concierge

Having a concierge on call at all times is a pricey proposition, although it can certainly be done. Perhaps the next best thing would be to have a virtual concierge on call to help you out when you're traveling. Concierge.com, the online portal for Condé Nast Traveler, wants to help all of us out in this respect and has just launched Concierge Mobile to do so. Concierge Mobile lets you access over 200 destination guides, as well as weather updates and info on Condé Nast Traveler's Gold List of the world's top hotels. From the website, you can send yourself hotel, restaurant and activity details to plan your trip.

You'll still have to do the shopping yourself, but at least you'll know where to go to do it!

While massages and attentive butlers are all well and good when it comes to getting pampered on a vacation, few things are as relaxing as yoga - and even fewer when that yoga is taking place at a gorgeous spa. Concierge.com has a list of their top ten yoga retreats, chosen from resorts all across the world. Some of their top picks include:

Wildflower Hall in India - Yoga was invented in the Himalayas, so this mountain-top retreat can really get you inspired

Chiva-Som in Thailand - One of Thailand's top spas, with all-private instruction, customized to your preferences.

Maya Tulum in Mexico - Set between the ocean and the Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula, you'll relax, workout and get to hobnob with the glitterati who frequent the retreat.

Mint Lifestyle is an exclusive, members-only luxury concierge service based in Los Angeles, though they have clients and connections all over the world. With a membership limited to 250 - and so exclusive that it has been likened to a virtual country club - clients get the best service possible from a highly-trained staff. Unlike other concierge services, which tend to deal primarily with the minor details of daily life, their services include, but are not limited to, arranging luxury travel, event planning, finding staff, coordinating the purchase of rare or luxury vehicles and even securing real estate within days. Need a private jet for a quick trip or a suite at the hottest new luxury hotel? No problem. Of course, they can also arrange the more mundane tasks, if necessary, but the majority of their clients already have people to pick up their dry cleaning. The most attentive service money can buy is only $20,000 per year.

According to a post on Hotel Hotsheet, at least one boutique hotel - Hotel Palomar in Washington - has hired a few unusual people to train its staff members. Their trainers include improve actors and a ballet master. This is a twist on the real estate trend of having actors play a family in a home that is up for sale, but serves the same function in adding to the overall presentation of the hotel. While every detail counts in the marketing of a boutique hotel, I've never heard anyone comment that a hotel had graceful staff - gracious, perhaps, but not graceful. Is this a selling point, or simply one of those unnoticed details that adds a tiny bit to the hotel's overall presentation? And if it is the latter, is the expense really worth it to the hotel?

There is no reason to wait until the next time you're staying at a luxury hotel to enjoy outstanding concierge service. Many companies around the country offer personal concierge services and the ever-helpful Cranky Consumer column in the Wall Street Journal put a few from all over the country to the test. And with a name like "cranky," you might assume that there would be some complaints about some of the service they received, but there were really none worth making.

The upshot of their personal concierge trials was that the companies (Andrea Herbert Lifestyle, NY; Prominent Concierge, Atlanta; Gofer Girls, LA; Upon Your Request, Dallas; Envy Concierge, SF) were all very professional and very helpful. They did everything from playing with pets when the owners were out of town to locating kosher caters for an upcoming party. Having a concierge service available is an indulgence, but when life gets busy or stressful, they can accomplish a whole to-do list in just hours. And with rates ranging from $25 to $50 per hour, sometimes the tradeoff is well worth it.