Langham Hotel Auckland Earns Highest Achievement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Langham Hotel Auckland Earns Highest Achievement In Australasia

(Auckland – 16 May 2006) ----- The Langham Hotel Auckland has officially been recognised as having the most qualified concierge team in Australasia following the admittance of a third staff member to Les Clefs d’Or.

Les Clefs d’Or is the world’s highest level of achievement for hotel concierge professionals with only 20 New Zealanders of 3500 concierge worldwide successful in achieving membership.

Assistant chief concierge Mr Tim O’Hara is the Langham Hotel Auckland’s most recent addition to Les Clefs d’Or and the only successful applicant to achieve membership in New Zealand this year.

“It really is a huge privilege to be the only applicant accepted from New Zealand this year. I worked hard for this and it makes me proud to know that as a result of my membership I now work for a hotel with more Les Clefs d’Or members than anywhere else in Australasia,” said Mr O’Hara.

The Langham Hotel Auckland’s other Les Clefs d’Or members include chief concierge Mr Jim Tully and senior concierge Mr Logan Fleet.

“Throughout Europe the concierge profession is recognised and appreciated as a respected vocation. In New Zealand I think there is a lot of mystique about what we actually do. Hopefully the increasing presence of Les Clefs d’Or in New Zealand will clarify this,” continued Mr O’Hara.

The role of a good concierge is somewhat similar to an interpreter between the guest and the city the concierge operates in. Their knowledge of a city needs to be encyclopaedic in order to deal with every guests individual requirements from simple transport, dining and entertainment recommendations through to more discreet requests such as help organise a wedding proposal, a gift for a loved one or perhaps arranging a horse-drawn carriage.

To become a member of Les Clefs d’Or candidates must undertake an extensive screening process which includes submitting numerous letters of reference from active members, current and past employers, tourism and hospitality suppliers and from competing hotel’s Les Clefs d’Or professionals.

About Les Clefs d’Or
Les Clefs d’Or was founded on 6 Oct 1929 when 11 Concierges from the grand hotels of Paris realized that they could operate more effectively as a team than individually. If they could join forces, they felt, they could make their services more indispensable. Today there are more than 3,500 members in 37 countries worldwide.

Background Notes On The Langham:
Langham has a legendary hotel heritage dating back to 1865 when the Langham Hotel in London originally opened as Europe’s first Grand Hotel. For 140 years, this flagship hotel has been at the forefront of sophisticated and gracious hospitality. Today, all Langham Hotels worldwide inherit the same philosophy that reflects elegance in design, innovation in hospitality, genuine service and captivation of the senses creating a truly unique hotel experience.

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