Welcome to the Era of Hyper-Specific Hotel Concierges
Hotel concierges are no longer relegated to the lobby desk. Instead, they’re building sandcastles and delivering caviar.
One balmy evening last fall, my husband and I savored briny globes of various caviars with Champagne and cocktails on a rooftop bar brimming with zebra-print pillows, disco balls, and celestial ceiling murals. The whole scene, which felt very Paris by way of Narnia, was orchestrated by a Caviar Concierge, a resident curator of private caviar tastings and Champagne pairings at The Memphian hotel. The amenity is all part of the grandeur of this boutique hotel, a beacon of maximalism inspired by the decadence of the early 20th century, in Memphis’s Overton Square. And its Caviar Concierge program, in which guests can pair three caviar varietals with bubbly and blini, is emblematic of a new era of hotel concierges.
While concierges of old made dinner reservations and scored last-minute theater tickets, in recent years, hotels have revamped their concierge games, moving beyond lobby desks and into new realms of expertise and possibility. Blending hospitality and adventure, while offering services uniquely tied to their settings could take any number of shapes: a Stargazing Concierge at Jamaica’s Sandals Dunn’s River who points out constellations and organizes moonlit cocktail experiences, or a Sand Castle Concierge at The Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island, who offers instruction on sand building techniques and tools for sculpting. It’s a way to double down on luxury hospitality by tapping local experts and fully immersing guests in their environs, from the beaches of Florida to the art galleries of Santa Fe and beyond.
At Under Canvas’s newest glamping location in Washington’s Columbia River Gorge, an Adventure Concierge helps guests plan and book outdoor excursions—like hikes, rafting, and canyoneering—all from the lobby tent. In Napa, Bardessono Hotel and Spa’s N/A-pa Concierge helps sober travelers find “free-spirited” activities and experiences across Californian wine country. Think olive oil tastings instead of wine tastings and insights into the best local restaurants with nonalcoholic wine and mocktails. And back in the Caribbean, Jamaica Inn employs a Turtle Concierge, who monitors on-site Hawksbill sea turtle nests, educates guests about their hatchlings, and maintains a turtle notice board of upcoming hatching dates for folks to witness safely from a distance.
“I think I was born to do this work,” muses Louis Dorfman Jr., the Cowboy Concierge at The Ritz-Carlton Dallas, Las Colinas in Irving, Texas, where he mingles with guests like a Stetson-clad mascot and directs them to services such as boot fittings, organized rodeo tours, and campfire stories. A lifelong Texan who proudly touts his herd of Angus cattle and collection of 57 pairs of cowboy boots, Dorman Jr.’s role marries his passion for hospitality and pride for the cowboy culture he’s always known.
“My job is to curate an experience that’s not too kitschy or commercial,” says Dorfman Jr., citing his personal connections with ranch-owners in facilitating outings like trail rides and chuckwagon dinners where cowboys from Fort Worth join to wax fireside tales. “The Fort Worth Stockyards is a wonderful place to go and shop, and there’s usually a rodeo going on in Fort Worth,” he adds. “I embody and embrace my Texas heritage and roots, and I try to instill that here.”
At the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe, an opulent oasis in the Sangre de Cristo foothills on the pastoral outskirts of the nation’s third largest art market, Mike McKosky serves as resident Art Concierge—the first role of its kind in the U.S.—connecting guests with more than 250 Santa Fe galleries by customizing itineraries based on style and budget, facilitating artist meet-and-greets, and arranging private showings and after-hours experiences.
“As a lifelong art advocate, my goal is to demystify the Santa Fe art scene and allow people to get an intimate experience,” said McKosky. “Unlike the bigger art cities, we’re welcoming and approachable. But with such a wide selection of galleries, it can be overwhelming for visitors to determine the best way to spend their limited time. This program is a way to build a personal connection to our vibrant city.”
One of the newest examples of hyper-specific concierge service can be found in Kentucky bourbon country. Billing itself as the “world’s first bourbon-infused luxury hotel,” The Trail Hotel leans into local tradition with five bars and its own private-label bourbon and rye available exclusively to guests. Located in Bardstown, the hotel also features a resident Bourbon Butler, Norma Smith. The Bourbon Butler does everything from organizing nearby distillery tours to curating a guest’s bourbon-themed stay based on their taste, experience level, and curiosity. Smith can pace out full-blown bourbon country itineraries, including private tastings of rare bourbons and personalized VIP distillery tours. The butler service starts before guests even arrive, with Smith reaching out in advance to gauge each guest’s taste preferences, interests, and bourbon knowledge and using those insights to craft tailored itineraries.
Whether it’s adding more luxury to a maximalist Memphis hotel, perfecting the art of the sand castle, immersing travelers in Santa Fe’s art scene, or beyond, the new era of the hotel concierge proves that there’s much more to hospitality than booking a car to the airport.
“Especially in the movies, everybody always thinks that concierges are the ladies and gentlemen you go to for the craziest things in the world,” says Dorfman Jr., in between rounds at the pool deck, dressed to the nines in his bolo tie and Stockyards boots. “It’s fun to be able to do that, and make things happen,” he says of sharing Texas cowboy culture with guests. “It makes me feel good to see the reaction on guests’ faces—to make things that seem impossible possible.”
