Sommelier when choosing wine, barista when choosing coffee… In the hotel? There’s a concierge for your service doctor.

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Unfamiliar cities, unfamiliar landscapes and unfamiliar people. Leaving familiar things behind, leaving your body in an unfamiliar environment. That’s the trip. They travel to the pleasure of experiencing new things in an unfamiliar environment that they have never experienced, but the reality that they encountered in the field is not easy. They can’t even ask for directions because they can’t communicate, and they keep wandering about the same distance with their destination in front of their noses, or misunderstandings due to different cultures from Korea. These are experiences that anyone who has become a traveler would have experienced at least once. At least if you’re staying in a hotel, you don’t have to worry about this. This is because there is a concierge. There are numerous concierges around the world, but there are some more special concierges among them. It is the concierge with the’Golden Key’ badge. As of 2021, there are 24’Golden Keys’ in Korea. At the concierge, the main stage for middle-aged men whose average age is in their late 40s to early 50s, she met with Lotte Hotel Seoul concierge Jeong Hye-young, 30, who was named the youngest female Golden Key in Korea to hear interesting stories from the hotel industry.

―Concierge, what exactly are you doing?

▷ In the Middle Ages, people who managed a huge castle and lighted candles were called Concierge in French. Hotel Concierge is a word from Concierge. It can be said to be a kind of’service doctor’ who sees through the hearts of customers and solves all inconveniences. It acts as a kind of planner to manage the overall itinerary of customers, such as reservations for restaurants and performances, and directions. In addition, VIPs are received, farewells, and protocols are also held. Of course, we also accept customer complaints.

―Do you solve anything the customer wants?

▷ We help you with all the tasks you want. However, in’goodness that does not violate moral regulations and laws’. Occasionally, a client may require attendance to write a business contract, as the contract can be linked to legal matters. In that case, rather than saying that it can’t be done, we’re looking for someone who can help you with the job and connect you.

―I draw attention to the golden key badge.

▷ This is the’Golden Key’ received from the World Concierge Association last year. It’s also known as Les Clefs d`Or, and I got it really hard (laughs). Golden Key means the best concierge used in luxury hotels around the world. There are more than 4,000 Golden Keys active in 80 countries around the world, and there are 24 Golden Keys, including myself, in Korea as of 2021. I know I am the youngest.

―I heard that the Golden Key screening is tricky.

▷Regular members of Reclador can receive the Golden Key, but the conditions for regular membership are difficult. You must be 21 years of age or older, have more than 5 years of experience in the hotel room department, and must recommend 3 or more full members. The recommendation of the hotel general manager is also very important. In addition, you must attend the World Concierge Assembly at least once and complete the training. In addition, regular general meetings, workshops, and volunteer activities should be attended. Thanks to the consideration of Lotte Hotel, I was able to finish the outside activities safely. In addition to your experience, you must go through screening, such as document screening, written test, and interview, to receive this badge. If you need help when visiting a hotel, don’t hesitate to find our Golden Key.

―What are the main virtues of a concierge?

▷ There are two things, but I think the most important thing is’observation ability’. The other can be a bit clichéd, but it’s a’spirit of service’. Concierges do quite a lot of work, and they need a so-called sense to provide meticulous service to their customers. Sense comes from observational power. If you carefully observe the customer’s gestures, facial expressions, and speech, we may provide unexpected services.

―I heard that you should be fluent in foreign languages ​​as well.

▷ English is basic. Since there is a lot of customer service in Asia, Chinese and Japanese are also available little by little. I can speak a little French. Of course, there are times when you need to speak a language you have never heard of before. I once met a VIP customer wearing a hanbok, and since I spoke Spanish, I had a simple conversation that I memorized in Spanish, and they welcomed me in my native language. I asked for patience because there was only one sentence that I memorized, and I continued the conversation in English, but I remember that the customer liked it very much (laughs).

―Do you have any episodes that you remember while working as a concierge?

▷ It was an event of the World Adoptees Association held at our hotel. It was from an American family, and he brought me a note. The Korean address was written down in English exactly as you could hear the pronunciation. It was the place where the adopted person was born, and it was a request to go to this place. Holt Children’s Welfare Association, the organizers of the event, etc. asked all over the place, but when I checked the address, it was an empty lot without a building. After explaining, we have booked all the transportation. Later, I met my family members who went there and said,’Although there was nothing, it was a really happy time to be able to visit where I was born. Thank you.’

―I think there must have been a customer of `the truth`.

▷ Um, I actually think of one person, but this is the person who impressed me a lot. It was a Russian customer staying at our hotel with my husband and two children, and he was very demanding. In the industry, such people are called’Attention Guest’. You can see it as a customer who needs close response (laughs). For example,’choose the best restaurant, make a reservation, and put a confirmation message.’ There were also many demanding rooms. For example, in the mini-bar that comes with 3 bottles, you need to put 10 bottles of water, and the bed will have 3 of the 7 pillows that the hotel has in the north direction. Usually, there was no problem because I checked it again and again before this person checked in, but the problem broke out elsewhere. He pays for the accommodation in advance, but not all credit cards he has.

―You must have been embarrassed that the card was not approved.

▷ He got angry rather than embarrassed. I’ve been on a plane from Russia for a long time, and now I’m trying to take a break, but I can’t pay. So I told the credit card company that I needed to check in and helped me check in. Although it was closed the next day, the problem was urgently resolved, so I contacted the customer service center of the credit card company. The problem was that the international payment limit was not raised. We apologized for being angry yesterday when we solved the problem. As time passed, when this person stayed at our hotel again, unfortunately, I was in charge of it again. He remembered my name because he had solved the card problem earlier. I still remember the last words he said while checking out. “I always stayed here because I like Lotte Hotel, but next time I visit again, I hope it’s because of you.” I was just doing my job, and thinking that it moved the hearts of customers, which gave me more pride in my job.

―Is there a’secret note’ that can cope with this situation?

▷ When I first join the company, I have so many things to memorize. I always carry a small notebook with me, but these days I sometimes take notes or take pictures on my smartphone. There are parts that you need to pay attention to for each VIP. For example, depending on the country of origin of the customer, the room temperature is adjusted, or the pillow is to know in advance the preference of feathers or cypress. You need to know in advance what kind of welcome fruit is good for you and what foods you are allergic to. The same goes for the rooms, whether you prefer Namsan View or City View, and the location of the rooms is closer to the elevator or at the end of the corridor. If customers have stayed at our hotel, we also refer to the notes (comments) left at the time.

―Aren’t there any so-called’occupational soldiers’?

▷ I talked about the secret note earlier, but there are things that change over time, so I need to keep updating it. Sometimes the boundaries between work and rest are lost. On days off, I also visit Dongdaemun, Myeongdong, and Hongdae. You need to know in advance where you can recommend to customers. There are even people who go on a preliminary survey while doing’dating’. They also take pictures and make notes. It will be more trustworthy if I show the photos I took to customers. Food and beverage events at our hotel are basic, and in addition to the recent local festivals, tourist attractions, restaurants, etc., taxi drivers who have been praised for being friendly to tourists should also know in advance. At this time, the most necessary thing is’personnel skills’ (laughs). The hot places that are currently the most famous should be lined up.

―I am curious about what made you work as a concierge.

▷ Originally, I wanted to become a teacher, so I went to the College of Education, and because I had the opportunity to take language training, I lived abroad for a while. Living abroad worked well for me. I loved meeting people, learning foreign languages, and traveling. Airline crew members are also involved, but I like to work on the ground, so I knocked on the door of a hotel. I have been working at Lotte Hotel since 2015. The concierge is able to establish a relationship with the customer, and the concierge changes the guest’s staying experience and satisfaction, so I think it’s a really good fit for me.

―This is the last question. What is a concierge to me?

▷ The customer experience itself. Concierge plays an important role in determining customer satisfaction. Just like listening to the sommelier’s opinions when choosing wine and recommending coffee from a barista, I hope Golden Key can trust us in hotels. We refer to Golden Key as a’universal key’, and we want to become a concierge that can identify customers’ needs first and represent them.

▶▶She is…

Korea’s youngest female Golden Key holder. Born in Seoul in 1990, he dropped out while attending the Department of French Education at Sangmyung University College of Education and majored in hotel management at IHTTI, a prestigious hotel school in Switzerland. Since 2015, she has been working as a concierge at Lotte Hotel Seoul and received a Golden Key from the World Concierge Association in October last year. Since 2018, he has been taking the lead in nurturing service talent by serving as an in-service instructor at Lotte Hotel.

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