YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE ...
You think you know what a
concierge does? You don’t know the half of it.
Come join us to find out.
You truly will not believe what a hotel concierge is sometimes asked to come up
with or the things they are asked to arrange for. IT TRULY IS UNBELIEVABLE!
Oh sure the concierge
will make dinner reservations or get theatre tickets for you. But that is just
a small part of what they do.
The job of a concierge is
never boring.
Find out for yourself.
The evening promises to
be one of surprises and much laughter.
Come join us.
As usual we will also
have lots of food and drink to enjoy
Presenters:
Stephanie Leese Emrich (Chef Concierge Event Specialist and Hospitality,
The Talbott Hotel)
Jon Winke (Chef Concierge, Ritz-Carlton Hotel Chicago)
Stephanie Leese Emrich is Chef Concierge of The Talbott Hotel. In her role
she orchestrates the experiences of the property’s business travelers and
leisure guests. Stephanie’s 26-year career demonstrates a tapestry of
operational, marketing and sales roles, beginning at the reception desk of The
Drake Hotel upon receiving her BA in communications from the University of
Illinois-Champaign. Stephanie is a member of the prestigious Les Clefs d’Or,
the golden keys designation with the worldwide membership motto “In Service
through Friendship.” She is the immediate past president of the National
Concierge Association (NCA)-Chicago, which was awarded NCA Chapter of the Year.
Stephanie is an avid community booster, volunteering on boards and 20
committees including The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago Architecture
Foundation, Sister to Sister Heart Health Foundation, International Visitors
Center of Chicago, Chicago Dance and Music Alliance, Paris Sister Cities, and
the Chicago Humanities Festival. Her event planning repertoire ranges from the
World Cup Soccer Opening Ceremonies and a U.S. Presidential inauguration, to
the Golden Gate Bridge Anniversary, City of Chicago’s Millennium Celebration,
and numerous author tours and a multitude of cultural events. Her focus now is
Chicago 2016, to assist with the city’s bid for the upcoming Olympics.
At the
heart of all she does, Stephanie is an educator, developing a communications
course for the Chicago Public Schools and initiating the event planning
curriculum for Lexington College.
Just
ask Stephanie what it’s like to be in the same room as Lady Margaret Thatcher,
Andrew Wyeth, or Diana Ross… or to be … at the super Bowl vip room, in the U.S.
Senate chambers, or at Princess Diana’s Spencer Castle.
From
radio to Ritz, Jon Winke got his start in the hotel business thanks to a
broken radio transmitter. The Loyola University graduate was general manager at
the college radio station and wanted to be another Larry Lujack or Howard
Stern. Instead fate intervened and a part-time college job as a bellman turned
into a 34-year and counting career at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Chicago. At age
54, Jon is the longest tenured employee at the hotel, with the past 27 years in
charge of making the hotel guests feel welcome as the hotel’s Chef Concierge.
Making a difference in a guest’s stay has been Jon’s passion; in fact, Conde
Nast Traveler Magazine named The Ritz-Carlton Chicago “The Best Hotel in North
America” seven times in the past 20 years. Whether Jon receives a request to
have the hotel’s Ballroom turned into a basketball court or to find tickets to
a sold-out show, Jon’s motto is “As long as it is legal and moral, I will do my
best to accomplish it.”
A
two-time winner of Illinois Hotel Lodging Association’s “Star of the Industry”
award, Jon has served as President of The Chicago Hotel Concierge Association
for four years and was on the Board of the US Chapter of Les Clefs d’Or, and
International Association of Concierges. He currently serves as a board member
of The Les Clefs d’Or Foundation of the Americas, which raises money for any
hotel concierge or significant other who has a financial need due to illness or
a catastrophic event.
