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CONCIERGE SERVICES CREATE ONE-OF-A-KIND EXPERIENCES— AND THEY’RE GETTING MORE LUXE

In today’s fast-paced, experience-first world, concierge companies are evolving to satisfy their clientele.

Adventures and celebrations are getting more personal, more spontaneous, and they’re lasting longer. “More and more people have realized that life is short,” says Lauren Wilt, U.S. CEO of Quintessentially, a London-based global concierge that provides luxury lifestyle services such as travel experiences, restaurant access, and creating personalized events. “They want to enjoy the time they have, and they are willing to have a professional plan for them.” The growth in interest has led the company to nearly double its U.S. staff in the past year.

Before the pandemic, clients would book 12 months out for big family vacations, but now 70% of these bookings are for trips in the next 60 days, Wilt says. “If prepandemic they took more vacations, they’re taking fewer now, but for longer,” she says. “It feels like, ‘It’s good now, let’s do it. We don’t know if things are going to change, so if it looks safe, let’s do it.’ ” And as such the company is ready to change flights at any hour, Wilt says.

Kimberley Watt, director at The Fixer, a London-based global concierge providing bespoke experiences and travel itineraries, says: “Before, we were probably doing 25% last-minute versus 75% planned. Now we’re probably doing 75% last-minute. Covid completely changed the way people act. They live in the moment a lot more.”

For example, The Fixer received a late-June request for 20 boat rentals on July 4, and restaurant requests and cancellations

This page, top: The Fixer offered clients a private viewing of the Northern Lights with a lodge buyout in Finnish Lapland. This page, bottom: A Maldives snorkeling experience courtesy of The Fixer. Opposite page, left: A picnic in Montauk planned by The Fixer; a private birthday event in Manhattan, by The Fixer, shown at right. are more sudden, says the company’s U.S. lifestyle manager, Emily Tierney. “I’ll go there myself in person to try and get the reservations, because we don’t like to say no,” she says.

Quintessentially has also expanded its reach when it comes to restaurant access. Bookings had focused on New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, but things shifted during the pandemic. “People moved, so access to restaurants around the country and around the world is important too, so we’ve had to expand,” Wilt says.

With requests growing for larger and more personalized experiences, The Fixer is spending more time on fulfillment while expanding its staff, Watt says. “It feels like people have been holding back, and they suddenly let go,” she says.

The Fixer’s popular recent offerings include a customized ski trip to Deer Valley, Utah, with a private jet; night snorkeling with whale sharks in the Maldives; and a birthday event with an artist who creates souvenirs.

Concierge services also need to handle pandemic concerns. “We had a client who wanted to go skiing over the winter, but it was still Covid, and they still wanted their privacy,” says Tierney. “So we ended up getting a residence within a resort, and rather than having them up in the resort with all the people, they had their private residence.”

The Fixer found private ski instructors who were dedicated just to the kids for the whole week. The team also navigated limitations on 24-hour room service. “We really wanted to have the kids be able to order hot chocolates or ice cream sundaes after the time that it may be offered, so we brought in a private chef and a server that would come every night.”

At Quintessentially, Wilt says she’s seeing requests for bigger milestone celebrations, too. “A member’s wife is turning 60 this summer, and instead of just hosting a party for a few friends, he’s hosting a party for 100 people and we are planning all the travel and an A-list musician performance,” Wilt says.

The experiential realm is an important part of today’s requests, Wilt says. Whereas in the past people might have just bought a large gift like a luxury timepiece, “now it’s going on a factory tour and really experiencing the brand,” too, she says. “Our customers are more in tune with how those brands reacted during the pandemic: sustainability, supporting people in need. People took a really hard look at life and what’s important in the long run.”