Yacht Concierge
A yacht concierge handles everything the guests want to do off the boat. Restaurant tables in Saint-Tropez, a helicopter to Gstaad, a private visit to a vineyard in Corsica, a birthday cake delivered to an anchorage at short notice. You sit within the interior department on large yachts, and you are judged on whether the plan works on the day.
The jobWhat fills the day
The job is planning and fixing. Before guests arrive you read the preference sheet, research the cruising area and build options for every day: beach clubs, restaurants, tours, transfers, shopping, medical appointments. You hold the contacts with local agents, drivers, tender pick-up points and restaurant managers. Once guests are aboard, you confirm, rebook and adjust as the weather and the mood change. You also keep the guest-facing paperwork, from daily itineraries on the cabin tablets to menus for evenings ashore.
With no guests aboard, the work moves to building your black book. You call ahead to the next season's ports, update supplier files, check opening dates and work with the purser on budgets and invoices. On charter yachts the rhythm is set by the charter calendar, and each group starts from zero. On private yachts you learn one family's habits closely and plan around them for years. On 70m boats the concierge often also does service shifts; on 100m+ yachts it is usually a dedicated desk role.
Most concierges come from inside yachting, usually a second or third stew who showed a talent for logistics. Others arrive from five-star hotels, private aviation or luxury travel firms, with Les Clefs d'Or experience a real asset. Captains and chief stews look for calm under pressure, clean written English, strong local knowledge of the Med and Caribbean, and a second language. French, Italian, Spanish, Russian and Arabic all help. Discretion matters more than anything. You see the owner's diary and you keep it to yourself.
Progression runs in two directions. Inside the interior, concierges move to purser, then interior manager on the largest yachts, since the admin and supplier skills carry straight across. Others move ashore into charter management, guest services for a management company, or into the events side of a charter brokerage. A strong concierge with three or four seasons on recognised 80m+ yachts gets noticed by agents and brokers, because the role touches every guest who comes aboard.
Skills captains look for
- Itinerary and logistics planning
- Local supplier networks
- Guest communication
- Second or third language
- Budget and invoice tracking
- Discretion and confidentiality
- Problem solving at short notice
A day aboardCharter day, 85m motor yacht, Porto Cervo, Sardinia
Check overnight messages from the charter broker and local agent. Confirm the beach club lunch booking and the noon tender run.
Brief the chief stew and bosun on the day: guest numbers going ashore, pick-up times, toys needed for the afternoon.
Meet the principal guest at breakfast to walk through options. They want a boutique visit added and dinner moved to a later sitting.
Rebook dinner, arrange two cars for the boutique trip and send the revised itinerary to the guest tablets.
Crew lunch while guests are at the beach club. Phone stays on.
Plan the next three days in Corsica. Call the agent in Bonifacio about a private boat tour and check the forecast with the bridge.
Arrange a florist delivery and a cake for a guest's anniversary tomorrow. Pass details to the head chef and purser.
Accompany the tender run to the restaurant, settle the bill arrangement with the manager and confirm the return time with the tender driver.
Guests back aboard. Log the day's spend, update notes on preferences and finish.
Pay by yacht sizeMonthly, before tips. Estimates. Bars share one scale.
Charter tips are shared across the crew and can add 10-15% of the charter fee per trip in a busy season. Permanent roles on the largest yachts may offer rotation or generous leave in place of higher base pay. See the Stewardess & Interior Crew salary guide for figures from live adverts.
Tickets and visas
Must have
- STCW Basic Safety Training
- ENG1 medical certificate
Gets you hired
- PDSD
- GUEST Guest Services course
- Food Hygiene Level 2
- WSET Level 2 in Wines
- Proof of a second language
Visas
- B1/B2 US visa
- Schengen right to work or visa
Where it leadsA typical career path
Stewardess & Interior Crew jobsOpen now on SuperyachtRoles.com
Questions crew ask
Can I go straight into a concierge role with hotel experience?
Sometimes, on yachts of 100m and over where the role is a dedicated desk job. You still need STCW and an ENG1, and you will be expected to pitch in with service when needed. A season as a stew first makes you far easier to place.
Is the concierge part of the interior team?
Yes. On most yachts you report to the chief stew or interior manager and share interior duties during quiet spells. On the largest yachts the concierge may sit closer to the purser and work mainly with the captain and management company.
Which yachts hire a concierge?
Mainly charter yachts over 70m and private yachts over 90m with high guest numbers. Smaller yachts give the job to the chief stew or purser. Charter yachts in the Med and Caribbean employ the most.
How important are languages?
Very. Local suppliers in Italy, France and Spain often respond better in their own language, and many guests prefer to brief in theirs. A second language is one of the clearest ways to stand out in this role.