The Search for Search Engines

 

 

Search engines have revolutionized the way we work. As a concierge, looking back a few years, I would refer to my rolodex for recommendations and information. All the information in my rolodex was either through years of contacts, knowledge and first hand experience. The rolodex was the equivalent to the little black book! Search engines have replaced the trusty rolodex with making the little black book public. It is the port to all secrets and shared knowledge, all at my finger tips.  How great is that! I just go to my favorite search engine, type in my request, and print out, fax, text, or email, all the information my guest would need. Streamlined and seamless!

 

My top favorite search engines and why:

 

www.Yelp.com 

I love the candidness and on the spot reviews.

www.yahoo.com

I like the ease of search and familiarity. There is a glitch however in their map feature where they have posted the wrong business name to the wrong address. This is a big glitch that I hope Yahoo would fix. If not, I may stray away to the other!

www.google.com

I like the accuracy of this search engine. I do wish they would simplify their Google Maps and not have as much graphics and interactive apps. I know, sounds like the opposite of what they would want to do. It just takes boat loads of bandwidth for me to download a simple map and print out to my guest standing in front of my screen, 80 miles away. The more simple, the better. By the way, I do have boat loads of bandwidth, (T1) but on the other end which is my remote computer, the bandwidth is not as robust.

www.howstuffworks.com

This site has answers to anything and everything!

www.flyertalk.com

If you want to ease drop on all the nitty-gritty of the travel world this is the site to go to. You get the inside scoop of what all the frequent travelers are saying about all Hotels and Airlines. It is a true learning experience.

 www.chowhound.com

This site is for the real foodies out there! Their slogan is, “For Those Who Live to Eat”. Chow down!

 

 

 

 

The Virtual Concierge at your service 2008

 

A concierge is no longer just found in a hotel lobby but can be seen at car dealerships, in shopping malls, at airports, in corporate buildings and even hospitals. A concierge is added service and can create loyalty to businesses and brands. It use be that offering a Concierge is something that a company can offer to differentiate themselves from the rest, but nowadays, it is just what a company needs to keep up with the Jones’. Do you take advantage of concierge services available to you through your credit cards, hotels, work? If you had to pay for Concierge service, would you use it and how much are you willing to spend?How do you feel about the Virtual Concierge and the idea of “at your service” at your point of need, anytime, anywhere?

 

Necessity is the Mother of Grass Roots Inventions

While ringing in the New Year, I look back at the abundant opportunities that I was blessed with within this last year and for the many years before. I have to say first and foremost how very fortunate and thankful I am! 

It was about 8 years ago January 2000, I was pregnant with my 2nd child and faced with an 80 mile commute to work every morning. I was not on the road by myself doing that daily grind but driving along side many thousands of other road warriors. I felt like I was being pulled in different directions ready to snap and yearned for that work life balance solution that many strive for.

This morning January 2008, I make my short  2 minute commute to work, my home office down the hall in my house. But I feel for the millions of others still caught in the daily grind of the commute while I read in the local paper about crude oil touching $100 a barrel.

“Necessity is the Mother of Invention”

The Virtual Concierge was my re-invention for my necessity, to be close to home with my children and at the same time be close to my guest at the Hotel. I was given a tool which was your traditional video-conferencing system and used it to create a solution for myself and possibly for many others. For 2008 I hope to create the tool for millions of others to create their own work life balance solutions. Stay tuned!

The Virtual Concierge sighting

 

Being the Virtual Concierge in the middle of the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara lobby is a little like having a store front on a very busy avenue or boulevard. You come across many people from all walks of life and industries. Some walk right past me thinking I could be a picture on the wall or an on going video. For those that are very observant, they stop and engage. What can be a very normal trip across a hotel lobby, becomes a unique and  memorable experience, that some are even compelled to blog about it……

Virtual Anna – An ‘in-person’ conversation over high speed and a wide-screen. It’s Commute 2.0 by James Key Lim

Published at August 20, 2007 in Crystal ball, Video and Technology.

It’s not often that you meet someone listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s unthinkable to think that I actually met this person over a wide-screen monitor in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara (Silicon Valley)!

Her name is Anna Mariano-Morris (a.k.a Virtual Anna) and she’s been a virtual concierge for over 7 years!

What began as a trip through a hotel lobby became a feeling that I was being watched by the ‘video’ on the wall behind the concierge desk and the realization that that ‘video’ was an actual person that could see me!… in the end, it was an amazing 1 hour conversation about how we have reached a time in history when all the subtle nuances of a human conversation can be captured by a high speed connection, a wides-screen, and some cameras and speakers. It was no less than a glimpse of the future… today.

 

• Anna actually sits 80 miles away from the Hyatt at her home in Contra Costa County
• After having children, she was tired of the commute and made the suggestion to be the concierge virtually from home. With the help of a forward thinking manager, she became a virtual concierge over 7 years ago. She now works from 9am-2pm and 5:30pm-8pm every day in order to spend time with her kids.
• She uses a DSL line today and a Sony video conferencing system
• I believe that a lot of the realism is based upon the availability of high speed with smooth video and the fact that Anna’s image is so large coming from a wide-screen
• The art is in the details of what she’s done
  • Anna has painted the wall of the extra bedroom of her home the same color as the wall that she hangs on at the Hyatt
  • She has hung a framed Hyatt logo on the wall to the left of her image on screen
  • She is connected to the printer at the hotel via high speed and easily printed a piece of paper with her information on it for me to grab
  • There is a ‘bat phone’ that you can pick up at the concierge desk that links directly to Anna
  • If Anna needs to step away for minutes, she simply turns on a video
• This is the future. We all know how much we’d want to work at home or how any parent would love to spend more time with their children. The potential is only limited by creativity and the adoption by business culture.  

   

  
  

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Our Virtual Concierge

June 15, 2007 by Patrick Barnard TMCnet

We’re staying at the Hyatt Regency in Santa Clara, Calif. this week, going around and making our “pitch” to the various software vendors and other companies in the call/contact center space located throughout the Bay area.

The other night, me and my co-worker wanted to get the lowdown on which area restaurants we should go to (oh, yes, ahem, and which ones were “affordable” too), so we asked the girl at the front desk, who in turn said we should ask the concierge, who also has a desk in the main common area, across from guest services. When we asked what the concierge’s hours were, the girl at the front desk said “she works 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” but when we looked at the concierge’s desk and saw no one there, we asked “well … where is she?”

“Oh she’s there … she’s a virtual concierge,” the girl said.

We looked again, and lo and behold there was the “virtual concierge,” on a large flat panel mounted on the wall right behind the concierge desk (at first we thought it was just a TV). So we went over to meet her.

It turns out that the concierge, “Anna,” has worked at the hotel for more than 10 years, but when she recently had to move about 80 miles away, she came up with the idea of “virtualizing” herself through a videoconferencing solution. She explained that it was no longer practical for her commute to work, so she proposed the idea of “virtualizing” herself and handling guests remotely from her own home (in other words, becoming a home agent) to her bosses. Well, apparently her bosses liked the idea – and being the call-center-technology-junkies that we are, we like the idea too!

Anna was as pleasant as a concierge can be – and her presence was almost as strong with this videoconferencing solution as it would be if she was standing right there, serving us in person. With a good microphone, speaker set, monitor and camera in place, Anna both looked good and sounded good too. The conversation flowed well and the video kept pace with the audio quite nicely, thus creating a truly “personalized” experience. I must admit I was impressed.

Anna said she is trying to work with some call and contact centers to help develop her idea farther. She explained that one the main advantages of using this system is that it helps save on transportation costs (as you know, gas isn’t cheap these days) – plus it helps save the environment as well (a good tie-in here for TMC’s First Annual Green Technology World Conference, which is to be held in Los Angeles this fall). She pointed out that there are many occupations out there where a “virtual” person could easily perform all the duties necessary without having to physically be on the job – and of course, right away I thought about how many banking organizations are soon going to be using “virtual tellers” to conduct routine transactions at branch banks. Although these “virtual tellers” will probably be working in large centers either here in the U.S. or abroad – they could, in theory, be home agents. And if you think about it, that alone could mean thousands less cars on the road every day in the U.S. and elsewhere. Multiply that times a dozen other occupations which employ thousands of people, where virtualization could be applied, and you just might end up reducing carbon emissions by a measurable amount!

Anyway, after our nice discussion, Anna recommended a restaurant where could get a “good burger” and then printed out a set of directions for us on the printer which was right underneath the monitor. Pretty neat!

Later, when we got back from the restaurant, we saw Anna again as we walked through the front common area. Amazingly, even though we were about 25 feet away, she saw us too, and gave us a polite wave and smile – again, just as if she was standing right there! Amazing!

Even though I have my doubts that “virtualized customer service reps” will work in every industry, this experience gave me confidence that in certain industries it is going to work a lot better than any of us realize.

Now, the next step is for Anna to find a way to present her self as a hologram, instead of on a flat panel … hmm, maybe that is coming sooner than I think!     

                                     

The Virtual Concierge

Between two of the sessions at the TechMart yesterday, I slipped next door to the Santa Clara Hyatt to snarf some wi-fi in their lobby, as well as ask for directions. Following the script I’d used a million times before, I went up to the front desk to ask for directions to the restaurant where we were supposed to meet for dinner. The helpful gentleman at the front desk said: “I’m not sure where the restaurant is…but you can ask our virtual concierge across the lobby.”

Virtual concierge? Huh?

I walk across the lobby to see this:

(click to enlarge)

A little bit disconcerting to say the least. But, rolling with it, I walked up.

“Hello, how can I help you?” the woman in the screen asked. (The concierge is real, not an avatar. It’s a video-conference setup.)

I gave her the name of the restaurant.

“They have a number of restaurants in the area. Do you want directions to the one on Santana Row?”

“Yes, please,” I said to the screen.

The fax whirred, and out came my directions.

“By the way, there are two sets of directions printing; you should use the ones for ‘during traffic’ because it will save you some time. Will there be anything else?” she asked, pleasantly.

“No, thank you.”

An interesting exchange all around, but now I’ve got a bunch of questions. Where is the concierge physically located? Is this just for the Santa Clara Hyatt, or does one concierge handle multiple hotels? What was the business driver for doing this?

Anyone know the answers?

February 3, 2006 | Permalink

Concierges go extra mile in Internet age

Concierge goes extra mile in Internet age, Gary Stoller, USA Today

The Concierge role is being spotlighted in this week’s USA Today. This is an indication to me that the Concierge role is more important than ever. The Concierge is not just one that mans an information booth, but we are the face to the name, we are the friend at the home away from home, and we are creating loyalty and value to the Hotel and the Brand. The Concierge is important and ever more so with the Internet Age.

Machines will never replace the human being because it is the human that makes the technology work. I like to think that The Virtual Concierge is a blending of the two, the human and the machine.  We can make the technology work to better improve our Concierge work and role. We can go above, far beyond and out of the box!

I reinvented the traditional Concierge role with the Virtual Concierge. The Virtual Concierge can still be seen in the lobby of the Hotel but why not be available at the point of need of the guest not just in the Hotel lobby but in the VIP lounge, the business centers, the meeting space,  the guest rooms, and even their hand held mobile devices, all at the same time?! That is thinking out of the hotel lobby box.

Any out of the box thoughts or additional comments?

Virtual A-list

 

The Concierge, the gatekeeper:

In the ancient world it was the gatekeeper who held the keys to the house. It was the gatekeeper that greeted guests as they arrived and attended to their needs. In the 12th century, the concierges appeared in the castles and palaces of Europe where they remained important members of the houshold staff for centuries to come. Then as now, their duties were to welcome and assist the guests throughout their stay. Todays castles and palaces are luxury hotels and inns. Today the concierges continue their ancient traditions…..(reference from Les Clefs d’Or)

Welcome to Virtual Anna’s Palace and Inn. To make you, my guest, feel welcomed and at home, a list of my most favorite recommendations and recent experiences -

The Virtual Anna List or the Virtual A-list for short:

My visit to the Monterey Peninsula

Highlands Inn

I recently stayed at one of my most favorite resorts in Carmel California, the Park Hyatt Carmel, Highlands Inn. It is a wonderfully relaxing resort with luxuriously appointed suites. Most rooms have wood burning fireplaces, all have feather beds, and binoculars to enjoy the breathtaking views of the beautiful Big Sur Coast.

It is a Hyatt property but not to be partial, I have loved this resort long before I ever became a professional Concierge and a Hyatt employee. When staying at the Highlands Inn and for casual outdoor dining, I recommend the California Market. Reservations are not necessary and heat lamps are plenty for that crisp starry evening. Their calamari and clam chowder with a glass of buttery chardonnay is  the perfect trio!

Don’t forget to catch the sunset from the Point Lobos Lounge while listening to live music over an after dinner cocktail.

Park Hyatt Carmel Highlands Inn 120 Highlands Dr, Carmel CA 93923 . 831-620-1234 

For the Concierge extraordinaire at Hylands Inn, ask for Charlie or Kathleen. They are wonderful!

Roy’s Restaurant, The Inn at Spanish Bay   

       

We have a family tradition when we are at Roy’s at Spanish Bay, and that is to listen to the bagpiper play amazing grace, with the view of the stunning sunset and beach in the background. It is truly amazing! Like clock work, the bagpiper plays everyday, beginning at the 1 st tee and making their way to Roy’s lanai by sunset. Relax at the lanai or next to the fire pits, while enjoying your favorite beverage and appetizers. I recommend Roy’s dragon roll sushi. It is “brok da mout” good! Enjoy Roy’s Hawaiian fusion creations inside the main dining room. Reservations are recommended.

Deear Haven Inn, Pacific Grove CA

Just around the bend from the Inn at Spanish Bay is a very charming Inn called the Deer Haven.We had the pleasure of staying at this delightful little place which was just a block away from Asilomar State Beach.  Our room at  the Deer Haven Inn was  lovely and so cozy. It was spacious enough for the four of us and even had a small kitchenette complete with range, oven, refrigerator, microwave and breakfast nook to dine. This was the ideal place to stay especially for the beach goers and the golfers. The near by golf course is Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Course.  (1/2 mile away) This course is the best for the value and boasts the same scenic ocean views as Spanish Bay and Pebble Beach. It is perfect for the avid golfers and novice alike. 

To be a fly on the wall

                                                                                                    

I am starting a daily entry of my work as a Virtual Concierge. I will document my day to day duties, share my thoughts and experiences, and introduce you to the many wonderful people I get to meet. To be a flly on the wall and see through the Virtual Concierge’s eyes….

Monday August 13, 2007

I am winding down my work day with just a few minutes left to my night shift. It has been a very busy day, like many Mondays. My work schedule during the week is 9 am-2 pm and 5:30 pm-8 pm.

I start off my day getting up and making breakfast for my kids. They are home for summer vacation and I have the luxury to have a leisurely breakfast with them. I also have time to feed all of our pets, (3 tropical fish, 2 toads, 2 tortoises, a bearded dragon, and a pet Akita) and throw in a load of laundry.  Today the kids will spend the day at Grandpa’s so it will be somewhat quiet around the house.

Shower, Shampoo and Shine……….

I shower and get dressed as if I was going into the office. The real office, that is. I make myself up, fix my hair, brush my teeth and even put on perfume! I wear something nice and professional on top. (The bottom can be comfy like sweats, shorts or a sundress.) Today I wore on top, a crisp white collard shirt, a black blazer, an Hermes scarf, and on the bottom, my favorite pair of shorts!

The Hotel was full of teenage soccer players. They were quite intrigued by my virtual concierge service and made every excuse to come by my desk to talk, wave, smile, etc..

I even had two boys do a dance in front of me as if they were performing in front of a mirror. I know they just wanted some sort of reaction from me. Of course I gave them one. After their little dance, I stood up and gave them a standing ovation. If I had my camera to catch their expression!

Which brings me to the idea of  like the fly on the wall- I will catch select guests expression and reactions using my digital camera and upload it onto this blog. I will then invite them to my blog to share their virtual concierge experience. Stay tuned……….

The reality of being Virtual, Anna…………

This blog is a way I can share my experiences, my thoughts, my passion, and my vision, for my unique way of work that I have created as the Virtual Concierge…..

A very simple question of “Why Virtual?” was asked of me a few years back by Dr. Mario Arnaldo, Travel Industry Management Instructor at Hawaii Pacific University. He was interviewing me for an article he was writing titled, “Got Concierge?”. That simple question of why virtual, has compelled me to seek deep within and tell my story…………

                    

 Why Virtual? 

Written by Anna Mariano-Morris 

When one first sees me as the Virtual Concierge, they often assume, “oh she is a video”, “it’s one of those modern day infomercials”, or, “she’s computer generated”. When one first hears the title, “Virtual Concierge” they may be up in arms thinking, “they have replaced a human with a machine!” However, if they step a little closer and engage… something magical happens. Replacing a human with a machine is not what the Virtual Concierge is about at all, rather the very opposite.                                 

“Humanness behind the technology” 

Like many working parents, I was desperately trying to juggle work and family. In between that juggle, was a long and arduous 5-hour commute, daily. And on top of all that, I was also pregnant with my second child. What kind of business is worth this craziness? you ask. To travel so far and in that condition? Hospitality is the business I am in, I proudly admit. I am the Chef Concierge at The Westin Santa Clara! I loved my job as the Chef Concierge. I knew my job very well. I mastered my territory, which was Silicon Valley, and all of Northern California! I built and strengthened my network by getting to know my neighbors and giving them a face to the name. I started friendships with the person who answers the phone, the service staff, all the way to their management and proprietors. I was President of the Silicon Valley Concierge Association two years in a row and reveled in organizing events that got people together and celebrated the wonderful place we lived in. The Westin Santa Clara to me was like my home. When guests stepped up to my Concierge desk, it was like inviting them into my very own living room. I served up imaginary tea, which was giving them service with warmth, hospitality and friendship. Everyday was an opportunity to create relationships and share knowledge.After working at The Westin for about six years, I developed my friendships and got to know many of our top most frequent guests. I took care of all their requests and inquiries and ironed out any cares or worries. I became their friend at their home away from home. At the end of the day as I made my long commute home, I had much time to think of the dilemma that was clear and present. I would have to give up the job that I loved for many years, for the growing need to be closer to home and have more time with my family. But where else can I find a place to work, like the Westin Santa Clara in my neck of the woods? There certainly was no place, no place in sight like home.                               

 “A Technological Solution” 

As a Concierge, I do a lot of my work over the phone. I can often fulfill guest requests before they even check in. They would not even need to see me. It is very important however to be seen in the lobby especially for our frequent guests who have grown accustom to being welcomed back by that familiar and friendly face. If it was not for that minor detail, I can very well work from anywhere! Well, that minor detail became the major detail. I had a serendipitous meeting one day with a gentleman named Skip Rodenbush with Interactive Multimedia Artist. That chance meeting changed my work and life for the better. Skip came up to my Concierge desk and said, “So this is Silicon Valley! What is there to do around here? I have about 2 hours to kill.” I immediately started asking him questions to try and get a feel of what he was looking to do and what would be best suited for him. “Are you here with a conference?” I asked. “No, I am here to meet with your owners!” he answered excitedly. I have amazing technology that I am proposing for your meeting space. This technology will allow your hotel to offer for your clients virtual meetings, conferences across the nation and around the world. It is the cutting edge in videoconferencing solutions. I suddenly realized that this could be the answer to my situation. I asked, “Can you put that “thing” here behind me so that I may work from home and appear like I am here? Is that possible?” That is possible! Do you think you can do your job from home? YES!! The Virtual Concierge seed was planted… Interactive Multimedia Artist designed and created a video conferencing solution for The Virtual Concierge. Strategic Hotel Capital, owners of the Westin Santa Clara property, invested in the idea. The Westin Santa Clara Management expressed their desire to retain a valuable employee and was in full support of the idea. Anna Morris just received the best recognition an employee can ever imagine receiving. I was the happiest person on earth! The Virtual Concierge was born. It has been 31/2 years now since I stepped in front of the camera to perform my concierge duties in front of the world. I did not have a, “how to” manual, to work in virtual. Through hard work and perseverance I came up with solutions to all requests and possible scenarios. I now print everything out in front of the guest that I would normally hand to them. I can take them on a virtual tour of anyplace in the world through the wonders of the Internet and the crisp vivid canvas of the plasma screen. I still serve up my guests with my imaginary tea, because the warmth, hospitality, and friendship transcends through the screen. For those who are open and willing to engage, they realize that it is truly possible to receive the most personable, efficient, friendly service even from a Virtual Concierge. I have never met so many exclaim, “this is the best service I have ever received and most memorable one at that!”The Virtual Concierge was developed at the time because it was fulfilling a need for a Mother, an employee, a Hotel and their Guests. The Virtual Concierge through years of work, improvement and technological advancement is now proof of concept and may be the answer to fulfill the needs of a country, many industries, the world.