Although we are a slowly vanishing breed, there are still some hotels who understand electronic gadgets don't solve all their guests problems. The concierge profession may not make you rich monetari....
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Raphael Pallais, the concierge at the newly re-opened Plaza Hotel in New York City, went on a crazy quest for live tarantulas for a guest obsessed with bringing some home to roast--then eat. Like Wolfe, Pallais didn't flinch.
"One of the attributes of the concierge is that we must remain unflappable at all times," says Pallais who, like most concierges interviewed for this story, belongs to Les Clefs d'Or, the prestigious international association of concierges. "To us, no request is deemed outrageous. We prefer the term 'unique.'"
The ever resourceful Pallais contacted The New York-based Explorers Club, known for hosting controversial "exotic" dinners. The club directed him to its arachnid supplier.
Maite Foriasky, head concierge at The Setai in Miami's South Beach, won't soon forget working around the clock for the guest wanting to ship a tiger to London--on two days' notice. The British guest had become smitten with a local woman who agreed to move across the pond with him "only if she could take her pet tiger with her," says Foriasky, who sought assistance from experts at the Miami Metro Zoo.
A Middle Eastern guest staying at the posh Brown's Hotel in London asked head concierge Simon Thomas to ship 21 deer to his home in time for his daughter's 21st birthday.
"It's all in a day's work," says James Little, head concierge at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, who once flew to London to retrieve the dog of a bereaved guest who was living temporarily at the hotel while sorting out her late husband's business affairs. She had asked that Little charter a private jet for her pooch, but they both agreed it would be better for the aging Millie, a Jack Russell terrier, if Little flew her home personally. Little spent a week in London--on the guest's dime--getting to know the dog (and London) before flying home in Business class. (Millie flew First.)
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