Mark Mehlenbacher, 40 /EMPLOYER: The Drake Hotel /SALARY RANGE: $28,000 to $49,000
How did you choose this field?
It’s a case of being in the right place at the right time. I had a scholarship to law school here in Chicago, but I needed spending money. I took a part-time job with a hotel on their switchboard. But after a year I decided law school wasn’t for me. I spent the next year traveling through South America. When I came back, I decided to check out a career with a hotel because the business was dynamic and the people were wonderful. I wanted to work in one with a vintage quality and lots of history. I ended up at The Drake, which offered me a nice management training program. I worked at the front desk for a year and a half. The concierge at the time took me under her wing because she thought I would be a natural for the job. I speak Spanish and Portuguese and I have studied music. We get a lot of questions from guests on what is currently happening in the city and we have a lot of international guests. I became an assistant concierge in 1987 and moved up to head concierge in 1990.
What is your educational background?
I grew up in Highland Park, and went to Highland Park High School. I went to Indiana University in Bloomington because it had a wonderful business school and a wonderful music school. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance. I went to Chicago Kent College of Law but I decided law wasn’t for me.
What is an average day like?
Each day is unique. I typically work from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. The first thing I do is get everything ready for the and take care of anything lingering from the previous day or two. In the morning, we receive all of the packages–express packages or overnight deliveries. There are days when we can get 50 packages. We log each one and get it into the right hands. At the same time, guests are asking us questions. In the morning, they are in a hurry and they are running to meetings or appointments and they need directions or answers to questions right away. We have a lot of guests who depend on us for the latest scoop on the new restaurants, movies or shows.
What about longer term, over the course of a week or month?
I have a staff of five people. We try to go as a group as often as possible to restaurants or museum openings, or other events. We get a lot of invitations to new shows. And restaurants often invite us to come to experience what they have because they hope we will send them business. We really have to go out; we can’t just read about a new restaurant or event. Our guests depend on us for good information, whether it’s about sports or a new conductor at Orchestra Hall. If we suggest something, it can mean a big expense for a guest. If they order six tickets to a new show, they could spend $1,000, so we have to have good judgment.
What’s the best thing about the job?
The best thing is getting to know a lot of wonderful people. Even if someone calls and they are initially angry, if you can turn that around and make a friend that is one of the most satisfying parts of the job. Many guests come back again and again. I feel like I have a network of friends around the world. They tell me to give them a call anytime I’m in their area.
What’s the worst thing about the job?
It is the stress. We sometimes have to do twenty things at once and do them all perfectly.
What three attributes are essential to doing your job well?
No. 1, you have to have the right personality. You must like people. You should also be culturally sensitive. You don’t necessarily need to know a different language, but you should be able to understand foreign cultures, since the majority of our guests are international travelers. You should also be resourceful and keep up with current events. You also have to be creative to come up with answers and solve problems. The buck stops here. We can’t refer a guest to someone else.
Where will you go from here?
Well, this is not a stepping stone to other positions. There is so much going on with computers and technology, I think we could do more in this area. Also, I am a member of an international organization for concierges called Les Clefs d’Or. We have a convention each year. This past February it was in Prague and next year it is in China. We network and call on each other when we need something for a guest who is traveling somewhere. If I ever leave Chicago, I might someday do something internationally.
What advice do you have for others interested in the field?
Well it (being a concierge) is not an entry-level position. Try to get your foot in the door by working as a reception clerk or a reservation agent in a hotel. Guests expect you to know a lot about the hotel. They might, for instance, describe a room they had six years ago and expect you to know which one it was from their description. There are many hotels that now have concierges–I would say about 90 percent of them. People now demand the service.
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