Emiliano talks about the start of his career as a Luggage Porter in Rome, how he became a Head Concierge, and of course, his passion for tennis!
Can you tell us about the career path which led to where you are today?
Everything started in 2010 at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria hotel as a Luggage Porter.
In April 2013 I moved to London; it was my very first time in town, always wanted to become a Concierge and decided to spend the first two weeks sightseeing. Soon after, in May, I started as Luggage Porter at ME London in Covent Garden; by September I got promoted to Concierge and the year after to Senior. In 2018 I joined the Rosewood Concierge team and finally, Les Clefs d’Or.
In 2019 I received a call back from the ME for the Assistant Head role, where I won the award as Manager of Year for the first time and soon after I was promoted to Head Concierge.
In January 2022 I joined the Kensington hotel also as a Head Concierge and won the Manager of Year award.
Today, I am proudly leading the hotel along with some amazing professionals and a great team.
Are there any specific mentors you’ve looked to for guidance, and how have they helped you on your journey?
I am grateful for the wonderful friendships and mentorships I've experienced in my hospitality career. Mr. Italo Forte, former Head Concierge at the Rome Cavalieri Waldorf Astoria and retired Les Clefs d’Or Italy member, inspired my passion for this role. Additionally, Mr. Ronan Gawronski, Assistant Head Concierge at Rosewood, who guided me in London, proving to be an amazing leader during our five years working together a true friend for life.
"I truly believe that if you really love what you do, you don’t sacrifice yourself and your personal life and the one of your loved ones..."
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Being able to build such wonderful relationships with my team and many members of Les Clefs d’Or UK and also internationally; the support given to four friends during the journey in joining the Society; a big shoutout to Mr Arman Bernardino, Assistant Head Concierge at The Kensington, who has been by my side for over a decade now.
Dealing with guests cannot always be easy; what’s your approach to winning over difficult guests?
Be humble, knowledgeable, respectful, understanding and caring. Those are certainly the best weapons to win over “difficult” guests. There is always a way, a solution or an alternative to present, going the extra mile is also a must.
What personal sacrifices have you had to make to become so successful in this field?
I truly believe that if you really love what you do, you don’t sacrifice yourself and your personal life and the one of your loved ones; it is all about finding the balance and surrounding yourself with the right people.
What attributes do you think you possess that make you a successful Concierge?
Leadership and mentoring skills, listening, understanding mixed with a deep knowledge, curiosity and networking skills are certainly the most important attributes; I must mention the honesty, discretion and confidentiality, of course.
If you could give advice to Concierge new to this profession, what would it be?
Be humble and honest, go out and experience, attend the various events and outing activities, meet and connect with as many people as possible, be there for your guests, colleagues and members of Les Clefs d’Or. Take full ownership of the various requests and challenges, never give up and always find solutions. Please don’t forget about surprising and delighting at all time, we should make memories at every interaction.
What is the most rewarding thing about being a Concierge?
Definitely the smile, the feedback and appreciation shown by a guest, a friend or a colleague when, through our recommendations, the overall experience becomes exceptional and you know that you have contributed to making a lifetime memory; these make my heart smile at all times.
Les Clefs d’Or’s motto is ‘service through friendship’; how important is collaboration with colleagues across the industry to you?
The collaboration between all of us is what makes us strong, reaching out to fellow Les Clefs d’Or members in USA, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Amsterdam or just around the corner here in London is just magical, it lets our guests understand what the Concierge world is all about because everything we do rotates all around our motto “In Service Through Friendship”.
Do you have any hidden talents?
Probably my deep knowledge about the Wimbledon tennis tournament and its grounds, where to possibly meet the players and their teams for a photo or an autograph, the ballots, the “Queue”, the tickets resale kiosk process and much more ... I encourage my tennis aficionados friends to come talk to me directly!