An article in the June 2010 issue of Units Magazine, a magazine released by the National Apartment Association, discussed one company’s decision to create a residence that relies on 24/7 concierge assistance. Residents at Riverstone Residential Group’s Argenta Community in San Francisco need only wait for seconds before receiving nearly instantaneous replies to their every beck and call.
Residents of the Argenta Property join the property’s VIP portal simply by registering their e-mail addresses. What does one do with access to the VIP portal? Well, one receives a personal concierge. The 24/7 ‘right hand’ man is included in the rent at the Argenta Property, costing roughly $3 to $4 per resident per month.
With a concierge only a call, text, or e-mail away, a resident traveling abroad does not need to sit in front of the television waiting to hear the weather. Instead, he/she just sends a text to the concierge and receives the full weather report with only a moment’s hesitation. Forget individualized notifications of packages. The new trend is a mass text to residents informing them that a package awaits them.
While the instantaneous contact has its benefits, are we losing out on direct interaction with others? The ability to be touch with your concierge at all times may be enticing, but are you becoming too connected? Will the notifications become a burden as you crave for the time when your cell phone was an accessory not a necessity?
Much of the corporate world thrives on technology. It, therefore, comes as no surprise that many corporate housing residences offer high speed internet access, if not WIFI, business centers with fax machines, copiers, and scanners, and conference rooms with video conferencing capabilities- perfect for meetings and presentations. Perhaps, employees of large corporations who rely heavily on technology will be attracted to the technologically advanced concierge services at communities like Argenta Community. We will just have to wait to see if this trend takes off in the corporate housing industry.