recentofwhichwas inMendoza,Argenti-
na. (Thereare smallerconferencesamong
thedifferentnational sections, likeone in
NewOrleans thisyear.) Itwas inMendoza
thatDandashy,33,wasnamed thesociety’s
topup-and-comingconciergeof theyear
— thefirst timeaconcierge in theUnited
Stateshaswon this internationalaward—a
recognitionshewonafterundergoingover
40hoursofwritten testsand interviews.
Among the test topics:Setupa four-day
itineraryof thebestLosAngelesvenues
forafictional familyoffive; identify the
namesof 16globalairlinesbased juston the
designson the tailsof their jets; identify
eight luxurywatches from imageswith the
labelsblurredout; and identifyvarious in-
dividuals featured inaseriesofhead-shots,
including theprimeministerofGreeceand
soccersuperstarLionelMessiofArgentina.
“It isnotaboutknowingall theanswers
off thebatbuthow tofind themquickly,”
Dandashysaysof theopen-book-style test.
In fact, she turned toabellmanatherhotel
forhelp in identifyingMessi.
It is themost intricate, real-life tests
that theseveteranconcierges like tocom-
pare likewarstories.Romeiof theWaldorf
Astoriarecalls theguest fromAustralia
whoaskedhim if thehotelcouldsomehow
createnear life-sizesculptedchocolate
statues thatresembledhimandhisfiancée.
“Idon’tknow if theyeverate thechoco-
late,”Romei says. “Butwedelivered it, and
theydidpack itupandsend itbackhome.”
At times, theserequestsareso indulgent
theybecome tasteless:SimonThomas,
1stInternationalVicePresidentof
Les
Clefsd’Or
and theheadconciergeatThe
LanesboroughHotel inLondon,wasasked
forhelp infindingouthow toship21 live
deer to theMiddleEastasasurprise for
the21-year-oldwifeofaguest,whowasa
memberof theroyal family fromaMiddle
Easternnationhewouldnotname.
Butmanyof themareaboutcreating
meaningful, life-definingmoments, like
helpingreunite two long-lost friends.So
howdidMachidamanage tosolve that
riddle?Atfirsthehitadeadend, after
calling theshippingcompanywhere“Roy”
hadonceworked.He thenbeganasking
someveteranshipping-industryexecutives
fromLondon for leads, andoneof them
referredhim toTheBalticExchange, an
internationalcommunityofmore than
600membershippingcompanies.From
here,he inquiredabout formercolleagues
named“Roy”whowereabout therightage.
Thisgenerated thenamesand telephone
numbersof threeprospects.
“Ofcourse,”Machidasays, “itwas the
thirdoneIcalled: agentleman fromDeal,
England,near thecoast inKent. Itonly
tookmea fewminutes toconfirm thiswas
theRoyIwas looking for. Itwasaconnec-
tionIwas luckyenough tohelprebuild.”
Abitof
Clefsd’Or
magic, forsure, anda
gesture thatwill foreverberememberedby
ahotelguestwho’s longsince left thehotel.
LESCLEFSD’OR
Never double-book restaurants for
guests or take commission from
restaurants in return for abooking.
Alwaysmaintainprofessional
relationshipswithguests.
Staypoised, polite, courteous and
helpful under all circumstances.
Never promise aguest results unless you
arepositive you candeliver.
Always useproper grammar.
Always respect andprotect the identity
and confidentialityof all guests.
Tactfullydecline illegal or
unethical requests fromguests.
“It isnotaboutknowingall the
answersoffthebatbuthowtofind
themquickly.”
ERICLIPTON
, a two-timewinner of the
Pulitzer Prize, has spent nearly threedecades as
anewspaper reporter, the largest chunkof itwith
TheNewYorkTimes
, wherehenowworks in the
Washingtonbureau as an investigative reporter.
Theworld-famous
Savoy inLondon
72
OCTOBER2015
AMERICANWAY
PHOTO
NIALL CLUTTON
THEDO’SANDDON’TSOF
