The international concierge organization, Les Clefs d'Or, prefers a French derivation of the word that traces back to feudal times. Known as the "keeper of the candles" their charge was to cater to every whim and every desire of a palace's visiting nobility. The comte des cierges, or keeper of the candles, needed to know where all the functions in  the palace would take place; as they were in charge of maintaining the candles for each event.

The Latin root for concierge is conservus or fellow slave. In ancient times, the concierge was a person who took care of the caravans at various outposts throughout the desert. During the Middle Ages, the profession spread to Europe where concierge became the "keepers of the keys" at many noted government buildings and castles. A famous Parisian prison was designated as "La Conciergerie" in honor of the warden who kept the keys and assigned them to the inmates. Marie Antoinette was kept imprisoned at "La Conciergerie"   where she entrusted her palace keys to a concierge, who arranged to get her letters and messages in and out of the prison.

During the 1800s,  the  "keeper of the keys" began a new life and the hotel concierge, as we know it today was born. The concierge presence spread quickly throughout Europe.

In 1929, eleven concierge from many of the Grand Hotels of Paris formed a society based "in service through friendship." Twenty-three years later, hotel concierge from nine European nations would travel to Cannes to create "L'Union Europeene des Portiers des Grande Hotels." In November, 1978 in the city of Vienna, the United States was honored to be accepted as the 19th country to hold the distinction of Les Clefs d'Or membership. "Union Internationale des Portiers des Grande Hotels" came into being and a European tradition based in friendship became global.

In 2006, Les Clefs d'Or finds itself  in 36 countries with over 4,000 members worldwide who make things happen for their clientel.

In hotels and certain other facilities in the United States, a concierge assists guests with various tasks like finding taxicabs, restaurants, and interesting places to visit. In upscale establishments, a concierge is often expected to "achieve the impossible", dealing with any request a guest may have, no matter how apocryphal or strange, relying on an extensive list of personal contacts with various local merchants and service providers.

Additionally there are private concierge service companies that cater to individuals or organizations and provide a whole range of services. Typically provided services include travel arrangement, event planning, vacation planning, homewatch management and errand services to name a few. These independent concierges generally charge a fee on top of the cost of the service, to cover their time and expenses.