Concierge service touches super-rich’s pride

Hotel Plaza in Seoul is the only luxury hotel that offers a concierge service for weddings.

Other hotels provide a venue and catering service. But Plaza offers a concierge to oversee the whole process of the wedding.

“A wedding concierge is required to be more experienced as they have to serve not just the couple but also their parents on their very special day,” said a manager at the hotel.

There are three professional wedding concierges at the hotel who have more than seven years of experience as a hotelier. 

The concierge takes care of every detail of the wedding ranging from the wedding gown and make-up, to the decoration of the wedding hall and tables.

The manager added that she also prepares stationary so that the newly-wed couple can deliver their thanks to their parents.

“Since starting the concierge service three years ago, we have seen our wedding customers almost triple in number,” she said.

Such carefully-tailored concierge services are part of the latest marketing trend targeting the nation’s super-rich.

The credit card industry was the first sector to latch onto the concept in the early 2000s.

In 2005, Hyundai Card launched an unprecedented VVIP card named “the Black.” The annual membership fee was 1 million won ($915) at the time and is now 2 million won.

Only 9,999 people can enjoy the “prestige” of owning the card that offers benefits like bargain deals at luxury hotels and designer boutiques worth more than the annual membership fee.

Despite earlier skepticism within the industry, the customer reaction was explosive, leading to lower-priced cousins ― “the Purple” and “the Red” for VVIP wannabes.

Other credit card companies like Shinhan and Lotte now have their own concierge service teams that support special occasions such as the purchase of rare luxury goods, reservations at fancy restaurants both in Korea and abroad and scheduling overseas travel.

High-end department stores also offer personal shopper service to their very important customers.

According to industry data, the top 5 percent of customers at a local department store makes up almost half the retailer’s total sales.

Galleria Department Store was the first to hire a personal shopper who gives professional styling and shopping tips or holds an exclusive fashion show for a small group of VIPs.

Leading retailers like Lotte and Shinsegae now operate the concierge service but would not reveal the details, citing secrecy of their upper class customers.

“Many VIP customers purchase products based on the advice of the personal shopper. Companies are stepping up efforts to better appeal to personal shoppers,” said an industry source.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)