Responsible for crucial guest-facing customer service and transforming hotel experiences for millions of travelers around the world, concierge services are often called upon by guests to provide trip planning assistance, make restaurant reservations, arrange for transportation, serve as translators, or even scout for engagement rings.
Unfortunately, they are also starting to find themselves first on the chopping block for hotels looking to cut costs amidst a transforming tourism industry. But with the proliferation of travel advisory ranking sites and an abundance of cluttered information for tourists looking for recommendations, perhaps concierge services are more valuable than ever.
Now, a startup that went live just three weeks ago in Chicago is aiming to provide a tech platform for travelers seeking tailored, personalized recommendations -- and for experienced, knowledgeable concierges looking to provide them.
Tim Huelskamp, in his previous life, was a private equity professional and travel enthusiast who enjoyed interacting with concierge services but noticed that only the top 3-5% of higher-end hotel chains were able to provide these services. Via LinkedIn, he connected with a Chicago-based boutique concierge with over ten years of hospitality experience, Krista Krauss Miller, and pitched the idea of what is now their startup venture, When in ROAM.
With a national network of experienced concierges, ROAM already provides custom itineraries for 21 cities across the country at a rate of $19 per itinerary -- regardless of city or duration of trip. Travelers simply visit www.wheninroam.com and enter basic information such as destination, duration, budget and personal interests. This information is then passed along to a network of local concierges who have 24 hours to respond with a customized online trip guide that can be shared with co-travelers. At the end of the travel experience, users can also provide tips and rate the concierge using the platform’s five-star rating system. "ROAM thus offers travelers an affordable trip planning tool that saves time and stress," said Miller in an interview with Chicago Inno.
In many ways, we want our platform to serve as a way for concierges to take back the future of our own profession,
Miller is actively tapping her deep network within concierge associations to recruit existing, ex-hotel and residential concierges to serve on the platform, much of which is by referrals and word of mouth. ROAM is looking not just for experience and knowledge of citywide resources, but also the ability to communicate with guests via email or phone.
As part of their onboarding process, concierges are interviewed and provided rigorous training to provide familiarity with the platform. They receive most of the share of the $19 received per itinerary (along with any and all tips), and are also provided with equity in the company (depending on how many trip itineraries they are able to complete). “In many ways, we want our platform to serve as a way for concierges to take back the future of our own profession,” Miller said.
The startup is currently based in 1871.
