Ask concierge Charles

ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD: Hotel concierge Charles Ferrer with his golden keys (Les Clefs d’Or) insignia

In a hotel, the  concierge is the person to approach if a guest needs information and assistance, or has a very special request. His wide contacts and extensive knowledge of the city or country where he works  allows him to “make seemingly impossible requests come to life.”

In the United Arab Emirates, Filipino concierge Charles Ferrer has such a reputation. He is currently the President of the UAE chapter of Les Clefs d’Or, (The Golden Keys) the prestigious organization of hotel concierges worldwide.  He is also the chief concierge of Grand Millennium Al Wahda Abu Dhabi, the biggest hotel property in Abu Dhabi with 844 rooms and suites. Earlier, Charles won as Dubai’s Best Hotel Concierge of the Year in 2009.

A creative fixer

Creativity is part and parcel of his day-to-day life. He remembers a most romantic evening he had arranged for a guest. The guest wanted a romantic setting in which to propose marriage to his sweetheart. “I managed to find him a seat at the famous Ossiano restaurant at the Atlantis Palm Jumeirah and then I contacted my  fellow concierge to arrange for scuba divers at 9 p.m. to flash a banner  saying ” Will you marry me?” The fiancée was caught by surprise, he retells. She   said “yes.”

Once, a Sheikh asked him to arrange his stay in Washington DC. Charles called his counterpart and briefed him about what to do. When the Sheikh arrived in Washington, he was very pleased that he was fetched by a stretch limo and was personally met by the chief concierge.

Another story concerns one guest, a hotel executive  from  Vancouver who came to Dubai for business  but had forgotten to bring her business cards.  Charles called her hotel to scan her business card and email it to him. “I empathized with her, that she would be going out on business meetings without her card. So I got a box of business cards done for her in one hour and a half. She almost cried when she saw it.  After three years, I saw her again. She happened to be the new President of the Les Clefs D’or—and she did not forget me.”  One goes to the concierge to get the human touch.

When asked what was the most generous tip he had ever received, he demurred an answer.  But he had a story about a wealthy Syrian family celebrating a wedding that left an AED 25000 (P300,000) cash tip which he generously shared with the rest of his team.

Former student leader

Charles has been in the UAE since 2002, starting his career as concierge of the preopening team of The Fairmont Dubai.

“I never dreamed of being a hotelier,  in fact I was focused on becoming a lawyer,” recalled Charles of his student days.  He graduated at the Lyceum of the Philippines with a degree in Political Science.  During his senior year, he was elected president of the university student council while simultaneously working as the chairman of a youth foundation in the office of a Manila congressman.

THE GRAND Millennium Al Wahda Hotel Abu Dhabi has over 844 rooms.

His political training apparently paid off in his career in the

hotel industry.  He was a natural leader plus a good public

speaker.

As a newbie in Dubai, Charles set out to know everything he could about Dubai. “In this kind of job, you have to know everything under the sun and think out of the box,” he said.

“I would take the bus, go around Dubai, be very observant and take notes.” He also got to know  the Filipino representatives of different service providers

His diligence paid off—after eight months on the job, he was recognized by the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Markering  as Best Presented Concierge of the Year.  This competition was for all Dubai hotel concierges conducted through a series of mystery shopper visits. Charles explains: “the mystery shoppers ask anything and everything.  For example, questions like,  why do Arab men wear  white while the women wear black? Where can I find camel milk? What are the components of Arabic coffee?  When was oil discovered in Dubai? How long is the Dubai creek.” Charles won  because he was a wide and voracious reader.

Kababayan models

His models and inspirations have been fellow Filipinos. He had heard about the chief concierge of top hotel Burj Al Arab, a fellow Filipino, Danny Gonzalez, who started the local Les Clefs d’Or.  He also looked up to  Andy Pongco, InterContinental Manila’s former chief concierge who was the first Asian vice president of the Union Internationale des Concierges Hotels (UICH). Andy encouraged Filipinos to take the lead, he remembered.

“In 2009, we applied to become an independent chapter in the Union International des Concierges d’Hotels (UICH). It is probably one of the greatest challenges of my life—to persuade 40 country Les Clefs d’Or Presidents to vote in favor UAE’s application for independence. In 2010 we were successful in our application and that same year we were accepted as the  41st country section to join the prestigious organization worldwide.”

Charles was unanimously elected the first President of Les Clefs d’Or in UAE, leading 125 different nationalities representing 50 five star hotels. Les Clefs d’Or-UAE is the only recognized hotel concierge union in the region with Qatar and Saudi Arabia members under the UAE’s chapter.

Les Clefs d’Or, formed in France in 1929, now boasts more than 3,000 members in 40 countries. Members can be distinguished by the gold keys they display on their lapels.

Keys to success

We asked concierge Charles: What are the  keys to success for overseas workers?  His advise: “Believe in yourself, acknowledge God in everything you do, and apply the best practices with integrity and respect.

Secondly, defy your fears. “Going abroad is full of loneliness and fear. Here you face the dilemma of culture shock and the pain of leaving your loved ones behind. However, if you are determined to achieve your aspirations, keep the faith, remain calm and patient and strive hard without cutting corners. If you don’t have patience, you explode… You must be strong to overcome challenges. So one more thing, look after your health. ”

TEAM WORK. Charles with his concierge team

“Thirdly, give respect to get respect. ” We must be empathic and show compassion to others.  If you have onion skin you will lose the battle. Don’t take anything personally and deal with things professionally. If you lose your temper, you lose the game.”

Fifth is his tip on performance management. “After any feedback session with my team,  I make sure that  we leave as friends because I am not against them—I am just against the bad behavior.” explained Charles.

Lastly, “you must have the guts. You must be willing to take a risk;  try to achieve. But even if you fail it is better to have taken the risk. I take the risk to give recommendations and I stand for what is right even to a point of risking my job. I speak out and I confront when I feel discriminated. I can be straightforward.”

“Filipinos are innovative, hospitable and caring. These traits need to be enhanced, while  being shy and lazy is something that needs to be set aside.

“Regardless of race, creed or nationality, I am highly confident that Filipinos have what it takes to be ‘champions.’”

Well said by a champion  hotelier.