The term “front-desk” and “concierge” is popularly associated with the hospitality and medicine industry. The first thing that comes to mind when you hear these words are either hotels, restaurants or your doctor’s office. However, in actual reality, both business buildings and apartment buildings make use of the concierge/front desk services.

Concierge security professionals are usually stationed at the entrance of your building monitoring the activities that go on and around your building. They make sure that your needs and the needs of your guests are met. The main aim and focus of security concierge are managing and maintaining security in your apartment.

Other tasks such as greeting, informing and co-ordinating is also part of the job and responsibility of concierge security in Toronto and other cities in Canada. As already established, concierge services are very popular in the hospitality industry. With tasks like making hotel reservations, greeting and welcoming of guests, they are a huge help. 

In Toronto, concierge security combines two sectors: hospitality and security. These professionals provide both hospitality and security services. Whatever facility they are stationed at, they deliver the best level of customer service to your guest at the same time offering protection to both the occupants of the building and their guest.

 They are there to ensure you and your property are 100% safe. So whatever property you decide to utilize their services on, either your office building or your apartment building, you can rest assured that they are in good hands. Even with these benefits, most people still worry about the cost of hiring concierge security. This article will tell you all you need to know about the cost of concierge security in Toronto. 

 

Related article: Northern Force Security

 

The Role of Concierge Security.

In the history of housing and architectural planning, security continues to play a vital role. The importance of concierge professionals and security guards cannot be overlooked. Some buildings employ the services of both securities professionals. Condo security and office/business building security officers often play the same roles.

It is not a necessity that you employ the services of both concierge security and a regular guard in your apartment and office buildings. You can either employ one or the other and that is totally fine. Since their jobs and responsibilities are intertwined, you can still get top-notch security in your apartment or office with either of these.

As a matter of fact, the roles of both a concierge and a security guard are merged into one. The combination of both their duties and responsibilities gives birth to concierge security. Some of their duties include:

  • Welcoming and checking in guests
  • Ensuring that only authorized personnel have access to your building.
  • Managing and monitoring operational procedures in your building.
  • 24/7 security surveillance of your building and surrounding areas.
  • Ensuring the safety of your property. Your property is secured and safe from thefts and any other form of threats/accident.
  • Provides customer service to your guests and other occupants in your building.
  • Reporting any form of threats or suspicious activities going on in your apartment building/office building.
  • Give assistance to you and your guest when needed.
  • Checking in bags and packages.
  • Catering to personal requests.

Concierge security guards have a wide range of responsibilities and duties to carry out. They are skilled in the ability to multitask and handle their duties efficiently. This put the mind of the residents in the building they guard at peace.

 

Cost of Concierge Security in Toronto 

Security is important both to your business and your personal space. There is nothing as comforting as knowing that where you work and live is 100% secured. Hiring a concierge guard comes with benefits other than security. It is highly recommended that you make use of concierge service providers for your property.

On average, the cost of concierge security ranges from CAD25 to CAD35 per hour. Although, this price is subjected to many other factors such as the location of your building, the number of hours and the likes. Studies have shown that buildings in Toronto and Vancouver have the highest cost of concierge security. 

On the other hand, if you live in either Edmonton, Hamilton or Charlottetown, you won’t spend as much as the former cities. In this section, we will look at major factors that do affect the cost of concierge security and discuss them in detail.

Geographical Location

Currently, as of this year, the price of Concierge security in Toronto on the average is C$ 25-35 per hour. However, if your building is located in Vancouver or Montreal, you can hire the service of a concierge for CAD27 per hour. 

Obviously, these counties are more expensive than others such as Rockville or King West Village. This is due to the visit and standard of living in these cities. Toronto, Montreal, Victoria, British Columbia, Vancouver, Ottawa and Ontario are one of the most expensive cities to live in Canada.

With an average rent of CAD4,510, these cities have a cost of living that is a little bit on the high side. It doesn’t come as a surprise that the cost of concierge security in these cities will be a little bit more expensive than in Rimouski, Saint-Georges, and Quesnel. Cornwall, Rockville and the likes have security agencies that charge as low as CAD14 per hour.

Working hours

This is an important factor to put into consideration when discussing the cost of concierge security. How many hours a day do you need concierge security and how many days in a week? If you need a 24-hour round the clock concierge service, 7 days a week, this might set you back as much as 950 CAD per day. That is roughly 6500 CAD per week.

Also, you should note that a concierge professional working during the day will charge less than one on night duty. The number of hours and time of the day they work is a major price determinant. A  concierge official working during the day might charge you about CAD20 per hour. A 9 to 5 concierge service will cost you close to CAD200 to 250 every day. 

On the other hand, concierge security working during night hours will charge at least CAD 25 to 30 CAD per hour. This means that you will spend at most CAD350 to 400 for night-time concierge security services.

Type of Building

Different buildings make use of a concierge security service. Concierge security for residential buildings such as independent houses, apartments, estates, gated communities, and flats charges between CAD30-35 per hour. Depending if the guard is armed, it might cost you as much as 50 to 60 CAD per hour.

Commercial buildings, on the other hand, need concierge services for so many reasons. A huge part of this is the safety of employees, clients and assets. 

More reasons why commercial buildings choose to go with concierge security include:

  • Concierge security is the perfect combo of customer service and security. With you will be able to give your customers a feel of sophistication, professionalism and safety when they come in contact with your concierge security.
  • Lawbreakers and nuisances will see this as a red flag and back up.
  • A friendly front desk officer is a good strategy to create and maintain repeat customer relationships. A friendly approach increases the bond between you and your customer.
  • A concierge / front desk will give a report on every aspect of your business operation, and this, in turn, will help improve your business objectives.

In view of the above tasks they perform, concierge security for buildings such as offices, restaurants, hotels and hospitals charge more. Due to the level of professionalism and expertise involved, it may cost you between 500 to 700 CAD per day. 

Services offered

This is totally dependent on your needs. Apart from being the first contact with your visitors, you can also add receptionist duties to the task of your conceive security. This will definitely cost you more. If you need your concierge officer to answer phone calls, reply messages, make hotel reservations, book flights, manage logbook and more, the security agency might charge you up to 80 CAD per hour for this.

In the case of a personal concierge whose duties include:

  • Making reservations and obtaining tickets for events and travel.
  • Provide local information such as shopping, restaurants and recreational centres and activities.
  • Make all travel arrangements.
  • Run errands for you or your guest
  • Receive and deliver mail and luggage
  • Security surveillance etc

This might cost you more than usual. You should be looking at 80 to 100 CAD per day.  Due to the complexity of the services rendered, personal concierge officers charge more than residential or commercial concierge security.

Armed/ unarmed concierge.

Armed concierge officers are more expensive than unarmed concierge personnel. With charges up to 700 CAD, they offer top-notch security and customer services. They are trained professionals and are equipped with defensive skills to tame any intruder. They are very aware of your environment and provide maximum safety. 

Although unarmed concierge security does not carry weapons, they are skilled in martial arts and self-defence. They have a friendly vibe, taking away the fear factor usually associated with some businesses. They provide a subtle approach to security. They charge between 550-600 CAD per full day of work.

Threat Level

With the sporadic rise in crime rate in Toronto, employing the services of a security concierge can create peace of mind for you. The more peace you have, the more productive you become. Therefore, depending on the level of threat you are exposed to every day, this will affect the cost of your concierge security.

Other factors like whether or not you want your concierge security to be armed or not and how many concierge security guards you would like to hire also come into play.

You might be exposed to more threats due to the nature of your job, where you live or the information you have. Typically, you may require a personal security detail and this usually costs about 900-1300 CAD per day. If you need your personal concierge to travel with you, the cost will include travel expenses such as flight tickets, accommodation, and feeding. All of this can amount to 1,200 CAD per day.

 

Related article: How Much Does Body Guard Cost In Toronto?

 

Places that need Concierge Security

A typical concierge security guard is expected to be in uniform. However, this is not necessarily always the case. Due to the nature of all businesses, first impressions go a long way. Your concierge security official is the first person your guests come in contact with, you want to make sure that your front-desk does not look imposing in any way.

It all depends on what you need and the kind of message you are trying to send.  You can opt for a uniformed concierge or front-desk to create a more business and serious vibe. There are many places that need the services of a front-desk/ concierge security professional. These include:

  • Government buildings
  • Residential apartments
  • Hotels
  • Hospitals
  • Religious institutions
  • Recreational facilities
  • Tourist attractions 
  • Parking garages and more.

Note that the security/front-desk in high-end locations will cost more. Also, the type of facilities you want them on will have an effect on the price in Toronto.

 

Related article: Toronto Home Security Tips

 

What defines Concierge Security?

Concierge security guards manage a ton of tasks all at the same time. It is their job to monitor and manage a large territory. Efficiency, multitasking, and patience are all vital skills or a desk-off/concierge security professional. 

Other necessary skills include:

Planning and Time management

Concierge security already handles a set number of standard tasks. However, they are still faced with the needs of your customers and guests. They need to attend to all needs, questions and still keep an eye out for intruders and threats. 

They need to be able to juggle between everything going on efficiently without affecting the safety of your guests, visitors or residents at all times.

Good communication and written skill

Concierge security is tasked with the responsibility of reporting all activities going on in your premises. The report and handle all forms of threat. In other words, their listening and speaking skills need to be top-notch. They need to be able to convey information effectively without it causing any form of misinterpretation.

These professionals perform office work day by day. They are usually equipped with skills in word processing, transcription, file management, and security surveillance. They handle bad behaviour from guests and deal with plenty of ill-feelings from intruders. They are skilled in human relations and people management.

Whether patrol or static post concierge security, they usually have experience with personal safety escorting, custodial transfers and carrying out investigations on suspicious situations.

 

Conclusion

Ordinarily, the cost of concierge security is about CAD35 per hour. However, depending on your unique needs, it can rise to as high as CAD80. Hiring concierge security is a cost-effective decision that you should make. To get a quote for your security needs, call us today!

Related article: Security Guard Services: Planning Security for Your Special Event