[Concierge Confidential: The Secrets of Serving Champagne Bitches and Caviar Queens]

by Michael Fazio, Michael Malice

New York City's top concierge reveals the behind-the-scenes madness that goes into getting the rich and famous what they want, and shares some great insider knowledge on how to get access to the unattainable without making the concierge, waiters and other service people crazy.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Business, Travel, Biography, New York, Biography Memoir

Paperback

First published February 1, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Michael Fazio is a partner in Abigail Michaels Concierge, Manhattan’s premier concierge business, serving almost 20,000 condominiums, hotels and private clients. He has been featured in a wide variety of publications, including The New York Times, The New York Post and Crain’s New York Business, and is a recurring guest on ABC’s The View. He lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Kwoomac · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a true story (possibly embellished for entertainment purposes) about the concierge business, in NYC.This book takes place in an alternate universe, as far as I'm concerned. I'm neither rich nor do I want to please rich people. The author's whole world revolves around the whims and desires of the super-rich people he serves. Actually, he doesn't believe he serves them, he looks at their relationship as more of a business contract. He sees himself as their equal, someone who has a product (himself) they need. I guess this is how he can enjoy what to me would be not-so-much-fun.

He doesn't come across as particularly likable, but when I googled him after reading the book, he seems like a nice guy. I am confused because there are a few real people in the book, whom he does not refer to kindly. I would think (and again, I know very little about the super-rich) that it is bad form to say anything negative about anyone, when you're trying to do business with people in that world. Confidentiality and you can trust me and all that. But what do I know.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very quick read. Not a lot of redeeming value to it, but it's always fun to vicariously experience the lives of the rich and super rich. The whole of idea of tossing out a hundred dollar tip ($100!!!) to the concierge like it's nothing is pretty hard to get over. And yet clearly, this is just another day in the life of a five star concierge.
I got this book to hopefully learn some inside tips for my upcoming trip to New York. Yes, I learned lots of ideas on how to get a table at a ridiculously expensive restaurant which I would never eat at (tip number one: ask your concierge). But, despite very little take-home application, it was still a fun read.

[Wanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Over hyped. What secrets? That some people with the big bucks are narcissitic jerks? That is not a newsflash. Neither are the so-called tips about how to secure a reservation in an "in" spot. Bottom line, pay the concierge a boat load of money to get it for you and don't act like a jerk. Poorly written with tons of misspellings and editing errors. I guess they don't employ editors at publishing houses anymore.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a tell all, not that many "secrets come out" nor are there many tales of "madmen".
Concierge Confidential really falls short for me in its attempt to be many things, failing at all except being a light mostly fun read.
It is billed as a tell all and while there are a few quirky and hilarious spill the beans tales it constitutes a fraction of the book.
At other times it tries to impart some interesting general thoughts on customer service, then it tries to offer tips for those wanting to make restaurant bookings.
Some name dropping comes in along with tales of Fazio's career path then that of his company Abigail Michaels.
I'm sure Fazio is capable of writing an interesting book on each of the topics he tried to cover in this book, but sadly this effort is just a grab bag of ideas. It's scary that Fazio actually used a ghost writer in Malice to produce this effort.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sure that Michael Fazio is an excellent concierge and probably a very good businessman, too. However, in this book, he did not share enough gritty stories about 'madmen' or attainable secrets to make the read worthwhile. I knew I was in for it when the introduction ended with the wrong version of the word "to," and there were some typos and syntax problems in the rest of the book.

My larger problem was that I hoped for some really off-the-wall, gossip-style stories, and there were ...two. I didn't get to know the "characters" of Michael or Abby well enough to really care about the success of their business, and I didn't feel like I understood their struggles. So, I can't give this book a good score, because I was unmoved.

If you MUST read this, wait for a paperback, or borrow it from a friend. It is a beach read - at best.

[Melody · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! Certainly not deep or life-changing, but a potato-chippy kind of book about being the consummate service professional. I love concierges, and have no hesitation about popping into a hotel in a strange city and saying, "So, where's the best bead store in town? And can you tell me where I can get some archival ink?" because they know. And reading about how much fun it is to be on the other side of those questions (most of the time) was great. Naturally, reading about how terrible it can be when really rich people are obnoxious was even better.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been on a "memoirs' reading kick lately! I was pleasantly surprised by how well written and interesting this subject turned out to be. I was right there with Mr. Fazio while he dealt with rich, undeserving, rude, and demanding aholes (at least he got tipped more times than not)! The angle that I found most surprising to this book was the entrepreneurial. I got the progression of skill and need for more as Fazio evolves into a successful entrepreneur.Most of the less fortunate (not born with a 24/7 nanny and mummy that shops six days a week), can relate to many of the tales in the tell all book about serving the affluent demands for the finer and harder to attain 'things' in life. I for one thought it was a great read. I did not give it five stars because I didn't much care for some of the tips that are found in every chapter of this book. I would, however, recommend this book if you like to get insight to an industry that is a bit mysterious (who really uses it... why when you can pick up the phone etc.. but keep in mind that a lot of this storyline was prior to the internet.

[Carolyn Di Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun! I found it wonderfully dishy and even informative. Mr. Fazio lets his readers in on a few secrets. Even if you have little or no opportunity to use them, it is still a delight to imagine.
As a former employee at an upscale retail establishment, I could readily identify with the author's dilemmas. Many the time, when I'd wish to write such a tell-all. I admit, there are times in this book, that you feel he has had enough and is really venting, but I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. He has written the book I always wanted to. I am aware some of his readers may feel he is disparaging of them. I must tell those people that perhaps it is because you see yourself mirrored back? Mr. Fazio's book reminds everyone of this simple fact: treat those who are hired to serve you with dignity and respect.
Good job, Mr. Fazio. Service employees everywhere applaud you!

[Katherine Clark · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got the idea to read this book from APM's Dinner Party Download podcast. Michael Fazio was a guest who was giving advice about etiquette, and he was very funny. The book was a little disappointing. The wit not so sharp, and I guess I find reading about the very rich stultifying and upsetting. I'm glad I read it though. Michael is very good at thinking outside of the box, and knows how to make money from his ideas, something I'm very poor at.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found the title of this book was misleading. While it was fun to catch a behind-the-scenes view of life with luxury, there were few "secrets" that I truly found exciting. Perhaps if you want to know how to get into a hot club or find freebies at a casino, then the secrets are worth the read. Still, what a fascinating job.

[Corey Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was diverting, but not what I had hoped. I was looking to read about the inner workings of the hotel business - some "stranger than fiction" tales of the rich and spoiled. Instead you get too much of the author's biography, and his general thoughts on how people in the service industry should be treated. What was most interesting about the book could have fit into one chapter.

[René · Rating 3 out of 5]

Concierge Confidential

Crazy world of servicing others is shared w light quirky vignettes. Serious industry and money passes thru hands when services are complete. Great success story!

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A interesting inside look at the concierge world--getting tickets to that sold out show, a table at the hottest restaurant, access at that popping new club, etc. I have never ever gotten perks like that at hotels and what not, so it was fun to read about his experiences.

I thought it would be more customer service oriented, ie dealing with cranky and rude people. This does get mentioned quite a bit, but the author focuses mostly on how to get those perks and what the concierge goes through in order to get them. It was fascinating, but also a little annoying to see how well and easily the rich can get what they want because they have money to drop 100 dollar bills to the waiter or whatever.

I have some problems with this though. He relates the story of a woman who wanted a little more than just a massage and supposedly gets it. But she comes downstairs and complains she was inappropriately touched. The author makes it seem like she just regretted the whole thing, and maybe she did. But we only have his side of it and maybe the masseur did take advantage of her. There's no way to know and overall that particular anecdote just made me feel really uncomfortable.

He does also have an insight for what it was like post-9/11. I had read that tourism was just in the tank after the attacks, but it was interesting to read his perspective and what it was like in the hotel days and weeks after. Clearly it's an uncomfortable topic and I got the feeling he didn't want to dwell on it. But it led to a rather interesting story with Whoopi Goldberg and the movie stars who were willing to step up for NY, which was interesting. It was also interesting to see which stars who were not interested or never heard of his project.

It wasn't quite what I expected, but it was still a quick enjoyable read.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had seen the review for this in USA Today perhaps, and working at a hotel, and especially being interested in concierging at some point in my future, I'd had this on my To-Read list for a few months, and when I saw it available at the library, I knew I had to get it. I just assumed as most would that he was a hotel concierge and he was for many years, but turns out now he owns a consierge business that services luxory apartments. See? You learn something new everyday. I really enjoyed this quick read, probably because I've encountered so many of the same types of guests/requests even in a small town hotel like mine. Surprisingly he does name drop celebrities and tell interesting quirks about them, I'm not sure if it's true or he's using other celebs names to cover up the ones he actually delt with, but it's really fun to put a well known face with the story. My favorite part was probably the few times that he does what every person in service wants to do and tells off those ridiculously rude guests, even though you didn't deal with them and you weren't the one to yell back, it still feels gratifying to know someone in your field did. Definitely a read if you're in the hospitality business or ever have been.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh out loud quite a bit, but I had high expectations that it would be little more anecdotal. Don't get me wrong, it was well written, funny and informational - I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone, especially anyone who has ever worked in the service industry of any type. He opens your eyes to the fact that you don't even KNOW service until you've been a concierge. One of my favorite stories had to do with a businessman who came downstairs with a VD and wanted it taken care of with no doctors or paperwork.... wait, what?? Then my runner up would be a celebrity who kept losing things... like her car. Despite the fact it was right in front of her.

It adds little tips and tricks for how to "handle" people at places like restaurants and ticket booths, guiding you how to politely ASK for things with a slight hint of expectation instead of EXPECTING things, with no hint of asking. There's a difference and that difference may mean you get what you want.

All in all? Successful book. I enjoyed it - I would love to see him write a blog. I'd be all over that!

[Thebenzolow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here is another hospitality industry book that I loved and I read this several years ago. Concierges are rare these days in hotels. Most hotels have the bellman and front desk answer questions, but not always can they provide you with insider tips and detailed information. All the front desk wants to do is get you to your room. All the bellman wants to do is take your money. A true concierge has time to educate travelers on things to do in the area and beyond. Now that cellphones have GPS, everyone bypasses the concierge and looks up restaurants and shops on their own. Majority of people use their cellphones to rely on review websites for dining by people who write more about staff looks instead of reviewing the food (read: most people who try to write restaurant reviews fail because do not have a refined palate.)

Here's where a concierge is handy: Mr. or Ms. concierge can get you inside a popular restaurant at 7:00pm on a Saturday night. Why? It's because of the personal connections they have with the city. Same goes for nightclubs, theater, sporting events, etc.

[RS · Rating 4 out of 5]

i am not sure if it's my fascination about NYC (everyone knows how i really, really, really, want to visit it) or it's truly the plot that was the gem of the book.

and i decided, it was the writing style.

it's very entertaining. you just gotta know what's going to happen next. it's not entirely poetic or philosophical - like most books i love - but it's utterly entertaining.

i glanced on some of the review about this book on how it is "no secret" or how uninteresting it really is to read about all these obnoxious jerks (rich people) and all i could think about is how they don't get it. they are probably not in a "service" industry. they have not the idea of how crazy and often time scary it truly is to be put on the spot and to carry yourself with class at the same time. i am not in hotel industry but i could relate! you have to be sharp, quick (very quick with your thoughts) and most of all, composed. and you have to be very brave to be composed, unshaken!

it is truly an art.

i enjoyed it! :)

[Megalion · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this niche of the memoir genre. Ones that give you an insider's perspective of what it's like to do their jobs. Usually it's something in the service industry.

Michael's co-author did a masterful job of organizing his stories into a cohesive narrative. The transitions aren't clear at first but the flow works and the former ceased to be noticeable.

It's not a tell all with lots of name dropping (well he's not really a fan of Rosie Perez) but includes a review of concierge culture and its decline. He wasn't always a concierge either.

His 9/11 story was fascinating to see how some people remained oblivious to what was happening, despite the "smell of death" that he describes permeating the air.

If you've ever listened to Whoopi Goldberg's syndicated radio talk show, he's "that concierge guy". I don't listen to radio but apparently he was a regular feature on the show.

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

A quick and interesting read about life as a concierge in NYC - a place dripping with demanding rich people. The author shares stories about the people he encountered as well as tips and thoughts on service, the service industry and some basic how-to's in terms of getting good service yourself. As someone with a small town background who plays in the big city corporate culture now I can appreciate the author's thoughts on how service is a business transaction and above all else if you show kindness and respect and be direct about what you want, you are likely to be better off than being mean, demanding and talking down to service workers. He reminds us of the classic phrase that it's not what you know, it's who you know and his many connections helped him with many unique situations in his line of work.

[Chrissy Shea Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always reading multiple books concurrently- one easy read, one more brainy read and something on audible. This was definitely the easy read. Some of this is actually interesting from a traveler’s perspective - providing knowledge of the ins and outs of how hotels work behind the scenes. But he claims to not be pretentious even though many stories are about him being the “hero” for the demanding jerk client. The whole world he describes is obnoxiously pretentious and narcissistic. What he refers to as clients being “mean” I would call disrespectful. This may go with the pretentiousness though. And contrary to what the author says about this on page 206, I do think the narcissistic cluelessness can make someone a “bad” person.
In the end, it’s an easy read. And there was some entertainment (I was surprised by the use of real celebrity names). But it’s certainly not a tell all.

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very, very quick read. I finished most of it in an afternoon. It's a perfect book for a sunny afternoon and a cold glass of iced tea.

The best parts of the book are all the anecdotes about weird things people have requested from him as a concierge. It is amazing, but I don't doubt it. Unfortunately, as the book goes on, it veers into the history of how he went from working as a hotel concierge to how he went about starting his own independent concierge business. I'm glad for him that he found a way to innovate and start a new kind of business, but it just wasn't as compelling as the behind the scenes stories.

Overall, if you've ever wondered how concierges do what they do, this is a quick fluffy view into that world.

[Scotchneat · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times fey, bitchy and snide, this is an inside look at the world of a high-end concierge. I like books about professions that are slightly out of the norm, but I must say, there's no well in hell I could be a concierge (mortician or crime scene clean-up, I think I could do).

Very good concierges are part servant, part made man (or woman) and part confessor. The requests can be odd and ridiculous, and as you might imagine, sometimes distasteful. This is a whole other way of living for most of us.

In the end, the book left a bad taste in my mouth - there's no acknowledgement about just how first-world crazy the industry even is, and also because the author is just that nasty side of catty.

[Brandon H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining book about what it's like to deal with celebrities, the wealthy, the spoiled wealthy, and oddballs from the perspective of a hotel concierge working in New York City. Besides sharing his humorous and sometimes unbelievable stories, he also included a lot of helpful advice on how to get into popular restaurants in big cities on short notice as well as how to go about asking for help from the people in the service industry.

A quote I enjoyed from the book - "It's often the case that the more money you have the more aversion you have to handling it. There are people in the world who haven't been to a grocery store and couldn't tell you how much a pint of milk is. It doesn't make them bad; it just makes them annoyingly clueless." - Michael Fazio

[Valerie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this from my boss and after about 50 pages realized it was more interesting to hear her tell me the various anecdotes than it was to read about them. Over the past month, I never had an urge to pick it up so it's time to throw up the white flag. I'm done. I didn't care for the writing style and section breaks. It just wasn't for me.

[February Four · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great book, unbelievable stories, and I guess this is what it's like to serve the rich and famous. I just couldn't help thinking: I hope Michael Fazio has a good lawyer, because who knows how many people are going to sue him for revealing their secrets now?

[Gannonwb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A breezy quick read. There is something to be learned regarding providing and receiving service here. Other than that it's the novel equivalent of reading People magazine at the checkout counter....parenthetically speaking, these books have their place too !

[Rhode PVD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvelous fun. Not at all as trashy as the title makes out. A memoir of a true, enthusiastic, intelligent professional. Frequent travelers and hotel industry pros will enjoy. As well as anyone who loves New York.

[Jennifer (Jena) Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a very entertaining and interesting read. I especially liked the tips throughout on how-to get difficult reservations at a trendy spot. Mostly I enjoyed the passion the author exhibited in his daily work as a concierge (customer service).

[DemetraP · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some funny stories in here. But the beginning of the book where the author talks about how he worked as assistants for agents (for actors) was really boring. Just skip to the part where he becomes a concierge.

My favorite story was the one with the chocolate in the bathtub.

[Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never knew what being a concierge was like. Illuminating and funny.