Ryan lely/Sonoma Valley Sun
Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn concierge Judy Mendel helps hotel guest Jose Briones of New Jersey, with directions to local wineries.
When men want to impress their fiancées with their proposals, they turn to Judy Mendel – as long as they’re guests at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, where she’s chief concierge. Helping create memorable proposals is one of her favorite tasks – which men ask her help with a couple of times a month. One she especially remembers was for a man from Southern California who called her two months in advance to start planning, saying he wanted to include something active.
Mendel had the couple start the day with a bike ride to Bartholomew Park Winery, where they hiked in the hills. They ended the trek by following a trail of rose petals to a picnic table that was set with linen, silver and crystal, fruit, cheese and a bottle of Dom Perignon, plus some of the couple’s favorites, including crab from a restaurant in Laguna Beach, Newcastle Brown Ale and gummy bears that hid a blue box from Tiffany with the ring. Mendel also had a photographer waiting in the bushes. The plan went off without a hitch, so to speak.
Mendel and her staff help guests at the resort plan vacation activities and handle travel issues every day. Recognizing her accomplishments, the professional organization of concierges – Les Clefs d’Or USA – invited Mendel to join its 500 members who wear crossed gold keys on their lapels as symbols of their profession.
To qualify, she had to pass an extensive written test, as well as evaluations by several “mystery” guests who spoke with her at the concierge desk in the hotel’s lobby and on the phone.
Mendel, who grew up in Pollock Pines, midway between Placerville and Lake Tahoe, spent her junior year in high school as an exchange student in Krottendorf, Austria, living on a pig farm. At the University of Santa Clara, she studied German literature and art history, and returned to Austria for her junior year at the University of Vienna.
After graduation she got married and sold real estate in San Francisco for 10 years. When her first child, Michelle, was born, she began working with her husband, Sheldon, in his insurance business, which they ran from their home, mostly by phone. The family, which by then included a son, Josh, moved to Sonoma in 1986.
When her husband died 15 years ago, Mendel closed the business and began looking for a job working with people. In 2001, the Sonoma Mission Inn hired her as a concierge.
On a typical Sunday, guests stop by the concierge desk to tell Mendel and her staff how much fun they had biking, hiking, visiting wineries or doing other special activities. It’s one reason she enjoys being a concierge. “I love every day because every day is different,” she said. “It’s exciting coming to work.”
