Le Clefs d'Or association members as guest speakers at the Luxury Operations Design class

written by Sabina Wallace, HTM student


March 29, 2022

Last week on Wednesday, March 23rd, Professor Besim Agušaj's Luxury Operations Design class had the privilege of meeting two out of the three Croatian Le Clefs d'Or members, Jasmina Huskić of Maistra, Hotel Monte Mulini Rovinj, and Sarah Buljat of Lošinj Hotels & Villas, Hotel Bellevue.

Le Clefs d'Or (English: The Golden Keys; Croatian: Zlatni ključevi) is an international association promoting excellence and professionalism in the concierge service sector. Founded in Paris (1929), the organization is made up of more than 4,000 members located in 80 countries. Members are easily recognizable, donning golden keys on their lapel and a welcoming smile on their face. In order to earn the golden keys, a concierge must prove they have the experience, knowledge and network to provide top-level service to all guests. The organization is founded atop the pillars of service and friendship, extended to both colleagues and customers. Le Clefs d'Or concierges are experts in their respective fields and treat all guests with the utmost respect, from their next-door neighbors to the most prominent world leaders. Rest assured that in the hands of golden keys concierges, you are being well taken care of.

After following an extensive process to join the association, Jasmina Huskić and Sarah Buljat put Croatia on the map for excellence in the concierge profession. As a Le Clefs d'Or concierge, there is rarely a boring day or challenge too big to handle. From arranging fun day excursions for the whole family or finding available yachts during the peak summer season, Huskić and Buljat always have their day packed with adventure. Even on their busiest days, they take the time to sit with their guests and form genuine, long-lasting, connections. Their profession requires them to be tourism and hospitality experts, which includes wine and food tasting, exploring the finest local cuisine, visiting all the hotspots, and building connections-from kite flying experts to the best local doctors. Both ladies find the career to be extremely rewarding and Huskić's quote, "there is no perfect job in this world, but there is a perfect PERSON who [does] its best to do that job perfectly" exemplifies this in totality.

Throughout the session (which lasted for about 90 minutes) students were highly engaged and wanted to know more about Les Clefs D'Or and the value of concierge as a vital hotel function in high-end properties. Both Ms. Huskić and Buljat patiently and diligently addressed all their questions. As a pioneer for service excellence in Croatia, RIT Croatia was proud to host Maistra and Jadranka Turizam concierges' and support take the profession of head concierge to the next level.