Next time you ask your hotel concierge for a restaurant recommendation, listen closely. You’ll hear something that sounds like ka-ching! That’s because every time a concierge directs hotel guests towards a specific restaurant, he’s getting a big fat payback.

The San Diego Reader lets the concierge kickback cat out of the bag, with first-person interviews with hoteliers who verify that the practise is pervasive and with restaurateurs who agree that do bribe concierges at most of the major San Diego hotels.

Robert Rauch, who owns two hotels in the Del Mar area and teaches hospitality at San Diego State, says, “It is probably pervasive in full-service hotels, downtown in particular, and possibly at the resorts.” He doesn’t think the practice is necessarily illegal — “not different from a server who gets a cash tip.” He says, “The problem is that when a guest goes to a concierge, he should feel comfortable he is getting objective recommendations.

Since we’re talking about San Diego hospitality, betcha didn’t know that the Setai San Diego has been renamed the Sè San Diego (www.sesandiego.com/). 

A press release from the hotel’s owner and developer says that “The Setai Miami is currently owned by Lehman Brothers. Due to the uncertainty of this ownership, Fifth Ave. Partners Llc. determined that a new hotel name and brand would be best for its development. Fifth Ave. Partners Llc. are currently in advanced planning stages for additional Sè hotels in the Western US and internationally.”

Posted on December 27th, 2008 by Thomas
Filed under: Hotels, san diego