Concierge Confidential: The Secrets of Serving Champagne Bitches and Caviar Queens

I barely knew who used the Concierge counter at the hotel or what it was Really about.Isn't google or a good guide book sufficient? There's more to it. Read and find out.I found out about this book when listening to a Joe Rogan podcast when he was interviewing Michael Malise.I'll provide an abridged version of some of the interesting pieces in the book as that helps me often decide if the book is worth reading. So here goes :Some hotel guests ask for suggestions to the concierge only for validation. For e.g they might come in from another city gushing about some restaurant they want to go to (after having read about it in a book). He might know that nowadays it is not that great and a different restaurant that is not as popular has really good food and better service. If he tries to suggest it, they don't want to hear it. They just want validation that what they think is good is what is good. Also often it is about wanting to be able to say "I have been to so and so restauraunt" in NY.This one dude comes in from another country. He comes up to the counter and asks in a thick accent - how long to NJ?. Concierge says 3 hours and the guy can't believe it. He wants to reach there in like an hour or less. Concierge suggests renting a helicopter though at this time of night it would be hard to find a charter. He says Money no object., do it. Concierge has to scramble and make calls all over to find a chopper AND a pilot willing to cart this dude over. Guy goes over to Ceaser's casino, spends a boat load of money and comes back the next morning.Money flows like nothing with the rich folks using this service. A room alone costs $600 a night and above. He talks of 'triple platinum' members who travel all the world all the time and stay mainly in Inter-Continental hotels. They are treated like royalty.At one point he is running his own service and not working at the hotel. So during this period this one guy calls him and says he wants to organize something really cool for a friend who wants to spend a week between Venice and some other port city in Europe (I forget which one). He asks the concierge for ideas. Concierge suggets renting a yacht that just goes back and forth between the two cities. Concierge calls all around Europe trying to find a Yacht that can do this. Cost - a few hundred thousand dollars. No problem. Do it.There are many anecdotes covering the rich and famous obviously. Previously I had some sense of what rich people are like but after reading this I understood a whole new level of what they can afford. They are on a completely different plane. It is worth reading this book just to grok this fact alone as you will understand it in a deeper way.What was hard to digest for me was finding out that many rich folks have super expensive houses (or should I say mansions) all over the country / world that they barely stay in. But they are staffed and taken care of to keep it in top condition. The house manager alone makes six figures just to manage the house - keep the garden looking good, make sure to keep all the light bulbs on, furniture sparkling clean etc. All this for a house that they might visit once a year or not even that. And we have people in cities working paycheck to paycheck barely able to make rent.He does cover celebrity drama for a few like - Prince, J Lo, Norman Schwarzkopf, Bee Gees and maybe one or two others but there is not much more of that in this book. But that doesn't take away the joy in reading the book if you're more curious of what the job is about.The requests by Prince for example : This one time he comes in just for one nights stay. His people come in advance, have every piece of furniture carted out, totally revamp the room with new furniture, candles , etc that are just right to his tastes. Make it look like a room in a palace. All for just one night's stay.He is open about taking a cut from some of the various outfits that he uses for clients. Probably the same goes on with all concierges across most hotels. But I was surprised he put that in writing.He seems to go the extra mile for his clients. He seems to truly enjoy what he does. He works pretty hard that I felt I could not do the work at the level that he does.He actually started out working for Charlie Sheen/Martin Sheen's agent in Hollywood but eventually moved into the concierge career. Interesting anecdotes of the Hollywood celebs as well in that section.I did like his various sections in the book where he lays out what constitutes good service. Some reviewers didn't want that obviously. But I did like it. I'm in a totally different line of work but am fascinated by other professions and how they operate. So I was really interested in how life functioned in this unique strange world.Ignore the negative naysayers. This is a fun read that you can finish in one sitting if you wanted to.

Classy concierge service goes way beyond show tickets and reservations at hot restaurants, and Michael Fazio holds all of the golden keys. His creative methods of securing the elaborate experience of a night on the town or a bath tub filled with chocolate make for a fun read."Concierge Confidential" takes readers into the concierge (con-see-AIRJ) business full-throttle.His early experience in Hollywood working for a talent agent lit a spark in him that ignited into a bonfire of catering to the rich and famous. He turned that knowledge into a sucessful and lucritive business in New York once he learned the trade and started his own business with his partner, Abigail Michaels. The stories he relates are fascinating, and he goes into lots of detail to educate the reader about the finer points of this exciting business. I was sorry to see this book end, good fun and a total new respect for the people working behind the golden desk.

First off, this book is the exact same as "Concierge Confidential: The Secrets of Serving Champagne Bitches and Caviar Queens" with a different cover. (I purchased both thinking they were separate books by same author on same topic, but they are the exact same)I purchase think book hoping to get insight on what goes on in the hotel industry and more specifically "customer service" side. The book delivered, but does not cover insight in a more typical 1-3 star hotel which is what I was looking for. Fazio starts the book by talking about his career as a assistant for "the stars". That is where he learned how to meet the big demands of customer service. He then moves his career to the high end hotel industry and begins telling outrageous stories of how he was able to meet his high demanding guests' needs.If your looking for more realistic stories in everyday hotels, well, I haven't found that book yet. But try this website: [...]

This is a fun, entertaining book that I literally could not put down. I've had the pleasure of meeting Michael and as I read his book, I felt like he was actually speaking to me. He's a wonderful story teller who infuses his words with warmth and humor. I felt like I was along for the ride with him as he recounted his experiences dealing with his eccentric and demanding clientele. Truly a fun book and a great read for anyone who enjoys dining out and travel.

I not only read this book in just two sittings (I have a 13 month old, that says a lot!) but I feel like I came out of it with so much extra knowledge. It really is a gift that keeps on giving with all the advice, insider knowledge of the hotel business, and great tips for travel and dining. Michael Fazio is a great story teller and a breath of fresh air, not stuffy or snooty just plain informative and fun! If you like travel, dining out or want to know how to get vip without being a hassle or hitting the wallet too hard, get your copy of Concierge Confidential!