AOBAssociate Member Spotlight - Capitol Concierge

Get to know our Associate members — companies who provide a variety of key services to our owner/manager members — and learn about their involvement with AOBA. 

Gigi Galbraith, Capitol Concierge

1. Introduce your company.

Capitol Concierge began its successful rise in Northern Virginia in 1987. Having run the company since 1998, President and CEO Lynda Ellis is passionate about improving the work/life balance of the customers we serve and is committed to service excellence for each and every client 24/7 every day of the year. While Capitol Concierge is based in Rockville, Maryland our business reaches as far south as Houston, TX, and as far west as Mountain View, CA, and as far east as London, UK.

2. What services does your company offer?

Capitol Concierge provides professional concierge services for commercial buildings, residential communities, and corporations. Our services are an added amenity/benefit that helps owners and companies attract and retain tenants and top talent. Not only do these services save time for customers/employees, but also increase work-life balance and job satisfaction. In addition, we track our requests so we can show an ROI for our services.

Whether we are on-site or virtual, our services are provided based on the needs of the property/company. For our commercial and corporate clients, we are typically Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm, and for our residential communities we are flexible as well but most are 24 x 7.

3. What are some of the biggest misconceptions about your industry?

There are several misconceptions about our services. The first is we only serve high net worth customers - we serve everyone! Another misconception is we only do dry cleaning, reservations, and flowers. On the contrary - we do those things but we also coordinate purse/luggage repairs, plan engagements, help with landscapes and renovations, find tutors for children, help find senior care services, and much more. Tell us what you need and we make it happen. Last but not least, we are expensive - there is no cost to the end-user for the concierge's time. Typically our fees are paid by property owners/managers or corporations and the value of the services when broken down by square footage or by the number of employees, is very reasonable and a valuable return on your investment. We know the importance of attracting and retaining tenants and top talent!

4. What are you doing to help your clients at this point in time?

For our commercial clients, we are providing tenant engagement opportunities and focusing on the tenant experience as they are slowly returning to the office. We recognize that companies will not return to work as we knew it, but that whether or not people are working in the office or at home, we can still connect with them and offer a variety of time-saving services. For our residential clients, handling residents' packages, inquiries, and screening visitors is a top priority. Since most people are home-based due to lockdowns and lack of in-person schooling, the increase in packages and other deliveries has more than tripled. Providing consistent, professional, courteous service is what we do.

5. As an AOBA member, what have you done to build your client base and drive the success of your business? 

Capitol Concierge has been involved with AOBA since 1987 and I have been involved for 17 years. I have found that being involved in a committee (or two) is what truly allows me to get to know the owners/managers in AOBA and learn more about their needs and challenges. From this Capitol can create solutions that assist them in resolving challenges and enhancing their properties. Our goal is to partner with all our clients to increase their businesses, retain and attract tenants and enhance the lives of those that work/live in their properties.