December 19 2007
The Head Concierge of Newcastle's newest boutique hotel, Jesmond Dene House, will be flying the flag for the north at an international event in Copenhagen next month, January 2008. Dean Maddison has been selected by The Society of the Golden Keys, the worldwide association for top hotel concierges, as the only UK sponsored member to attend their World Congress.
Dean, 39, who joined Jesmond Dene House in November 2007, has over 20 years' experience as a concierge, mainly with the Hilton group of five star hotels, including London Park Lane and The Langham, returning to his native north-east for the opening of the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton in 2004. His resourcefulness seems boundless: he once booked airline tickets to the hottest place in Europe (Madrid) when Christine Onassis demanded an afternoon of sun while staying at The Langham.
Dean won the coveted sponsored place because of his work spreading the word about the Society in the north of England and Scotland, and thus helping to raise industry standards.
Held at the Radisson Hotel in the Danish capital from 10th to 15th January, the Congress is an opportunity for the 220 delegates (26 from the UK) to discuss industry standards, new developments, network and, of course, promote their own hotels. "If concierges have clients at their hotels planning to visit England, I will obviously suggest Jesmond Dene House and help arrange their stay," explains Dean. "The motto of the Golden Keys is ‘service through friendship' and it really is the best way for networking."
After a spell in the army, in 1986 Dean left the County Durham mining village of Houghton-le-Spring where he grew up, dazzled by the bright lights of London. He joined the Park Lane Hilton as a page boy, the bottom rung in the concierge department, and worked his way through the ranks until he was hand-picked to help with the pre-opening of the Newcastle Gateshead Hilton where he was also appointed Head Concierge.
Jesmond Dene House head-hunted him to develop their concierge section, introducing improved services such as valet parking (he will also de-ice windscreens!), develop the guest ‘meet and greet' service and ensure guests' requests - such as theatre tickets, restaurant bookings, specialist shops - can all be met. "I've never been defeated," Dean says. "I could have found tickets for the recent Led Zeppelin concert but it would have been pricey. Never say never!"
When asked about the VIPs he's had to deal with, Dean laughs. "It's easier to say who I haven't met!" On his second day as a naïve bell-boy he met Prince Charles. It's a roll call of royalty, rock stars, actors and writers, including Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duval and Salman Rushdie. But his two heroes are Norman Wisdom and the astronaut, Buzz Aldrin, who gave him his autographed book.
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For further information and photographs, please contact:
Nicky Sherman, marketing manager, Jesmond Dene House
0191 212 3000, nsherman@jesmonddenehouse.co.uk.
http://www.jesmonddenehouse.co.uk/
Or Helen Pickles, 0191 2817768, mobile 07860 421740, Helen@helenpickles.com