AT the world’s top hotels, they are as indispensable as a choice of cushions. Concierges hold a key position in hotels, working a demanding job that’s all about pleasing guests, no matter how out-of-the-ordinary their wishes are. To do so, a concierge needs a vast set of skills, flexible thinking, and great connections. It’s a hectic, high-pressure job, and one that stands out from other professionals in the hospitality industry.

But it’s also one of those jobs few people ever think about — that was, at least, until the 2014 movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel” came out. The film, written and directed by Wes Anderson, narrates the adventures of legendary concierge Gustave H. at a time of war and turmoil. In the movie, Gustave takes pride in fulfilling every guest’s wish — even the rather lewd ones.

But in reality, a concierge needs to know his boundaries as well as those of the law, says Billy Yin, chief concierge of the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai.

“It’s a position in a hotel that meets all the needs of the guests within the law,” Yin said.

Johnny Yuan, concierge manager at the Pudong Shangri-La, East Shanghai, said that he once politely declined to help a guest arrange the services of a sex worker.

After he denied the request, the guest drew international comparisons.

“He (the guest) said many concierges in South America have handed him prostitute brochures,” Yuan said.

But cases like that are exceptions to the rule. Mostly, guests simply ask for help when it comes to everyday arrangements. The top four services guests request are booking tickets for events, making dining reservations, creating a travel itinerary, and posting mail.

That’s a far stretch from the Middle Age origins of the job, when the word “concierge,” meaning “keeper of the keys” in French, was used to describe the man in charge of the keys to each and every single room of a castle. It wasn’t until 1929 that the “concierge” was introduced to the travel industry, with the establishment of The Society of The Golden Keys in Paris.

Today, concierges might not have to carry heavy keys around the cold hallways of castles, but there are other challenges they face. Fast, widely accessible Internet and service apps are threatening to make the profession obsolete.

“Guests can use Uber to book a car to pick them up at the airport, dianping.com to make a restaurant reservation and various apps to buy tickets. To some extent, these new technologies make us feel like we are losing our place,” said the Four Season’s Yin.

Yuan from the Pudong Shangri-La said that he tries to see the recent developments in a positive light as the rise of mobile technology forces them to raise their services to a higher level.

“For example, we can get a table at a restaurant guests cannot book; send a parcel that most delivery companies decline to send (like art pieces); and book tickets that aren’t available on the Internet,” said Yuan.

With his extensive network, Titian Ji, chief concierge at Hyatt on the Bund, has managed to get a table for lunch at Lao Jishi, a local restaurant where reservations need to be placed about a week in advance, or a short-notice spot at Ultra Violet, a restaurant that serves only 10 guests per day, where reservations need to be placed at least three months in advance.

That’s where “The Grand Budapest Hotel” stays true to reality. A concierge is capable of getting things others can’t get, mostly due to their own network and the sharing of sources among each other.

Concierge in China

Compared with Europe, the history of the concierge in China is rather short, starting from the 1980s, when the first international five-star hotels opened.

Despite its short history, Shanghai today has one of the highest numbers of concierges awarded a golden key, a coveted concierge qualification of excellence issued by The Golden Key Association.

According to Yuan, there are around 200 domestically certified golden keys and 50 internationally certified in China. To achieve that, candidates need at least five years’ experience in a five-star hotel and, most importantly, impeccable knowledge of their profession.

“As a golden key keeper, you need to know not only a restaurant’s cuisine style but also its signature dishes and chef’s background; not only the name of an art show but also its director’s and actors’ profile; not only the match calendar of ATP Shanghai Masters but the complete and latest list of contestants,” said Yuan from Pudong Shangri-La.

For the most part, the concierges deal with international guests — about 70 percent of those requiring a concierge who used to be from abroad, Yin said. But that’s slowly changing, at least at the Hyatt on the Bund, concierge Ji added.

“During the recent two years, the proportion of my Chinese guests rose to 50 percent,” Ji said.

There’s a distinct difference between the requests made by international and Chinese guests, the professionals agreed. Most Chinese guests, they said, already know which restaurant they want to go to, and which show they want to see. International guests, however, ask open-ended questions.

“For example ‘which restaurant do you recommend and why?’” Yin said.

Another difference is that Chinese guests will directly ask about the average price of a restaurant while international customers generally focus on cuisine style and ambience, according to Yin and Ji.

Shanghai Daily has interviewed four of the city’s most experienced and talented golden key keepers. From saving a guest’s life to finding an ancestral grave, they are sharing their best kept secrets, success stories and most memorable moments.

Titian Ji

Age: 36

Title: Chief concierge at the Hyatt on the Bund, golden key keeper

Years of concierge service: 17

Q: What inspired you to become a concierge?

A: After my graduating from school with a degree in hotel management, I hoped to find a job filled with challenges rather than going by the book.

Q: What’s the most impressive memory in your career life?

A: In 2011, my guest, who’s the grandson of Yang Hucheng (a Chinese general who played an important role during the Chinese Civil War) came to my counter and asked for help in finding his grandpa’s grave. I managed to narrow down the search area to a small village in Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province but failed to find the gravestone. He then went to Ningbo, where he fulfilled his wish. After going back to the United States, he sent me an envelop with coins he collected from over 10 countries to express his gratitude.

Q: How much does experience matter in your job?

A: An experienced concierge not only knows the name of a restaurant or a pub, but the story behind it, from its chef to founder. When I recommend the pub Linx to my Hong Kong guest, I will highlight that Nicholas Tse (a Hong Kong singer and actor) is its co-owner.

Q: Any embarrassing moments in your career life?

A: I was sexually harassed by my guests.

William Chen

Age: 44

Title: Assistant concierge manager at the Portman Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, golden key keeper

Years of concierge service: 24

Q: What inspired you to become a concierge?

A: I started my career in the 1990s, when there were few five-star hotels in Shanghai. The concierge at the Portman was globally known. There was an international magazine at that time saying “if you have any problem in Shanghai, go to the concierge desk at the Portman hotel.”

Q: How much does experience matter in your job?

A: I can understand a guest’s request even he/she cannot express it clearly.

Q: Are there any secrets of your job that others may not know?

A: There are many hidden experts in the concierge world. For example, after handling so many requests for buying Chinese antiques, some concierges in Shanghai can discern the fakes from the genuine ones, almost like archeologists.

Q: What was your most impressive working experience?

A: One story happened in 1993, when there’s no Internet to easily get information. A guest from Israel, whose family was among the tens of thousands of Jews who fled Nazi persecution and found refuge in Shanghai, came to my counter. He said that he hoped to visit his family’s former residence in Shanghai. He had to check out the next day, and he said his health condition wouldn’t allow him to visit Shanghai again.

That meant I only had 24 hours to find the place. I recalled that I watched a documentary film talking about Jewish refugees in Shanghai by the Shanghai TV Station. I contacted the TV station, and managed to find Ohel Moshe Synagogue on Changyang Road.

Another story happened in 1996. An American guest came to my counter around 3pm and told me that he just flew into Shanghai but his luggage was delayed, and his medicine was on the check-in luggage. It was specifically made for his condition, but I managed to get the formula of his medicine and bought a similar medicine.

Q: How does your job benefit your life?

A: I once took care of a guest, a finance professional, considerately. He gave me a recommendation for a stock to express his gratitude, which helped me dig my first gold.

I once served an American guest and became his friend. He planned my travel itinerary during my stay in the US.

Johnny Yuan

Age: 38

Title: Concierge manager at the Pudong Shangri-La Hotel, East Shanghai, internally certified golden key keeper

Years of concierge service: 16

Q: What inspired you to become a concierge?

A: I graduated from college with a degree in hotel management. I originally intended to work at the reception desk, but there was no vacancy. Then I chose to become a concierge and was impressed by my boss, an experienced concierge who can overcome all obstacles.

Q: Is there any general misunderstanding of your job?

A: People always think we do our jobs for tips, which is not true. But we do receive commendatory letters with US$100 and more. Let me share a small story about how I once changed a guest’s perception of China. One day, a Japanese American came to my counter and said “I feel disappointed about China. I had a qipao (traditional Chinese costume) tailor-made at a boutique shop but the size didn’t fit. I asked the shop to make alterations but they were so rude and hung up the phone.” I called the shop and realized that it’s a misunderstanding due to the language barrier. I accompanied the guest to the shop but found that it was impossible to deliver the altered qipao to the hotel before the guest was scheduled to leave. Then I invited the tailor to the hotel to use the hotel’s sewing machine for alternation. I received her commendatory letter in a few days and felt proud of myself.

Q: Who was your most impressive guest?

A: Those guests growing old along with me. There’s a frequent guest who used to stay at our hotel for one month every year. When we met, he always said “Johnny, you are still working here!” Then I didn’t see him for years, but his son came and told me his father passed away and he inherited the family business.

Q: Any embarrassing moments in your career life?

A: I once recommended Whompoa Club (a Chinese restaurant at Three on the Bund) to my guests since the restaurant had good reputation among diners. But my guests came back and told me that they weren’t satisfied with the food. I didn’t note that restaurant’s chef had changed.

Q: How does your job benefit your life?

A: I was once a timid and silent person. The job made me more open and I now feel comfortable with communications.

Billy Yin

Age: 40

Title: Chief concierge of the Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai, golden key keeper

Years of concierge service: 20

Q: What inspired you to become a concierge?

A: I became a concierge by accident. I was a doorman at the very beginning and transferred to the concierge desk when there was a job vacancy.

Q: How much does experience matter in your job?

A: An experienced concierge knows how to offer services beyond a guest’s expectation. For example, a guest asks a concierge to arrange an airport drop-off early tomorrow morning. A young concierge simply replies “yes” while a more experienced concierge will ask “which terminal? Do you need a morning call and in-room breakfast?”

Q: What’s the most impressive memory in your career life?

A: Years ago, a guest called around 11pm when I was on night shift. He said he forgot bringing his leather shoes but had to attend a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony the next morning at nine. I tried to buy him a new pair but all the department stores in Shanghai open after 10am. I realized that my uniform shoes might help. I asked him his shoes size but he didn’t know because all his shoes are tailor-made. Then I ran to the hotel’s store house, found uniform shoes ranging from size 38 to 42 and let him try until the shoes fit. The guest, who I later learned was Richard Li (son of Li Ka-shing, Asia’s richest man) was thankful for my help and asked for my name card.

Q: How do you keep yourself competitive?

A: I read the newspaper and watch TV news every day to keep my information updated. It’s unprofessional if you suggest your guest to go to Caoxi Road by tube when the tube station is closed or recommend a heritage site when it is undergoing repairs.

Q: How does your concierge network work?

A: We have an association named “Concierge Society,” where we help each other and share information and sources. For example, Saudi Prince Al-Waleed bin Talai once stayed in Peninsula Hotel Shanghai, and asked their concierge to buy some of his favorite Chinese snacks (some of them are only available in Guangzhou) within 48 hours. With the help of a concierge at the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou, he got it done.