As a marketing executive at Toronto-based Marathon Realty, Kirk Layton was constantly trying to think of new ways to attract tenants to their commercial office buildings.

In 1999, a colleague mentioned how appealing it would be for tenants to have value-added services such as a concierge, traditionally found in finer hotels.

"Something was needed to not only attract new tenants, but also to retain the current ones in a cost-effective manner," Layton says. "Finally, the breakthrough came when we thought about doing something online."

Last year, Layton says his company, Eservus Online Concierge Service, had total sales of "about $3 million."

Ken Kerr, Business Edge
Eservus owner Kirk Layton is showered with Toronto venue tickets by staff members Vanessa DeMelb, Sandy Segelvik and Robin Adams, left to right.

A team of concierges offers around-the-clock online and telephone service to more than 300 office buildings (comprising more than 52 million sq. ft. of space) in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver. There are four employees in Toronto and four in Calgary, who also handle the Vancouver clients, Layton says.

"It was the height of the dot-com craze and companies were starting up and going out of business all over the place," he says. "I think we succeeded because of having such a strong value proposition."

That proposition was to build a company that would allow building tenants to log on to a website or call and order everything from car detailing to dinner reservations and flowers or tickets for the latest sporting or entertainment events.

It got a big boost when technology expert Randall Craig, then with Internet Marketing Associates, agreed to work in exchange for an equity share, Layton says.

Craig is still on the Eservus board of directors and advisers, and is actively involved in the operation of the company.

Building landlords pay a fee of several cents per square foot for their tenants to access the service and Eservus charges a small markup on ticket sales. Vendors pay a monthly fee for an exclusive listing on the website in some cases.

The service proved to be popular with landlords - many of whom Layton knew through his former career in property management - and their tenants.

In 2000, the company's first full year in business, Eservus posted sales of $438,000. In 2003, Eservus made Profit magazine's list of the hottest growth companies in the country.

This year, the company recently wrapped up a two-year pilot project for residents of the northwest Calgary community of Tuscany, built by one of the city's largest builders, Carma Developers Ltd. The program allowed homeowners to pick up tickets or other items at a centrally located clubhouse. The pilot was a big enough success that Carma plans to offer it to homeowners in its New Brighton project.

"There's all kinds of potential with this. We could also offer our services in condominium buildings and all kinds of other places," director of national operations Robin Maclean says.

Commercial landlords also are using value-added services to keep tenants contented.

In some downtown Toronto buildings, tenants do not even have to pick up the phone because a corporate concierge, Gaza Romanovitch, is usually in the lobby or visits them in person.

As corporate concierge for Downing Street Partners' six commercial office properties, Romanovitch has an annual budget for tenant-appreciation gifts and events. Tenants were surprised one morning with a temporary spa in the lobby. Other days it has been a uniformed doorman or shoeshiner.

One recent morning, Romanovitch, who is employed by Downing Street, visited a tenant to check on a plumbing problem they had the day before. The leak was clearly within the tenant's suite, but Romanovitch says he wanted to let them know the landlord cared.

"It obviously helps because we have very little turnover with our tenants. It's all about treating them properly," he says.

Having a corporate concierge in the lobby also helps with security, Romanovitch says. During a recent labour dispute against a tenant company, protesters marched down Bay Street, crowded into the lobby and wanted to go upstairs. Romanovitch immediately cut power to the elevators.

"I told them they had to leave immediately," he says. "Our tenant was very grateful afterwards and thanked me."

After working in event planning for almost two decades, Romanovitch is always looking for ideas to surprise and delight tenants. He is considering hanging a holiday tree from the lobby ceiling in December, although he says the decorations would be carefully chosen to appeal to a variety of tenants' religious beliefs.

"They (tenants) never know what to expect," he says.

The idea of a corporate concierge also is growing in popularity with companies, says Katherine Parris, president of Toronto-based Parris Concierge.

"They realize that for their executives, time is money. We take care of the smaller details and allow the executive time to manage the company," she says.

Parris, a former women's retail clothing store owner, started her business in 2000. Clients in her store were constantly telling her how "well-connected" she was with people around the city.

"It does help in this business to be creative and know a lot of people. Those are probably your biggest secrets to success," she says. "The choice is yours, the expertise is ours."

Parris now gets a number of different requests from clients, from executive relocation to holiday or launch parties. (The company co-ordinated planning for the Business Edge Ontario edition launch earlier this year.)

Parris declines to discuss her company's revenues or unusual client requests. "Let's just say discretion is an important part of our business," she says. "I can't really talk about something like that. We try to accommodate all kinds of requests."

The company website, however, lists major corporate clients such as American Express, Cisco Systems, TD Canada Trust, CIBC Melon and Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment.

Layton says Eservus has had its share of unusual requests, including helping co-ordinate a marriage proposal, although it was an early one that almost stumped him.

"One of our very, very, very first requests was for a cookiegram," he says. "Someone wanted it to be sent (from Toronto) to St. Catharines for later that day.

"We didn't have a supplier lined up for that particular item or anything. But somehow we managed to pull it together and got it there on time. The client loved us for it."

(David Hatton can be reached at hatton@businessedge.ca)