Commissions and free meals: the reward for some hotel receptionists for making reservations at Barcelona restaurants

Guests staying in Barcelona hotels ask receptionists what they can visit, how they can get tickets for shows, and also where they can eat. They are usually more insistent with this last question, because, of course, we all like to find a good table to taste the typical food of the country we are in. If receptionists make the reservation for them from the hotel and order a taxi for them to go there, even better. And it is in this reservation made from the reception where the game begins: each reservation made at a series of restaurants in Barcelona from hotel receptions brings them benefits, which can be a fixed commission (a percentage of the final tickets or a fixed amount of money) or free meals at the same restaurant. What are the Barcelona restaurants that receptionists recommend? They tend to be those belonging to chains, those that are always full of tourists and have a high average ticket. They usually specialize in fish and seafood, seafood cuisine, also in sushi, and have a lot of service turnover. These restaurants get in touch with the receptionists of some hotels in Barcelona, especially those with four to five stars, and propose an exchange to the receptionists. They have muscle, that is, economic power, to be able to offer this treatment.One summer morning, in the middle of a heatwave, I interviewed the head of concierge and the management of a hotel in the center of Barcelona, which has other hotel establishments in the same city and also in nearby regions. I speak with them near the reception and I see the number of tourists entering with suitcases. I cannot describe the hotel in more detail because, otherwise, they warn me that it will be possible to deduce who they are. "We consider ourselves ambassadors of the hotel, and we want tourists to get to know the city through gastronomy," they explain without wanting to give their names. They add that both of them are up to date with the restaurants that are opening in the city because they know it is valuable information for their work. "Tourists staying in our hotels constantly ask us where they can eat paellas; it's one of the big questions." Each of the recommendations, whether or not linked to commissions and free meals at the restaurant, they guarantee, meaning they have investigated it well. They comment that they want to give quality advice, so that when the tourist returns, they tell them they had a good time, that the food was good. "It's not recommending for the sake of recommending, and we don't always focus on whether we have a commission at that restaurant or not; if we do and we know it's very good, perfect," they continue to explain.Paella, sushi and Catalan cuisine

After the request for where to eat a good paella, there is a second one: where to eat sushi. In Barcelona, yes. Tourists want to eat paella and sushi. And they also want to sign up for express courses to learn how to cook paella. “We encounter this constantly, and that's why the reception dedicated to 'city experiences' is important at the hotel,” explains the Head of Concierge, who also does not want to reveal his identity. They organize the activities they want to do in one day in the city. “We also tell them the precautions they should take in the city; for example, I don't recommend the Raval, and if they want to go, I tell them to go by taxi from door to door and without watches on their wrists,” they state. The advice seeks the same objective as when recommending a restaurant: the safety of the people staying at their hotel. “Daily, we check how they have fared after the recommendations we have made to them,” because they want everything to go well for them, he points out.

The third request from tourists, after paella and sushi, is Catalan cuisine. “They ask us where they can taste traditional cuisine, and then we suggest the restaurants we know for Catalan cuisine, of which we have many and very good ones, in Barcelona,” they explain.Once tourists have asked them for places to eat paellas, sushi and Catalan cuisine, many receptionists make the reservations for them. “We don't give them the restaurant cards, because they are very relaxed, and we already tell them not to worry, that we'll do it for them”, they say.Michelin-starred restaurants are not always the priority in recommendations. “Tourists want authentic experiences, closely linked to the traditional food of the city and the country; sometimes we do recommend them, but they are the most different ones, and not the typical Michelin ones.” If they recommend starred restaurants, it is because they have a characteristic that interests the tourist, such as opening hours. Those that never close, with ample opening hours, are suggested to them.Regarding the details of the commissions they receive from some restaurants, the management and the interviewed head of concierge say they are varied. “There are restaurants that tell us that out of every ten reservations we make for them, eight people from our team can come to eat; others tell us that the commissions are nominative and, therefore, the person who makes the reservation at the restaurant receives an invitation for two to eat there.” They also assure that there are restaurants that “are aggressive with their proposals,” especially when they are openings, because they want to make themselves known in the city. Instead of spices, commissions can be in money. Then the range changes. “There are restaurants that pay us 10% of the bill that tourists have made at their establishment; or 15 euros per person who has eaten there, and there are also those who offer us 35 euros per diner for whom we have made the reservation,” they describe. Depending on the time of year, commissions change. In the low season of the city, they increase, because that is when it interests them most. For the Mobile World Congress, they also decrease because restaurants have tables guaranteed with the attendees visiting the city. And an important note, the receptionist who has offered to explain everything in detail to us underlines that all the commissions they receive are shared with the concierge team: “From the bellboy who takes the suitcases to the concierges; we all touch the day’s commissions equally”.The day we interview them, in July, they tell us that currently the restaurants they are asked to work in are especially chains, to which they have previously gone to have a meal. “This is a requirement we set ourselves: we must have gone to eat there and we must know it so that we can explain to the tourist what it is like”.

On the Costa Brava, the management of a five-star hotel explains that the premise for receptionists when guests staying at the hotel ask them for places to eat is to recommend the hotel's own restaurants. “We have an agreed number of reservations; if they achieve it, then the receptionist who achieved it can go to eat there with a companion”. There is no money involved, but rather a reward in the form of a meal so that the hotel's own restaurants are full.To conclude, the head of concierge and the management interviewed in Barcelona affirm that tourists do not only ask them about restaurants. There are other areas in which they also show interest, such as fashion, hairdressers, wedding dresses. For these cases, they have specialized staff in stores. “They also ask us where they can propose marriage to the partner they are traveling with, and this is where the experiences department comes in to organize everything for them, from the place to the photography service to capture the moment,” they say.