Has anyone done concierge?

[earningears]

Hey all,
I was thinking that I'd pick concierge as my first choice and Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boutique and merchandising as my 2nd and 3rd. There isn't a lot of information about concierge, and I'm wondering what the position entails on a day-to-day basis.
Thanks!

[figmentfan6]

Originally Posted by earningears

Hey all,
I was thinking that I'd pick concierge as my first choice and Bibbidy-Bobbidy-Boutique and merchandising as my 2nd and 3rd. There isn't a lot of information about concierge, and I'm wondering what the position entails on a day-to-day basis.
Thanks!

Hi! I was a CP in concierge for FA 2010. It entails a LOT on a day-to-day basis. On the basic side of things, it requires you to make dining reservations, do check ins/outs, sell tickets, fix things the resort computers/guests mess up (dining points mostly) and providing a wealth of information about not just Disney World but also most surrounding Florida attractions.

You also have to deal with a variety of guest problems/complaints/rants on a daily basis. These can be anything from needing more towels to a ride having been broken down (that is a funny story actually, and thankfully only a handful of people during my program had this problem). It's amazing fun, but it can be extremely high stress. I loved it and miss it terribly, no day was ever the same!

[Damhsa04]

Originally Posted by figmentfan6

Hi! I was a CP in concierge for FA 2010. It entails a LOT on a day-to-day basis. On the basic side of things, it requires you to make dining reservations, do check ins/outs, sell tickets, fix things the resort computers/guests mess up (dining points mostly) and providing a wealth of information about not just Disney World but also most surrounding Florida attractions.

You also have to deal with a variety of guest problems/complaints/rants on a daily basis. These can be anything from needing more towels to a ride having been broken down (that is a funny story actually, and thankfully only a handful of people during my program had this problem). It's amazing fun, but it can be extremely high stress. I loved it and miss it terribly, no day was ever the same!

Just curious, what resort were you concierge? And do you go to school for hotel management or anything like that?

[figmentfan6]

Originally Posted by Damhsa04

Just curious, what resort were you concierge? And do you go to school for hotel management or anything like that?

I was a concierge at Coronado Springs, which I LOVED. I'm still in college, I went on my program when I was a Junior. I had never done anything related to hotel management or business before then. I'm an English major at a small liberal arts college, so hospitality/management/business style majors aren't even an option for me.

[earningears]

figmentfan: thank you so much!! This was really helpful, and I think that it would be a perfect fit for my skills and interests. I've heard that it's a difficult one to get, though... so I'll keep my fingers crossed!

[thelittlemermaid91]

Thanks for all your info! I am also interested in concierge. What is the difference between concierge and hospitality? Is there a pay difference also?

[figmentfan6]

Originally Posted by thelittlemermaid91

Thanks for all your info! I am also interested in concierge. What is the difference between concierge and hospitality? Is there a pay difference also?

The difference is where you are stationed at the resorts, and yes, when I did it, there was a pay difference. Concierge were paid more than Hospitality. Concierge CPs work at concierge desks in resorts. They do ticket sales, dining, answer questions about the parks, deal with guest problems/concerns, check ins and outs on occasion, and a plethora of other things. Hospitality CPs are at check-in desks at resorts and do almost exclusively check ins and outs, as well as guest problems/concerns and whatever questions come up during check-in. Concierge is also more competitive in my experience to get into.

[TwoIfBySea]

I've always thought I'd like to work as a concierge or similar sort of position, because I love solving people's problems. But I was wondering: do they give you sufficient power and authority to solve them? If I wasn't actually able to make the vast majority of people happy (I know there's always someone who will never be happy, but most people can be made happy) because I didn't have the authority to do it, that would be really frustrating.

[figmentfan6]

Originally Posted by TwoIfBySea

I've always thought I'd like to work as a concierge or similar sort of position, because I love solving people's problems. But I was wondering: do they give you sufficient power and authority to solve them? If I wasn't actually able to make the vast majority of people happy (I know there's always someone who will never be happy, but most people can be made happy) because I didn't have the authority to do it, that would be really frustrating.

Yes and no. Some managers are very free with giving compensation, and you quickly learn which ones those are. As long as you take the time and effort to fix the problem, it can generally be fixed. If it's possible to make the people happy within reasonable bounds, it shouldn't be a problem.

Just as a warning though. You quickly find that the majority of problems people have involve entitlement issues, not understanding how things work, and wanting free things. What will frustrate you will not be having trouble solving people's issues, but the issues people invent.

I had two male guests approach me once, at 11 am, to inform me that they had just been to HS and that RNRC and ToT were both down. When I apologized and explained that, as it was still early, I was sure the rides were simply having mechanical issues and would be back up and running sometime during the day. At which point one the gentlemen turned to his friend and said "See, I told you we should have stayed at Universal." I also had a guest lie to me about a fastpass situation, a lady demanding CRT reservations that night (it was 5 pm when she demanded) and refusing to believe that there weren't any, and a whole list of stories like that.

Basically, what's more likely to happen is that you'll become a bit cynical. However, it's worth it for those smiles you'll get when you make someone's vacation! I never had a reasonable problem that I was not given to the power to fix!

[TwoIfBySea]

Originally Posted by figmentfan6

I had two male guests approach me once, at 11 am, to inform me that they had just been to HS and that RNRC and ToT were both down.

I'm curious what is it they were hoping you would do for them? Fix the rides? Give them a free vacation? .

I see what you mean, though. Yeah, that hadn't occurred to me. I suppose I could get frustrated if there were too many people demanding things that were obviously unreasonable, or totally impossible.

Although I guess I've read these boards enough that it shouldn't come as a surprise.

[Cais]

Thanks for the info! I'll be a Concierge starting in June and any information is super helpful! I was Attractions last time, so this is a whole different ballgame!