With a touch of French chic, the word concierge brings to mind a certain level of elegance, and of course service. Merriam-Webster defines concierge as “a resident in an apartment building especially in France who serves as doorkeeper, landlord's representative, and janitor,” and a usually multilingual hotel staff member who handles luggage and mail, makes reservations, and arranges tours; broadly,” as well as “a person employed (as by a business) to make arrangements or run errands.” But what does that have to do with StoneGate Apartment Homes? Amenities, that’s what. Our concierge services are just one of the amenities we offer to members of our apartment community.
Opinion is divided when it comes to the origin of the word. The first known use of the word was circa 1697. According to a Wikipedia article, concierge is a French word possibly derived from the Old French cumcerges, itself related to the Medieval Latin consergius or the Latin conservus. Another possibility, suggested by French authors as early as the 19th century, is that "concierge" is a contraction of comte des cierges "count of candles"— a servant responsible for maintaining the lighting and cleanliness of medieval palaces.
However it came to us, concierge service is a growing industry worldwide. Traditionally the concierge serves guests of a hotel, a business, or residents of an apartment with duties similar to those of an office manager, or perhaps receptionist. The field is growing, and it is not uncommon to find concierge services in hospitals, shopping malls, airports, on college campuses, associations, and even churches. In an apartment setting, the concierge may, for instance, provide relevant information to residents and guests about other apartment amenities.
StoneGate Apartments homes, here in Williamsville, NY, is pleased to provides concierge services for our residents. Try it out the next time you need information or a helping hand.
We would love to hear what your experience with our concierge services was like. Please feel free to leave a comment.