10 Years Later: Concierge Maps – A Success Story

In 2017, Concierge Maps is celebrating its 10th anniversary. 

This highlights the success of the high-end tourist guide distributed in luxury hotels. Moreover, it serves as a reminder of an adventure that began in Brighton in 2007 — an adventure that continues today in European capital cities and major metropolitan areas.

The Early Stages at the Grand Brighton Hotel 

In early 2007, Maxime Danibert, founder of Concierge Maps, was 22 years old. He was Deputy Head Concierge at the DeVere Grand Brighton Hotel at the time, and number two on a 24-person team. This environment was ideal for understanding the needs — direct and indirect — of the establishment’s high-end clientele, and the concierges’ needs in terms of relaying practical information to visitors. The idea of creating a guide came to Danibert, and was realised several months later with the first edition comprised of 25,000 copies for the Grand Brighton Hotel, the Hotel du Vin and the Royal York Hotel. 

First Edition in Geneva

The story continues in Switzerland. In 2012, the first guide under the Concierge Maps brand was released in Geneva featuring a new format. The brochure was luxurious, free and personalised for the partner hotels that distributed it to their guests. The advertisers, all of which were luxury brands, could reach their target audience in an exclusive and direct manner. 

And the guide experienced rapid success. Today the number of partner hotels is increasing, as is the number of Concierge Maps advertisers. This success can be explained by the ergonomic, graphic and editorial quality of the guide, and by its alignment with the desires, tastes and habits of the public who make up its audience. Maxime Danibert is intimately familiar with these details from the concierge experience he acquired several years prior to launching the guide. 

Concierge Maps provides relevant, handpicked cultural information that meets the standards and expectations of luxury hotel guests. For the concierges of these establishments, this customised working tool is a precious help; and for advertisers, it is an ideal communication medium. 

650,000 Copies in 2017

In 2015, Concierge Maps launched in Moscow.

At the beginning of 2017, the Paris, London, Milan and Saint Petersburg editions came to be. 650,000 copies of the guide will be distributed by the end of 2017, and so far Concierge Maps counts 68 partner hotels. 

For the past five years, Concierge Maps SA has experienced strong development. A continually-increasing number of hotels, concierges and advertisers have placed their trust in the guide, and are committed to staying with the company in the long term. Concierge Maps considers the suggestions and needs of all partners and clients, and in this way, the reasons for their success are manifold. 

The Strengths of Concierge Maps

For luxury hotels, the guide is an outstanding promotional tool, and is particularly appreciated by the concierges who use it on a regular basis. Developed in partnership with the hotel services, the guide is free and tailored to each partner hotel. It is adapted to a clientele with high purchasing power, and offers practical and cultural information of interest to this demographic. Elegant and discreet, the pocket-sized guide can be kept with you during your stay, and taken with you when you leave. The guide helps partner hotels to enhance their brand image and improve the customer experience and loyalty. 

For luxury brands that communicate through Concierge Maps, there are just as many benefits of the guide. The paper version is published in the form of a luxurious booklet — a perfect match for their brand image. Its editorial line and audience make it a real communication jewel, featuring pages presenting new products, boutique promotion opportunities, advertorials, etc. Exclusively read by wealthy travellers, the guide serves as a bridge between upmarket hotels and luxury brands that appeal to the reader. In turn, the cost per mille (CPM) is up to five times lower than the standard cost in printed media. 

A Willingness to Continually Improve

Minutia, excellence, refinement and uniqueness are all qualities that characterise the luxury industry, which Concierge Maps strives to maintain in its production and relations with partners and clients. It is by maintaining a high level of quality, and by being attentive to all parties involved that Concierge Maps has become a reference guide for luxury hotels. These values, and this state of mind, are — and will remain — the catalysts of its development. 

The success of printed media shows that paper has yet to take its final breath. However, Concierge Maps has not forgotten digital media, and has innovative projects in the works — notably to assist traditional concierges. 

More information on www.conciergemaps.media

info@conciergemaps.ch