Business UNUSUAL
At your service Entrepreneurs carve out a niche for hyper-specialized concierge companies to service clients always on the go. By Styliana Resvanis
Serving Up Service Gone are the simple days of concierges recommending restaurants and calling cabs; nowadays, the hotel and travel industry is upping its customer service game with specialized offerings such as wedding social media management and bucket list vacation planning. But the rise of the personal concierge has paved the way for niche offerings at home, too, with companies shaping services around pet parents, avid exercisers, mothers-to-be, homeowners and more. “Everybody’s trying to squeeze 36 hours into a 24hour day,” says Katharine Giovanni, founder of the International Concierge and Lifestyle Management Directory and a concierge trainer and consultant with Triangle International. “Instead of [technology] making our lives easier, we’re even busier than before because we take our office everywhere we go,” she says, noting there are specialized concierge services for nearly every task and tax bracket. “[The] concierge is saying, ‘Let us do the things you have to do, so you can do what you want to do.’”
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Designer Previews
Growing Momentum
Donna Paul wants to make you feel at home, and she’ll connect you with the designers to make that happen. For a flat fee of $250, she meets with clients as many times as it takes to pinpoint their budget, style and project scope. She then constructs a tailored list of designers and architects she represents and helps clients choose the perfect person for the job. “Websites can’t talk to you; they can’t take care of you and they can’t think the way I can,” says Paul, a former design journalist. Although Designer Previews was established in 1984, she took over the interior design concierge service in 2012. Since then, she’s helped facilitate projects for brands such as Tiffany & Co. and residential spaces such as prewar apartments in New York City and laid-back beach houses in South Florida. “The home is ultimately our haven,” Paul says. “Fundamentally, we all want whatever home we’re in to be reflective of us.”
Despite the decreasing demand for concierge services during the recession, companies dove into the industry because there were few barriers to entry, according to a 2014 report from market research company IBISWorld. With annual revenue of $318 million, the industry will likely continue growing over the next five years, the report reveals. The industry is poised to become more high tech via virtual services and mobile apps. Companies such as text messaging service Magic and hotel giants such as the Ritz-Carlton and Marriott are testing the waters.
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