- Hotel concierges do everything from making restaurant reservations to planning elaborate events.
- Hilton Hotel concierge Elly Grace Rinaldis gave us a behind-the-scenes look at what the job entails.
The concierge is the hotel world's equivalent of a genie in a bottle — except some guests make far more than three wishes.
Elly Grace Rinaldis, a 26-year-old concierge at the Hilton Hotel in Brisbane, Australia, gave Insider a behind-the-scenes look at what the mystical job actually entails. Turns out, it's way more than booking restaurant reservations.
Every morning, staff receive a list of diamond members, the hospitality group's highest customer loyalty status, who are arriving that day.
The five-star hotel caters mainly to business travelers, some of whom are high-maintenance VIPs who employees refer to as "handle with care guests," Rinaldis said. "They're very fragile."
Sometimes, people will ask Rinaldis the impossible, like organizing a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef — which is a 20-hour drive or 2.5-hour flight from the hotel.
"I struggle to fully keep my composure when these things are happening because I just think it's hilarious," she told Insider.
But instead of immediately shutting down absurd requests, Rinaldis said she treats every question like it's completely valid. In this case, that meant replying that she could charter a private helicopter, while politely noting that she recommends spending at least a week at the reef to fully enjoy snorkeling and exploring the area.
As long as the request is humanely possible, Rinaldis said she will try her best to make it happen.
Recently, a returning guest asked to throw an elaborate wedding anniversary party at the hotel. Rinaldis spent three days organizing the event, which she documented in a three-part series on her TikTok account.
"She wanted a dress for herself, a dress for her daughter, she wanted a makeup artist, she wanted everything delivered to the hotel," she told Insider.
@ellygracer If she doesn’t like these dresses imma be so stressed !!!!!! #wedding ♬ My Barn My Rules - MCR-T & horsegiirL
After booking a DJ, catering food, buying flowers, and renting a Bentley to transport the guests, all the hard work paid off, Rinaldis said. She was tipped $800, she told Insider — the biggest tip she'd ever received from a hotel guest.
Typically, guests will tip Rinaldis between $5 and $20 for parking their car and carrying their bags to their room. The most she's been tipped by a guest for a few days of normal concierge duties was $150, she told Insider.
One red flag indicating a guest might be particularly difficult is how they treat the valet drivers upon arrival, Rinaldis said.
For example, when one guest entered the parking lot through the exit lane, Rinaldis asked if he wanted valet service. She said he responded: "I don't want you monkeys parking my car."
Rinaldis then cheekily replied, "but you came in the wrong way. So I don't know who the monkey is," she told Insider.
While Rinaldis said she's never dealt with a major dispute, unhappy guests are typically placated with what the industry calls a "return of service," whether it be a free night's stay, a bottle of champagne, or complimentary parking.
"Most sane people realize that at the end of the day, I'm not God. I can't perform miracles," Rinaldis said. "I can just try my best."
Do you work for a cruise line, airline, or luxury hotel? Email this reporter at htowey@insider.com to share your story.