The word concierge is still synonymous with the world of luxury hotels, exclusive locations and decadent requests being met at any costs. But the role of the concierge was not originally from the domain of the luxury hotel…
The word itself is actually French and means ‘keeper of the keys’. During the Middle Ages, concierges did just that. When castles across Europe hosted visiting nobility, the concierge kept the keys to the castle rooms and ensured the guests had everything they needed during their stay.
By the 1800s, a number of buildings in Europe had their own concierge on staff, such as government offices, and even prisons, such as the famous prison in Paris called The Conciergerie whose warden kept the keys and assigned cells to all the inmates, including Marie Antoinette!
In essence, the role of the Concierge has always been to provide access although in more recent times, the Concierge has become the ‘go-to’ person who has the connections, tenacity, calmness to execute any request.