What is the best way to train concierges on local nightlife and entertainment?

You are absolutely right. Personal experience and exposure makes it so very easy for the concierge to explain the experience to the guest and it creates immense value for the hotel guest to get such an insight. Far far superior than any social media influencer talking about a place. The post of a concierge has to be taken more seriously than it currently is.

Encourage Concierge Executives to personally explore the scene and build networks with promoters, club owners, local influencers. Catch the trends early on the curve, innovate products! (On a related note viator's success validates the demand for curated experiences and convenience. A skilled concierge brings that to the next level. They tailor recommendations to each guest's interests, going beyond a generic list of things to do. That proactive, personalized storytelling is invaluable in today's hospitality landscape).

In very general words: actually, each destination has its "elegant" nightlife places and "funny-entertaining" places. Each of these places caters to totally different guests.

For me, it is very important to have personal experience with any activity we offer our guests. Generally, we inspect all our activities together with concierges. Go and experience everything yourself. Only after that can you and your team recommend it to your guests. Otherwise, you might convey things that are not true, and guests could end up disappointed.

Sometimes, I ask my friends to contact our concierges and ask for their recommendations on nightlife options. They convey to our concierges what they need. Afterward, I review the recommendations provided by the concierges and make corrections if needed. But all these actions are taken solely to enhance our guests' experience, not to punish anyone.

For me, it's clear: what your staff or concierges tell you during training often has no ties to reality, to what they really say and do with real guests. So, my position is very clear - observe how they work in the field. I do this with the help of my acquaintances when they contact our concierges as guests of our company. This provides the real picture of how our dear concierges work and interact with our dear guests.

Se haga lo que se haga, el conserje tiene que haber probado personalmente y vivido la experiencia, es la mejor forma de recomendarla, y convertirse en prescriptor. Una fórmula clásica e infalible en hoteleria.