Images
Caribbean Initiative
Les Clefs d’Or USA is host to a series of training classes to be provided to concierges throughout the Caribbean. The seminars, entitled Les Clefs d’Or USA presents the Concierge Professional, are sponsored by Caribbean Escapes and other luxury travel partners in the Caribbean. It includes exciting presentations by founding member of Les Clef d’Or USA and internationally renowned service expert Marjorie Silverman, Chef Concierge Hotel Intercontinental Chicago and past President Union Internationale des Concierges d'Hotels, Les Clefs d'Or; current Les Clefs d'Or USA President Shujaat Khan, Chef Concierge of the Capital Hilton in Washington DC; Maurice Dancer, Chef Concierge of The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York City, and other senior members of our organization.
These training sessions are provided at no charge to individuals functioning as concierges. “The U.S. Board of Directors is excited to be able to share our knowledge and experience with our Caribbean colleagues. It is an exciting joint venture. We plan to make a difference in service standards,” states Mr. Khan.
Les Clefs d’Or is an organization that seeks to improve the guest experience by creatively catering to the travelers needs. The training classes are open to hotels, which are members of their local hotel associations. Employees from those member hotels that are currently providing concierge services are invited to attend. The classes are one day each and with a maximum of 25 students per class. The classes incorporate entertaining video content from Holly Stiel’s award-winning DVD training courses, and will focus on a wide range of topics including: Making the Impossible Possible, The Desire to Serve, Networking to meet the clients needs, Acquiring Knowledge of “The Best,” and the Concierge Professional. Contact Holly Stiel at thankyouinc@aol.com.
The first destination to receive the training was Barbados. Susan Springer, Executive Director of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association added, “The concierge role is a specialized function within the hospitality industry. This function will clearly benefit from a training class developed for their specific needs and skill sets. The concierge attendees, their hotels, the industry, and ultimately the traveler to Barbados will gain from the skills acquired from the training. We’d like to thank Les Clefs d’Or USA, Caribbean Escapes, and the other sponsors for pulling this training together.”
“Travel is never just about the resort, it’s about the overall experience,” commented Glenn Harris, the principal and founder of Caribbean Escapes. “Caribbean Escapes (CE) educates affluent clients on the islands of the Caribbean and the luxurious resorts available. As such, the training provided by Les Clefs d’Or is a perfect project for CE to support. As we know, the concierge is often a key part of the vacation for a demanding client who continually raises the bar of their level of expectations. We are glad to be a part of this initiative to enhance concierge skills in the islands.”
For more information, please contact the Director of Media and Education, Kathleen Fitzgerald at newsletter@lcdusa.org.
