and offers an alternative instead of allowing an illusion to fail on arrival.
The Deluxetargets recommendation
Contact the concierge as soon as hotel and dates are confirmed. Address inventory, health, mobility and scarce appointments first; transfers, dining and personal detail follow. One week before arrival, consolidate everything into a single document. The stay can then begin with recognition rather than explanation.