What is a Personal Concierge and Why Would You Use One?
Are you unsure of what a Personal Concierge is? Does it make you think of a hotel concierge? Ever wondered what the difference is between a Personal Concierge, a Lifestyle Manager, and a Personal Assistant?
If you want to know what a Personal Concierge is and why you would want to hire one, then read on…
Definition of a Personal Concierge
‘Concierge’ originates from France in the medieval times and comes from the term ‘comte des cierges’ meaning ‘keeper of the candle’. Now I’m certainly no historian, but from what I understand, these were castle servants who were in charge of lighting the castle’s candles and looking after guests. This is far from what they do now. I have not yet had the privilege of working in a castle, but if I did, lighting castle candles is something that I could be asked to do. I have two castles nearby – Warwick Castle and Kenilworth Castle – maybe they might need my services! Anyway, I’m digressing…
If you look up the word ‘concierge’, you’ll find various definitions such as keeper of the keys, caretaker, servant and doorkeeper. None of these really help with understanding what a Personal Concierge is. As the ‘Time Fairy’, I am a Personal Concierge, but I rarely use this phrase when I talk to people because often they either don’t know what it is, or they picture the smartly dressed man at a hotel who handles guests’ luggage, reservations and tours – a ‘Hotel Concierge’. Other names for a Personal Concierge are: Lifestyle Manager, Residential Concierge, Lifestyle Concierge, Personal Errand Service, and Personal Assistant. They are all extremely similar, but the key factor is that they all help individual people with their personal life, rather than businesses or hotel guests.
What does a Personal Concierge do?
We help individuals with organising any aspect of their lives so that they have more time for themselves. You can hire me to do the things that you either don’t have time for; things you hate doing, but need to be done; or things you don’t have the skills to do efficiently. Essentially you can outsource those things to me and I will take care of them, leaving you more time to spend on the things you enjoy and that matter to you. I won’t go into specifics, as the list can be endless. Go to my website for some ideas, or just contact me with a request.
The beauty of this is that you only need to hire one person, and you get a variety of services. No need to get a separate cleaner, pet sitter, carer, organiser, shopper, etc.
It often works best to hire me on a regular basis to help keep things under control, also allowing me to get to know you and your requirements. However I can also help with projects or on an ad-hoc basis.
The benefits of hiring a Personal Concierge
There are so many benefits that I will just list a few of them without going into detail…
Save time- Increase productivity
- Convenient
- Tailored to your needs
- Reduces stress
- Simplifies your life
- Your to-do list shrinks
- Get more hours out of your day
- Have more time to do the things you want to do
- Live life to the full
How Much Does it Cost?
Fees will vary hugely so this is a difficult question to answer. The Time Fairy rates start at £16 per hour, which is incredibly competitive and great value for money. According to Pay and Benefits Magazine, the average cost of a Personal Concierge in the UK is £30 to £40 per hour.
You Deserve It!
You work really hard so that you can earn enough money to spend on the fun and important things. What’s the point if that means you don’t have time to do those things? It’s well worth it to hire a Personal Concierge so that you can live the lifestyle you desire, instead of waiting until you retire.
I hope that you’ve found this article useful and I would love to hear your thoughts. Perhaps you have a personal concierge experience of your own to share.
Ruth Lowe (Based in Southam, Warwickshire)
Contact me: 07928553658 ** ruthlowe@thetimefairy.co.uk ** www.thetimefairy.co.uk/contact **
www.facebook.com/uktimefairy ** Twitter: @UKTimeFairy