Like any concierge, Leslie Smith wants people leaving her service desk as satisfied customers.
But Smith doesn’t work at a hotel or apartment building. As High Point University concierge since 2007, she caters to the needs and whims of 3,400 students.
Smith returns books checked out from the university library, recommends hair salons and shopping destinations, makes off-campus dinner reservations and arranges shuttle and other transportation. “I’m their parent away from home.”
Students can drop off items in the morning for dry cleaning and retrieve them the following afternoon. Almost every day students drop off formal wear, coats and bedspreads.
Formerly an admissions counselor at High Point, which is 10 miles from Greensboro, N.C., Smith maintains a well-stocked amenities basket like those in hotel lobbies. If students need a new toothbrush, they can raid her basket. “They don’t spend their 20 minutes between classes worrying about small stuff.”
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