Dream jobs: Jérôme Guy of Sofitel Le Faubourg, Paris

If you could choose any dream job, what would yours be?

What if you could be the ultimate Parisian insider: your finger on the pulse at all times. It probably isn’t the job you’re imagining, but we all know that the truth can often be more fascinating than fiction…

Meet Jérôme Guy, concierge at Sofitel Le Faubourg: a true slice of luxury on rue Boissy d’Anglas in the 8ème. Hear how Jérôme came to be concierge to one of the most elegant and revered hotels in the French capital, and what it takes to truly excel as one of the secret keepers of Paris.

Jérôme how would you describe yourself in three words?

Curious, patient and creative.

Did you always dream of becoming a concierge? What attracted you the most to this job and what was your pathway to this position? How long have you been a concierge?

When I was young, I lived in Besançon, a small city in the eastern side of France, so I didn’t know what a luxury hotel was nor did I know what a concierge was for that matter.

After the army, I had to decide on a career path, so I decided to go into hospitality and management. What I found interesting in this type of career was the international part of it – I could move from country to country. So I decided to go to a private school to learn about hospitality and management, and afterwards I got a job in a hotel as a bellboy. This was kind of a revelation for me in terms of what I wanted to do. From that moment on, I knew I wanted to be in that business.

For me, the concierge is the hotelkeeper. The concierge has a very close relationship with the guests as well as with his colleagues. It is a central position – you need to be aware of everything that is going on. The pro of that is that you have a lot of freedom to be creative, which is what attracted me to the job the most. I have been a concierge for 16 years now!

When it comes to dream jobs, what are the perks of working in a luxury hotel?

The biggest perk for me is the freedom I get as a concierge.

We are also part of the life of the city (and of all the actualities!), meaning that we have access to many events, mostly when we receive important guests, such as politicians and singers. This job also gives me the possibility to see things that I would never see if I had another job – I discover something new everyday!

As a concierge, you have to be open-minded because you get all kinds of questions. They can be artistic, medical, food related etc. It’s not enough to suggest the most popular restaurant; you need to do the research in order to fit your clients’ needs. People think this is a dream job because we work in nice places (of course that is an upside), however, we do not live like our guest. We are with them to help them, but we do not live like them.

Is there anything else you think our readers should know about being a concierge?

This job is changing. Everyone lives with the idea of the ‘old’ – the idea of [the concierge] wanting to share their knowledge only to specific guests. This has changed a lot. In these last five years, the way in which we communicate with our guests is very different – the demands are getting higher, and we are given a shorter time to get things done.

I enjoy my job though. I take great pleasure in it and I appreciate the positive feedback from guests. You need to love the job to be good at it!

If you had to attribute a colour to Sofitel Le Faubourg which one would you choose and why? 

Pink. The hotel has a rose (La rose Faubourg) as a symbol, which was created specifically for the hotel. Pink is a nice colour too because it’s sweet and it represents how we do our best to make our guests comfortable.

Discover Jérôme’s ultimate insider recommendations and tips in the second part of our interview.

If you could work at any French hotel, which would you choose?