If only everyone bothered to listen

It takes a special personality to be a successful concierge. Widely recognised as a professional tasked with achieving the impossible, the role requires a dedication to service perhaps unsurpassed by any other discipline.

A waiter is entitled to tell a customer a dish is off the menu, but as the subject of our cover feature, Ben Malpass, points out, "we never say ‘no we can't do that'".

For the head concierge at the Cavendish London, there is always a means of solving a problem or providing an alternative. No matter how odd the request, a concierge is expected to deliver.

Fulfilling short notice requests for theatre tickets or tables at top restaurants - as well as any outlandish desires - takes an extensive list of contacts and an understanding of service providers and how they operate. It means being the calm, rational voice linking client and supplier.

These are just the qualities British Hospitality Association chief executive Bob Cotton suggests are missing from many of the government quangos set up to administer hospitality (page 22).

He says that with the exception of VisitBritain, these agencies produce regulations with seemingly little accountability to the industry they serve. There also seem to be many whose roles overlap, causing confusion in both the hospitality industry and the agencies themselves.

The Food Standards Agency comes in for particular criticism for its promotion of calorie counted menus - an initiative that could land unsuspecting operators in hot water with Trading Standards - without serious industry discussion.

Cotton says that the FSA is consulting "but the industry is never sure that it actually listens to what it's being told". It's an accusation that could never be levelled at a top class concierge.

James Stagg, Content Editor, Caterer and Hotelkeeper