concierge

concierge — noun

1. a person responsible for looking after a block of flats or apartment building —

1.nounB2
Definition

a person responsible for looking after a block of flats or apartment building — checking who enters and leaves, receiving packages, and handling basic repairs or maintenance; a role especially common in France.

Example

The concierge at our Paris apartment building greets every resident by name each morning.

collocation: apartment building concierge

Packages arrived for the Dupont family and the concierge signed for them.

Common collocations
  • building concierge
  • apartment concierge
  • resident concierge
Synonyms
  • caretaker

    common in British English, but does not imply living on-site

  • superintendent

    used in US apartment buildings; often a broader management role

  • janitor

    focuses on cleaning and basic maintenance rather than security or oversight

Usage Note

This sense is strongly associated with French apartment buildings. In other countries, similar roles are called building superintendent (US), caretaker (UK), or janitor.

Common Mistakes

The concierge of my Taipei apartment helped me book a flight.
The building manager of my Taipei apartment helped me book a flight.
In Taiwan, apartment buildings have a guǎnlǐyuán (manager), whose duty rarely includes arranging travel; the hotel-concierge sense is different.

2. an employee in a hotel, club, or resort who assists guests with arranging transp

2.nounB1
Definition

an employee in a hotel, club, or resort who assists guests with arranging transport, booking tickets, recommending restaurants, and managing any special requests.

Example

João asked the hotel concierge to book two seats for Saturday's opera performance.

collocation: hotel concierge

The concierge at the Grand Hotel recommended a small Thai place near the night market.

Common collocations
  • hotel concierge
  • concierge desk
  • concierge service
  • lobby concierge
Synonyms
  • bellhop

    carries luggage to rooms, a narrower role without the information-desk function

  • porter

    mainly handles baggage at train stations or hotel entrances, not bookings or recommendations

  • doorman

    only deals with entry, exit, and hailing taxis, not arranging tours or tickets

Common Mistakes

I asked the concierge to clean my room.
I asked the concierge to recommend a good restaurant nearby.
A concierge handles information, bookings, and special requests, not housekeeping.

3. an employee or service that a company provides to run personal errands for its s

3.nounB2
Definition

an employee or service that a company provides to run personal errands for its staff — such as picking up dry cleaning, booking appointments, or buying gifts — so that employees can focus on their work without leaving the office.

Example

Caleb's company hired a concierge to pick up dry cleaning and buy gifts for staff.

collocation: corporate concierge / company concierge

The office concierge found a plumber for Dylan when a pipe burst in his kitchen.

Common collocations
  • corporate concierge
  • company concierge
  • office concierge
  • concierge service
Synonyms

Usage Note

Typically used with a modifier such as corporate concierge or company concierge. Unlike a personal assistant who is assigned to one person, this service is shared across the organisation.

4. a professional who guides an author through the process of independently publish

4.nounC1
Definition

a professional who guides an author through the process of independently publishing a book — managing tasks such as editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, and marketing — without going through a traditional publishing house.

Example

Self-published writers often hire a publishing concierge to handle editing and cover design.

collocation: publishing concierge

Her concierge arranged the printing, distribution, and online promotion for her first novel.

Common collocations
  • publishing concierge
  • self-publishing concierge
  • author concierge
  • concierge service
Synonyms
  • publishing consultant

    gives advice but often does not manage the hands-on tasks

  • book coach

    focuses on the writing and revision stage rather than production and distribution

Usage Note

A relatively new role that emerged with the rise of self-publishing. The author typically pays a flat fee or a percentage of book sales rather than an hourly wage.

concierge — adjective

Word family

  • concierges
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

While all four terms describe people who help travellers at hotels or transport hubs, the concierge has the broadest role. A concierge handles information, bookings, and special requests — essentially a guest-relations all-rounder. A bellhop (or bellboy) focuses on carrying luggage to and from rooms and is common in North American hotels. A porter handles baggage at train stations, airports, or hotel entrances but rarely makes bookings or gives local advice. A doorman greets guests, opens doors, and hails taxis but does not arrange tours or dinner reservations. In practice, a luxury hotel employs all three: the doorman welcomes you, the bellhop carries your bags, and the concierge organises your evening.

concierge ↗bellhopporter ↗doorman ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • hotel concierge
  • building concierge
  • corporate concierge
  • publishing concierge
  • concierge service
  • concierge desk

Phrases

  • concierge-level service
  • concierge-style assistance

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

Concierge comes from French, where it originally meant a 'fellow slave' — from Latin conservus (com- 'together' + servus 'slave'). In medieval France the word shifted to mean a warden or keeper of a building, and later a caretaker of an apartment block. The modern hotel-concierge role emerged in 19th-century European grand hotels. The extended meaning of a person who runs errands or provides premium services (corporate concierge, concierge medicine) developed in the late 20th century.