AIP018 | How to Work as a Hotel Concierge to Supplement Your Acting Career - with Tom Coll

The Acting Income Podcast with Ben Hauck

Actor Tom Coll talks with Ben Hauck about supplementing his acting career with work as a hotel concierge. In the interview, Tom lists the range of tasks he manages as a hotel concierge in New York City. He also narrates his history in the hotel industry and his route to landing work as a concierge at the same time he started his acting career. As Tom explains, many entertainers work as concierges and the job is flexible, so concierge work is well suited for actors. Tom reveals why he chose the schedule he works as a concierge and how that schedule complements his acting work. He also reveals how he manages the occasional audition or independent film that conflicts with his hotel work. It turns out that in addition to hotels hiring concierges directly, some companies rent out concierge desks and staff the desks with their own concierges. While those arrangements aren't as lucrative, Tom says, he does get into detail about what a concierge may expect in terms of hours and pay rate, not to mention tips, commissions, benefits, and other perqs. He also breaks down how unions operate in hotels and whether concierge jobs are unionized. Tom talks about how he stays professional when guests from the entertainment industry stay at his hotel, not letting his acting pursuits conflict with his hotel duties. That said, he mentions how fun the work is, a sharp contrast to the activity of the front desk where customers go when they have problems. Tom especially thrives when guests have unusual requests that he tries to fulfill, even sharing one particular request he had at an odd hour.