You’ll find them in the foyer of any hotel of note. They must be friendly and have ready answers to guests' questions, even when faced with the most difficult of clients. And to work at the iconic Sarova Stanley Hotel in Nairobi’s CBD, they must be ready to cater to the demands of some of the most demanding VIP clients in the city.
When the hotel’s Head of Concierge Steve Kinguli walks up to greet me, he looks the part in a neat black three-piece suit, with a red jacket. I am there for a heritage tour of this historic hotel (available to the public on booking) whose backstory is so woven into that of the city centre that it’s hard to talk about one without the other.
Pinned on his lapel are a pair of intersecting golden keys; when you walk into any hotel and see these on a concierge’s jacket, just know that you have hit the jackpot. They symbolise an elite group of concierges globally, who belong to an association called Les Clefs d’Or, which was founded in Paris in 1929.
These golden keys can open any door, and there are only six in Kenya, with most of the pioneers having since retired. They worked at places like Hilton, Eka, InterContinental, and Norfolk hotels. For you to become a Les Clefs d’Or concierge you must have worked in a hotel for more than five years, because they are like fine wine that gets better with age.
Mr Kinguli has been with Sarova for 30 years, since 1992, and been Head of Concierge from 1997 to date, having started at the hotel as a porter.
“I’ve handled VIP guests like Richard Branson, Richard Quest, Graca Machel, and former African presidents like Evarista Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Jacob Zuma of South Africa, Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia, Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and more,” says Mr Kinguli.
“I’m a historian and have a good memory for names and faces, so I see a lot of guests who used to stay with me, even in previous posts at Ambassador Hotel or Sarova Whitesands, and recognise them immediately. Sometimes I can recognise a guest by their suitcase, and they get so shocked. There’s a gentleman called Franco, based in Arusha. We used to serve him at Ambassador in 1992. When he came to the Stanley for the first time seven years ago, I recognised him, and he was shocked”.
Handling VIPs
While he handles all guests who walk through the doors of the hotel, Mr Kinguli says that he doesn’t get timid in the face of dignitaries who stay in the hotel’s VIP wing, even when accompanied by big teams of security.
“You have to perform your duties to the highest level and know things at your fingertips,” he says.
“For VIPs, we do express check in, so they don’t pass by reception. From the foyer they go straight to the room and any paperwork is handled there. A small brief is done and they’re left alone. I know I have the experience, so I don’t get nervous. If they’re with a big security team, I just keep my eyes on the main guest.”
Concierge is a French word for information, and according to Mr Kinguli who’s telling me about the hotel and the British royalty that have graced these premises, right down to the dates, without referencing any copy, you need to be knowledgeable, quick thinking and a good problem solver. You become a walking encyclopedia for the hotel and city, as he puts it. He enjoys it, particularly meeting guests from all over the world.
Pillow talk
He gets all manner of requests from clients. “Guests will come to a hotel and say they need an extra pillow. As a hotelier, that doesn't mean you go to housekeeping and get them an actual pillow. It means they’d like to have a partner to stay overnight, so you tell them how to connect these things, and the precautions to take so they don’t land in problems. And they can ask for camel milk [which he tells me is actual camel milk] and you need to know where to get it. There’s a concierge at a hotel in London who was actually asked for camel milk, and it was sourced for them. In my phone, I have all the contacts, whatever you need.”
He reiterates that all sorts of guests walk through the doors of a hotel, and he has to be able to accommodate them without hassle, while not breaking hotel policy.
“You need trust, dignity and integrity. Your attitude and interpersonal skills- the way you relate with people and network with the rest of concierges in Nairobi, matters. Being a Les Clefs d'Or concierge gives us a platform whereby we get to meet and learn what is happening in Nairobi, train youngsters, share and support each other. We don’t see our brothers in other Nairobi hotels as competitors, but an opportunity to make an extra coin for ourselves and for the hotel.”
The concierge is the face of the hotel. “We are called the lizards of the lobby. Guests come to plan how they’ll spend their evening and free time in the city, where to go shopping, how to get around and so forth. You come to me and I can sort you out with anything you need to know - I know Nairobi CBD like the back of my hand,” he concludes.
