Concierge accepted into Les Clefs d’Or
Press release from Crowne Plaza Queenstown
Tuesday 22
April 2008
Crowne Plaza Concierge accepted into Les Clefs d’Or’s prestigious society
Crowne Plaza Queenstown’s Leisure Concierge, Nathan Wise, is still smiling after a phone call yesterday afternoon (Monday 21 April) confirmed his admittance to the prestigious Hotel Concierge Society Les Clefs d’Or New Zealand.
Nathan (27) will be awarded his Les Clefs d’Or (or Golden Keys) next month, during an official ceremony in Queenstown with society President Gustavo Concha, Chief Concierge for Hilton Auckland.
Nathan is one of only 23 concierges in New Zealand to meet the strict criteria held by Union Internationale des Concierge d'Hotels Les Clefs d'Or. There are 3,500 members worldwide.
“This is an achievement I’ve had my sights set on since I began working in the hospitality field, so it’s absolutely awesome to be singled out for Les Clefs d’Or. I’ve realised a lifelong goal this week and it feels great,” said Mr Wise.
“It’s been a nerve-wracking process. I applied to the society in January, then in March I was invited to Auckland for an interview which took place last week.
“The interview itself was over two hours long, with all sorts of questions put to me by a panel of three, testing my knowledge of things to do and places to go including the unique attributes of both Queenstown and New Zealand.”
Les Clefs d’Or is an internationally recognised means of benchmarking and celebrating the best concierge leaders, assessed and awarded by industry peers who belong to the world association of Professional Hotel Concierges.
Nathan, originally from Sydney, has over six years’ frontline hospitality experience, and has been a member of the Crowne Plaza Queenstown team for four years.
Brett Wilson, General Manager of Crowne Plaza Queenstown, said he was thrilled for Nathan and proud to have him in the hotel’s team.
“The Hotel Concierge Society’s philosophy is ‘in service through friendship’ and that’s something Nathan embodies fully. You couldn’t meet a more amiable, professional, discreet and fun-loving individual. His lively persona and unquestionable dedication to helping guests is a major asset to the hotel,” said Mr Wilson.
Membership of the society brings a range of professional benefits, including training opportunities, professional resources, mentoring, and access to the pooled resources of a close network of established industry professionals to deliver excellence in guest services.
Crowne Plaza, with it’s positioning as ‘The Place To Meet in Queenstown’ is located on Beach Street, opposite Steamer Wharf in Queenstown.
ENDS