1. 63
>>travel<<
Whether it’s finding an expert to shine diamond shoes
or procuring a helicopter on short notice, Jumeirah’s
London concierges have accomplished it all. Claire Hill,
Jumeirah’s blogger and international traveller, reports
Mission:
not-at-all
impossible

2. 65
>>travel<<
64
t begins with good service. Les Clefs d’Or. It’s a
prestigious organisation and international network of hotel concierges who
are committed to promoting professionalism and solidarity in the industry. A
well-known saying among members is to provide ‘service through friendship,’
and it’s a motto Jumeirah Group concierges are proud to live by. Regularly
tasked with negotiating tables at ‘fully booked’ restaurants or creating elab-
orate celebrations at the drop of a hat, the team work around the clock to
ensure their first response to a guest request will never be no. So what do
some of those requests look like? If you’re curious, read on…
Passports, cakes, and clippers
There was once a request for a gluten-free, dairy-free cake shaped like a black
panther. The team managed to have one made and delivered that same day.
Another guest called from Heathrow airport after realising his passport was
still in the hotel safe. Jones, the Head Concierge, took the matter into his own
hands, personally delivering the item after beating the London traffic on his
motorbike. Still another guest came with a rather unusual question: Where
can I find a pair of sheep shearing clippers? By scouring the internet and an
extensive contact list, the item was eventually tracked down on the other side
of the world. Of course, this presented another challenge: the guest needed to
take the clippers back to the Middle East and was scheduled to leave the UK
that week. Within three days they had arrived from New Zealand and were
sent to the guest (who was spending his last few days out of town).
Diamond shoes
During his 17 year career at Jumeirah Carlton Tower, Head Concierge Jason
Laker Jones has dealt with a whole manner of requests, ranging from the
mundane to the magnificent. He might be searching for a horse-drawn car-
riage one minute and booking a helicopter transfer the next.
“I’ll never forget the guest who arrived at the desk one day with a pair of
diamond encrusted shoes. They were worth GBP20,000 and he asked us to
have them professionally cleaned.” Worthy of more than just a simple pol-
ish, the team located a diamond dealer who agreed to help. The guest was
delighted with the result and proudly strolled back into the lobby sporting
his dazzling diamond shoes. Then came his next request: “I need a helicop-
ter and a smoked salmon sandwich to go.” Within 20 minutes, an S-Class
I Mercedes had whisked the gentleman (complete with sandwich) off to the
heliport and he was up and away.
A travel companion
For some, circumstances mean they may need to stay at the hotel for long
periods of time. Special bonds are made and lifelong friendships can develop.
One elderly guest stayed at the hotel for a year while visiting a poorly rela-
tive in hospital. When she returned to her native France, a member of staff
escorted her back and spent a few days helping her to resettle. For the team,
it was a straightforward decision to make. “This particular lady had sadly just
lost one of her only relatives. It felt appropriate for a team member to accom-
pany her back to France,” Jones explains.
Tooth fairy visits
Over at Grosvenor House Apartments by Jumeirah Living, the team is just
as well-versed. A ‘normal’ week might include scheduling impromptu visits
from fantasy folklore figures or arranging a lavish children’s birthday party
for 70 guests (complete with its own set design, dinosaurs and fire-breathers,
then sending a Rolls-Royce to collect several boxes of chicken nuggets from
the birthday boy’s favourite fast-food restaurant). The team do their utmost
to make everything happen.
Head Concierge Dan McCaskie explains how the team rallied round to
help one of their younger guests who had experienced a particularly stress-
ful few days in the capital. During a trip to Hyde Park, the girl had acciden-
tally fallen into the Serpentine lake and arrived back at the property some-
what dishevelled. On speaking to other Jumeirah staff, he noticed she had a
wobbly tooth. A few days later, her smile revealed the tooth had fallen out.
Such strong rapport existed between the team and the family that a lifestyle
assistant seized the opportunity and arrived at the family’s room one even-
ing dressed as the tooth fairy.
Claire Hill is PR Manager and Copywriter, Jumeirah Group. On a weekly basis,
new stories about Hill’s travels from across the luxurious world of Jumeirah will
be posted on the Jumeirah blog. Every month, her highlights will appear here. For
more information, visit experiencejumeirah.com. For more information about any
of Jumeirah’s luxurious London properties, visit jumeirah.com.