Do you want to make your traveling more adventurous? Then you need a travel concierge service. Please continue reading to see what it means and why you need it.
As traveling and tourism become more popular, affordable, and accessible, travel concierge services have also seen a steep rise.
More people are searching for ways to make their traveling as smooth as possible and have maximum pleasure. And for this reason, travelers, especially international ones, are hiring personal travel assistance services to ensure their travel is as desired.
The need for a genuine local experience and access to real-time and instant information has driven the demand for local assistance services.
This way, the travel concierge becomes instrumental to the current and future traveling and tourism industry. But what exactly does the term stand for? If you’ve never heard of the term travel concierge, here is its detailed definition.
Travel Concierge Definition
A travel concierge is simply a personal travel assistant. In some parts, a travel concierge is also called a personal concierge. It helps to arrange customized travel activities for you and handle any tasks you might be too busy to take, provided they are legal, moral, and ethical.
Mainly, travelers desire an authentic local experience, instant access to information, and local help to plan their stay. That is the gap that the travel concierge tends to fill.
Typically, a travel concierge will be a local individual who knows the ins and outs of your destination and is willing to offer 24/7 support during your stay there.
Travel concierges possess quite an extensive knowledge of transportation, tourist attraction sites, hospitality, and guiding services for the desired destination. Additionally, they are aware of the cultural, social, and legal aspects.
This business field is dynamic since some personal concierges may work independently while others work for an agency. Nonetheless, most concierges will have agreements with various restaurants, accommodations, museums, and transport providers.
Although this factor makes their services quite pricey, the trade-off is that you won’t get stranded at any moment.
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Travel Concierge Service Meaning & Examples
Now that we understand who is a travel concierge, how about we look at some of the services they offer? A travel concierge service is any professional service a travel concierge can offer.
It is hard to state an exhaustive list of these services daily; a new service might get pushed into the existing array of services. These services are hardly classified since the range of services offered is typically tailored per the client’s request.
To broaden your perspective regarding travel concierge services, here is a timeline. The services can be anything from when a client alights the plane or any other means of transport to when they end the trip and return home.
Several services between these two points can be offered, hence the lack of specified classifications. Due to the broad range of services, travel concierges are expected to be flexible enough to meet the diverse needs of their clients.
Some examples of travel concierge services include:
- Meeting the client upon arrival
- Book accommodations
- Private transportation
- Restaurant reservations
- Translation services
- Advising on the best night-life
- And any other service that will assist with the day-to-day issues as they emerge.
Why Would You Need Travel Assistance?
It is agreeable that not every person would prefer to have a travel concierge during their trip for various reasons. Some prefer managing every bit of their lives. Others prefer not to add extra cost to their journey, which has already swallowed a massive chunk from their bank accounts.
In another instance, someone would be familiar with their destination, thus lowering the need for a travel concierge.
Nonetheless, why would you need a travel concierge anyway? To answer this question, we need to understand the benefits of having a travel concierge and the problems they solve.
Saves Time
The most significant trade-off is that the travel concierge saves time. We can all agree that a large population has more money than time in the modern world. Again, most people will value time more than money, thus making time a scarce resource.
Therefore, individuals who possess more money than time will mainly use that money to afford some extra time on their hands. Well, it’s not that their days will now have more than 24 hours, but at least some activities that would consume their time will be off the list.
A travel concierge will handle most of the time-consuming tasks leaving you with ample time to enjoy your trip. And these services are not only hired by individuals, but corporate companies also do. Companies hire travel concierges for their employees on business trips to take care of some petty issues off their members’ shoulders.
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Assures Authentic Experiences and Adventure
The other main advantage of travel concierges is to guarantee an authentic local experience and adventure. Generally, most travelers exploring different parts of the world expect to meet a certain level of local authenticity in their destination. Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
Restaurants and other social centers may fail to pose an authentic image, while locals may interact with tourists differently. Having a local guide will avert this challenge.
Additionally, you will be able to adventure and explore authentic culture in places you wouldn’t have managed to go to alone.
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Safety
Safety is a significant concern when traveling to a foreign land. Because you are an alien, it out-rightly renders you susceptible.
However, with a travel concierge, you are assured of your safety as you have someone on watch and ready to jump in whenever an issue arises. With a travel concierge, you can enjoy the peace of mind you desire on your trip.
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How Travel Concierge Services Work
Traditionally, travel concierges were tied to specific hotels and accommodations. Mostly it was a task carried by security guards, housekeepers, or the bellhop. They were the individuals to whom a guest would run for assistance.
Over time, things have changed, and the disruption is evident within the tourism and hospitality industry. Today, travel concierge has become a mainstream industry, thanks to the diverse business scene and the internet.
Nowadays, you can hire your concierge at your service 24/7. The services will vary depending on the assistance type and the level of aid requested. Travel concierge services may incorporate large corporate conventions, private events, luxury trips, and business retreats.
So, depending on the type of assistance you need, you can easily find a service provider who majored in the desired area.
A travel concierge may work independently on their terms or be part of a concierge agency. Independent concierges will generally set their rules and rates and readily agree on one-on-one. On the other hand, with concierge agencies, a travel concierge will have to play by the company’s rules.
To offer excellent services, most travel concierges will take time to know you. This helps them to serve you in the best way possible that meets your budget requirements. Concierges will also do some research and provide you with additional information regarding your trip.
It’s also essential to distinguish travel concierges from travel agents. While a travel concierge is interested in your satisfaction regarding the trip, a travel agent is interested in sales.
Travel agents are salespersons rather than advisers who sell specific vocational packages, hotels, cruise lines, and other tour-related services.
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How to Select the Best Travel Concierge
Having realized how a travel concierge would come in handy with your next trip or vacation, I’m sure some questions popped up in your mind. I bet one of them was how you would select the perfect travel concierge for your trip.
With the industry’s growth, there are more concierge services than ever. The expansion can be both a blessing and a headache at the same time. First of all, it is a good thing that a wide range of options exists.
However, the bad news is that picking the best from a list of suitable options can be taxing and challenging. To try and solve this issue, here are points to consider when selecting a travel concierge.
Know the Type of Assistance that You Need
It is a rule of thumb that no one is a jack of every trade. This rule is quite applicable to this industry. Most of the concierges will major in certain services even though they can still offer other services.
Therefore, before comparing travel concierges or concierge agencies, think and analyze what kind of personal assistance you need.
Do you need a travel concierge who will plan and book perfect dining experiences or one who will recommend and take you to the best tourist sites?
Do you need someone to assist you in interacting with the locals, or are you looking for local general lifestyle assistance? Determining what you want the travel assistant to do is crucial in minimizing your selection list.
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Determine the Level of Assistance that You Need
Given that this is quite a dynamic industry, most travel concierge and concierge agencies will offer various packages depending on the level of assistance. It is a standard business model to split packages as per services being provided and cost in most fields.
This model helps to target a more extensive and diverse customer pool. It helps to ensure that the customers get ultimate satisfaction as per their needs.
Cheaper plans usually involve minimal services and assistance, while the more expensive ones offer a wide range of services. Determining the level of aid required will help you in budgeting for your trip and selecting the most suitable package for you.
Other than having fixed-price packages, the new trend in the industry is on-demand concierge services. The pay-as-you-go model seeks to accomplish specific tasks as the client demands.
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Consider the Geographic Coverage of Your Trip
This point is hugely applicable if you are touring several areas within a single trip. For instance, you might decide to travel to a specific country. However, you will visit various locations within the same country rather than sticking to one region.
In such a situation, you might consider having a single travel concierge for the entire trip or picking one for every destination. If you like one for the whole trip, choosing one who is knowledgeable about the country is best.
What if your trip involves traveling to multiple countries? That might be tedious and ultimately expensive if you choose a new concierge in every country. Well, here is where the beauty of a global travel concierge comes in. Some agencies have networks of personnel across the globe.
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Conclusion
Do you intend to find a travel concierge? One can find travel concierges through various means and many different places. These places include the Internet, travel agencies, large corporations, and hotels. However, the internet saves us a lot of hustle as it provides information and options.
Unfortunately, the internet might be full of unnecessary information. But there are numerous legit travel concierge sites you can try out. These include:
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