A good hotel concierge is one of the most underused resources on a city break. The people who use them well treat them as a specific tool for specific problems, not a general information desk.

What They're Actually Good At

Restaurant reservations at places that are difficult to book. This is where concierge relationships genuinely matter. A well-connected concierge at a decent hotel in Paris, Madrid, or any major European city has relationships with popular restaurants that allow them to secure tables that online booking systems show as unavailable. Not everywhere, and not always, but often enough to be worth asking. The request should be specific: "We'd love to eat at [restaurant name] on Thursday evening for two people. Is there any possibility you could help with a reservation?"

Theatre and event tickets, particularly at short notice. Concierges with relationships with box offices can sometimes access returned or held tickets that aren't available online. For a specific performance you want to see, the concierge call is worth making before accepting that it's sold out.

Car services and transfers. A concierge-arranged car is often more reliable than an app booking at busy times and in unfamiliar cities. They know the drivers and can usually guarantee the booking in a way that app-based services occasionally fail at.

Local intelligence about current and specific things: where has a good outdoor terrace open this week, which neighbourhood market is on this Saturday, is there a specific festival or event worth knowing about. The concierge who's good at their job knows the city's current state, not just its permanent features.

What to Avoid Asking

Generic tourist information that a five-second search would answer. The concierge who hands you a brochure for the bus tour is doing their job as they understand it. You can do better by asking a more specific question.

Also avoid asking for restaurant recommendations without a brief. "A good restaurant nearby" produces the safe answer: somewhere they know won't cause a complaint. "A good restaurant within walking distance for a celebratory dinner, we like seafood, not looking for anything too formal" produces an actual recommendation from someone who might tell you something useful.

Framing the Ask

Be specific about what you want and why. "I'm looking for a booking at a restaurant we've heard is difficult to get into" tells the concierge what the actual problem is. "We're trying to find a driver for an early morning airport run and the apps have been unreliable" is actionable. The more precisely you describe the gap between what you want and what you've been able to find yourself, the better the concierge can help.

Tipping Expectations

At luxury hotels in Western Europe, tipping a concierge who has genuinely helped you is standard. The amount depends on the task: five to ten euros for a restaurant reservation, more for something that took real effort or relationship capital. In the UK, tipping culture at hotel concierge level is less formalised but a genuine thank-you and a tip at checkout for substantive help is always appropriate.

Budget Hotels

A budget hotel front desk doesn't have concierge relationships, but the person behind the counter is often still useful if you ask the right question. "Where do you eat lunch around here?" is a question that works at any price point. They live and work in the neighbourhood. Their answer is based on personal experience, not professional obligation.