Understanding the trade
What is a luxury concierge?
Almost everyone uses the word now, and it has stopped meaning much. Here is what it actually covers, and how to tell it apart from the four trades it gets confused with.
Definition
One contact who answers for everything
A luxury concierge is a company that takes on the organisation and logistics of a stay or a lifestyle, coordinating the various suppliers itself, and staying reachable for the whole duration of the service.
The three words that matter are coordinating, itself and reachable. A concierge does not hand you a list of suppliers: it calls them, negotiates, checks, and carries the responsibility if one of them fails. That transfer of responsibility is what you are buying, far more than a contact book.
What a day looks like
A client lands in Nice at 11am. A chauffeur is waiting, the villa has been open and cooled for two hours, the shopping is done. At 2pm he decides he would rather have dinner in Saint-Tropez and come back by sea: he sends one message, and it falls to the concierge to find the boat, move the chauffeur, shift the restaurant booking and warn the housekeeper.
The whole trade lives in that moment: absorbing a last-minute change without the client having to make a single call.
The confusions
What a concierge is not
It is not a travel agency
A travel agency sells a product assembled in advance: a flight, a hotel, a package. Its work largely ends when you pay, and it is paid by commission on what it sells you.
A concierge does not sell a product, it sells availability. Its work begins when you arrive and ends when you leave. A travel agency tells you what is possible. A concierge handles what you decide at 10pm on a Sunday.
It is not the same thing as renting
Renting means putting an asset at your disposal: guaranteeing its availability, its upkeep, its insurance, its handover and its return. It is a demanding trade, and it is one of ours.
Concierge work begins where the asset ends. It answers for the whole day: how services follow one another, what happens when plans change, and everything that falls between two bookings. One house can do both as ours does, provided it has the organisation for it.
It is not a hotel concierge desk
The concierge of a palace hotel is an outstanding professional, often a member of Les Clefs d’Or, and their knowledge of the city is hard to match. But they work for the hotel, from the hotel, for the hotel’s guests. Their scope ends when you leave the building, and they will not follow you to Saint-Tropez.
An independent concierge follows you. It also steps in when you are staying in a private villa, which is precisely the case where there is nobody to ask.
It is not a destination management company
A DMC organises the arrival of groups and corporate clients: conferences, incentives, seminars. It works upstream, on written briefs and long lead times. It is a production business.
A concierge works on individuals and on short notice. The two often complement each other: DMCs regularly subcontract the vehicle side and individual requests to concierge companies.
It is not a booking platform
A platform connects and takes a commission. The service itself stays under the supplier’s responsibility, and your contact changes from one stay to the next.
A concierge selects its suppliers, follows them, and answers for the result itself. That is the difference between an introduction and a commitment.
Choosing
Four questions that reveal everything
Who answers, and how fast?
Ask for a quote on a Saturday at 8pm. The reply, or the absence of one, tells you exactly what your stay will be like.
Do you always speak to the same person?
A concierge that makes you repeat your file at every call is not one. A single owned file is the heart of the trade.
Which assets are actually theirs?
Many operators display fleets they do not own and have never seen. Ask what is owned, what is under management and what is subcontracted. An honest house answers plainly.
What happens when it goes wrong?
Breakdown, weather, delayed flight, cancellation. Ask what the plan is. An experienced concierge answers immediately, because it has already happened to them.
Frequently asked
Concierge services, in practice
How does a concierge get paid?
It varies: commission on services, a flat fee per stay, an annual membership, or a margin built into the price. No model is better than another, but it should be stated clearly.
Do I need to be a member?
Not with us. Some concierge companies work on annual membership cards. Others, including R&M Rent Club, work per stay with no commitment.
From what budget is it worth it?
The question is not budget but complexity. An overnight round trip does not justify a concierge. A week for six people with a villa, a boat and vehicles does.
Can I use a concierge for a single service?
Yes. Many of our clients start with a transfer or a day at sea, then hand us the whole of their next stay.
Going further: our concierge service, putting your asset under management and what we run in Cannes.