TCNJ

10 The College of New Jersey Magazine With summer travel season heating up, Jamie Cooperstein '03 is busy. As CEO of her own hospitality consulting firm, she's helping customer-facing employees make a great first impression. It's a career she never planned to have. As a communication studies major at TCNJ, she dreamed of being a sports journalist. She started in Philadelphia, first as a tour guide at the Wells Fargo Center and then as a season-ticket saleswoman. But a concierge position at one of the city's luxury hotels, The Rittenhouse, changed her course. Soon she was reciting pre-theater dinner menus at local restaurants, fetching international newspapers for VIP guests, and organizing spa treatments for bridal parties. Her hospitality work gave enough fodder for her to be a journalist after all. In her book, True Hospitality: Lessons Learned from Behind the Concierge Desk, Cooperstein offers an insider's view of the industry: the art of the schmooze, celebrity sightings, and the surprising amount of knowledge she can now pass on to others. — Corinne Coakley '25 P R A I R I E E S S A Y Checking in Jamie Cooperstein '03 pens a memoir from her time as a concierge. I found myself alone at the desk, praying no one would approach. I knew that receiving recommendations from a timid and ambivalent concierge wasn't desirable and heard my dad's classic line "Fake it until you make it" reverberating in my head. The truth was, in the early weeks, if someone did approach, they most certainly weren't looking for me. "Is Frank [the chief concierge] in today?" guests would ask. "He's on break," I'd say, "but I'd be happy to assist you." "No, thank you. I'll come back." I quickly realized that Frank's pedestal status was achievable with hard work and some fabulous acting. Frank effortlessly dished out restaurant recommendations and coordinated guest itineraries, but what he really taught me was the art of the schmooze. He taught me the importance of making genuine guest connections and getting to know their likes, wants, and needs through friendly dialogue. Where I might have initially said, "Good morning, how may I assist you today?" Frank taught me to say, "Good morning, how was dinner last evening at Barclay Prime, and which steak knife did you select?" What could be better than creating a memorable experience for a guest and being handsomely rewarded? In general, the greater rapport, the greater reward in the form of a sizable gratuity. What could be better than creating a memorable experience for a guest and being handsomely rewarded for it? I was hooked.

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