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I was the first concierge in the US, and I'm a futurist
Tom Wolfe, Chief Concierge at the Fairmont San Francisco
Josiah Mackenzie
August 10, 2023
Good morning. Interviewing in person, on-site shows me who someone really is. The person we’re learning from today, Tom Wolfe, was not only the first concierge in the United States but is a consummate hospitality professional. I’m excited to share his story and insights with you today.
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I was the first concierge in the US, and I'm a futurist
with Tom Wolfe, Chief Concierge at the Fairmont San Francisco
Tom Wolfe // Credit: Josiah Mackenzie - Hospitality Daily
Tom Wolfe was the very first hotel concierge in America, and today shares why he considers himself a "futurist” and what he learned about providing hospitality from working in some of the best hotels around the world.
Why he considers himself a futurist
I first met Tom at an AHLA event in San Francisco and was immediately fascinated by all the gadgets he had brought with him. (I even ended up being his impromptu cameraman as he was interviewed by Chip Rogers there!)
It turns out, Tom has a long history of experimenting with technology and what the future could look like. For example, he was the first (and only) concierge to use Google Glass when it came out.
I embrace everything that is new and exciting. Technology that makes a better experience for your client is the way to go.
Tom Wolfe // Credit: Josiah Mackenzie - Hospitality Daily
The role of technology in hospitality
For Tom, everything comes back to providing a great hospitality experience - and that includes technology.
If it allows me to do something in 30 seconds that used to take 30 minutes, sign me up.
It’s helpful to look at past cycles of innovation when considering the technology of today.
When the internet was getting started, people were scared. They said, “I don't want to be replaced by a machine.” But the ‘machine’ wasn’t there to replace them - it was replacing the dirty old Yellow Pages we had.
Tom Wolfe // Credit: Josiah Mackenzie - Hospitality Daily
Hospitality is about human connection - which makes hospitality careers resilient
Hospitality is only going to get more valuable as time goes on.
Tom Wolfe // Credit: Josiah Mackenzie - Hospitality Daily
This is why focusing on attracting and retaining talented hospitality providers is so important, Tom says.
Treasure the people you've got, especially if they're good at what they do because these are the people who are going to be the leaders. The human continuum is not all about technology. It's about making life easier while retaining the human touch and the human contact.
These were just some of the things we covered in our conversation. Starting around minute 10 in our podcast episode today, Tom gets into his career journey, and you need to listen to the audio recording because 1) his impressions of people are hilarious and 2) you’ll learn a lot about how to delight your guests and provide remarkable hospitality to the people around you.
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