London & Canary Wharf Staffing Specialists
Concierge, Front of House & Reception Staffing You Can Rely On
Ellison Grey Concierge Services provides fully vetted concierge, reception, front of house and handyman staff to residential blocks, commercial buildings and managing agents across London — with relief cover available at short notice, day or night.
Who We Are
A Trusted Name in London Concierge & Front of House Staffing
Ellison Grey Concierge Services was built around a simple idea: buildings, offices and residential developments deserve staff who turn up on time, look the part and represent the site professionally from the very first handshake. We supply concierge staff, front of house teams, reception staff and handyman support to property management companies, developers, corporate landlords and private residential blocks throughout London, with a strong footprint around Canary Wharf and the wider E14 postcode.
Every member of staff we place is interviewed, referenced and briefed on the standards expected of a front-of-building role before they ever set foot on site. Whether you need a single receptionist for a busy lobby, a rotating team of concierge officers for a residential tower, or emergency relief cover because a shift has fallen through, our approach stays the same: fast communication, dependable people, and staff who are genuinely comfortable being the first and last face a visitor or resident sees.
We work with sites of every size, from boutique apartment blocks with a single concierge desk to large commercial developments running round-the-clock front of house operations. Our team understands that no two buildings are the same, and we match staff to the tone, pace and expectations of each individual site rather than sending a generic booking.
Founded on the idea that staffing agencies had become too impersonal for a role as visible as concierge or front of house work, Ellison Grey has deliberately stayed close to the buildings we serve. We don’t operate a faceless call centre model where every request is passed between departments before it reaches someone who can act on it. Bookings, queries and emergency cover requests go through a small, dedicated team who already understand your building, your usual staff, and what “good” looks like for your specific site.
That continuity matters more than most clients expect it to. A concierge or receptionist who understands a building’s quirks — which residents need extra patience, how deliveries are usually handled, what the fire evacuation procedure actually looks like in practice — is worth far more than a generic booking filling a rota slot. Wherever possible, we try to return the same staff to the same sites, building genuine familiarity over time rather than treating every booking as a one-off transaction.
We also try to be realistic with clients rather than simply saying yes to every request. If a timeframe genuinely isn’t achievable, or a booking would mean sending someone underqualified for a specific site, we’ll say so and work through the alternatives with you rather than overpromising and leaving you to deal with the fallout. That honesty has become one of the main reasons managing agents keep coming back to us for repeat bookings rather than shopping around each time a need comes up.
Why Buildings Choose Ellison Grey
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✓ Fully vetted, referenced concierge & FOH staff
Identity, references and presentation checked before any candidate joins our booking pool.
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✓ Short-notice and emergency relief cover available
A direct line for existing clients when a shift falls through unexpectedly.
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✓ Coverage across London, based in Canary Wharf, E14
Strong local knowledge around Canary Wharf, with reach across Central and Greater London.
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✓ Handyman staffing for day-to-day building upkeep
One-off callouts or a regular scheduled visit to stay on top of minor repairs.
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✓ Direct phone line, no lengthy call centre queues
Speak directly to a member of our team who can act on a booking straight away.
What We Offer
Our Staffing Services
From front-desk cover to emergency relief, every service below can be booked as a one-off shift, an ongoing rota, or a fully managed contract.
Concierge Staffing
Our concierge staffing service places experienced, well-presented concierge officers into residential and commercial buildings across London. A good concierge does far more than greet people at the door — they manage deliveries, coordinate access for contractors and visitors, keep an eye on communal areas, and act as the calm, capable point of contact residents and tenants turn to when something needs sorting. We take the time to understand the culture of each site before placing anyone, because a concierge for a quiet mansion block needs a different approach to one for a high-footfall commercial tower. Every concierge we supply arrives briefed on your building’s specific procedures, visitor policy and emergency protocols, and we keep a bench of reliable cover staff ready in case your usual concierge is off sick or on leave, so the desk is never left unmanned.
Many of the buildings we support run a 24-hour concierge desk, which means shift patterns, handovers and night cover all need to be managed carefully. We help design rotas that keep staff alert and fairly scheduled while making sure there’s never a gap between shifts. For managing agents overseeing several buildings at once, we can also act as a single point of contact for concierge staffing across an entire portfolio, so you’re not managing separate arrangements site by site.
Front of House Staffing
Front of house sets the tone for an entire building, and our front of house staffing service is built to make sure that first impression is consistently strong. We supply front of house officers, hosts and lobby ambassadors for corporate headquarters, serviced offices, mixed-use developments and commercial reception areas throughout London. Our front of house teams are trained to manage visitor sign-in, badge issuing, meeting room coordination, courier handling and general lobby presentation, all while representing your brand rather than ours. For sites that need a layered presence — a lead front of house officer supported by junior staff during peak hours — we can build a rota that flexes with footfall, so you’re never overstaffed during quiet periods or caught short during busy ones.
We also work closely with facilities and security teams already operating on site, since front of house staff rarely work in isolation. Before placement, our staff are briefed on how your building wants visitors, contractors and deliveries handled, what dress standard is expected, and any brand-specific greeting or hospitality touches you want maintained. For corporate clients running events, launches or high-profile visits, we can also supply additional front of house staff on a one-off basis to manage the extra footfall without disrupting day-to-day reception cover.
Reception Staff
We supply polished, switched-on reception staff for offices, showrooms, residential lobbies and managing agent front desks across London. Reception is often the busiest single point in a building — fielding calls, greeting visitors, managing post and parcels, booking meeting rooms and liaising with facilities and security teams — and our receptionists are chosen specifically for their ability to juggle all of it calmly. We place both long-term reception staff for permanent desks and temporary receptionists to cover holidays, sickness or maternity leave, and every candidate is comfortable with common building management and switchboard systems before their first shift. If your regular receptionist calls in sick at 7am, our aim is to have a suitable replacement briefed and on site well before your desk opens to the public.
We know that reception staff often act as an informal extension of HR, facilities and even IT support during a normal working day, fielding questions well beyond “who are you here to see”. Our receptionists are chosen for a calm, organised temperament as much as presentation, and we take note of the specific software, phone systems and booking platforms each client site uses so that handover between our staff and yours is as smooth as possible, even at short notice.
Handyman Staffing
Alongside front of house cover, we supply skilled handyman staff to keep buildings running smoothly day to day. Our handymen handle general maintenance, minor repairs, light fittings, furniture assembly, communal area upkeep and the constant small jobs that managing agents and building managers otherwise have to chase separately. Rather than booking a different tradesperson for every individual task, many of our clients keep an Ellison Grey handyman on a regular schedule — weekly, fortnightly or on an as-needed callout basis — so routine snags get fixed before they become resident complaints. Our handyman staff are practical, presentable and used to working in occupied residential and commercial buildings, which means they work tidily, respect access hours, and communicate clearly with concierge and front of house teams already on site.
Because our handyman staff work alongside the same concierge and front of house teams we place elsewhere in a building, jobs get reported, logged and actioned faster than when maintenance is handled by an entirely separate contractor with no presence on site. Residents raise an issue at the desk, the concierge logs it, and our handyman can often attend to straightforward jobs on the next scheduled visit rather than waiting on a separate call-out booking process.
Temporary Staff Cover
Holiday cover, sickness absence and unexpected staff turnover shouldn’t leave your building’s front desk empty. Our temporary staff cover service supplies concierge, front of house, reception and handyman staff on a short-term basis, whether that’s a single afternoon shift or several weeks while you recruit a permanent replacement. We keep a pool of pre-vetted, building-experienced temporary staff ready to deploy, so bookings can typically be confirmed and briefed quickly rather than left waiting on a lengthy recruitment process. Temporary staff supplied through Ellison Grey are held to the same referencing and presentation standards as our permanent placements, so cover shifts never feel like a drop in quality compared to your usual team.
Temporary cover is also a useful way to trial staffing arrangements before committing to a longer contract, particularly for buildings that are still working out exactly what level of concierge or front of house presence they need. We’re happy to start with a short temporary booking and build from there, adjusting hours, headcount or role mix once you have a clearer sense of how the building actually runs day to day.
Relief & Short-Notice Cover
Sometimes a shift falls through with only a few hours’ warning — a concierge is stuck on delayed transport, a receptionist wakes up unwell, or a front of house officer has a family emergency. Our relief and short-notice cover service exists specifically for these moments, giving building managers and managing agents a direct line to a real person who can arrange emergency staffing quickly. We understand that an unmanned desk creates real risk for a building — missed deliveries, security gaps, frustrated residents — so our relief cover is built around speed of response as much as staff quality. Clients with an ongoing arrangement can call our direct line any time cover is needed, and we prioritise getting someone suitable on site with minimal disruption to your building’s day-to-day operation.
Relief cover works best when we already know a building, which is why we encourage clients to set up an account with us before an emergency happens rather than searching for a staffing agency for the first time in a moment of crisis. Existing clients simply call, confirm the shift details, and we take it from there — checking our available relief staff, briefing them on your site, and confirming arrival with you directly so you’re never left guessing whether cover is actually on its way.
Why Outsource
The Benefits of a Dedicated Staffing Partner
Recruiting, vetting and managing concierge, front of house and reception staff directly is a significant amount of ongoing work for a managing agent or building manager who already has plenty else on their plate. Advertising a role, screening applicants, chasing references and arranging interviews takes real time, and it all has to be repeated again the moment someone leaves or a shift needs covering. Partnering with a dedicated staffing agency like Ellison Grey removes that burden almost entirely.
Rather than managing a direct employment relationship with every concierge, receptionist or handyman on site, you have a single point of contact who takes responsibility for supplying, vetting and — where needed — replacing staff. When someone is off sick, on holiday, or simply not the right fit for a particular building, we handle the replacement process rather than leaving you to start recruitment again from square one.
There’s also a cost and flexibility argument worth considering. Staffing levels at most buildings aren’t static — footfall changes with the seasons, a development might be mid-handover with dozens of extra visitors, or a building might temporarily need extra reception cover during a fit-out. Working with an agency lets you scale staffing up or down as circumstances change, without the complexity of hiring and then making someone redundant a few months later.
Sectors We Support
Buildings and Sectors We Work With
Our staffing services support a broad mix of buildings across London. In the residential sector, we work with managing agents and freeholders on private apartment blocks, build-to-rent developments and mixed-tenure schemes, supplying concierge and handyman staff who understand the particular demands of looking after residents rather than a purely commercial tenant base.
On the commercial side, we place front of house and reception staff into corporate headquarters, serviced office providers, co-working spaces and mixed-use developments where a professional lobby presence is part of the building’s overall offer to tenants. We also support smaller offices and showrooms that only need part-time reception cover rather than a full-time hire.
We also support retail and hospitality-adjacent sites, including serviced apartment operators and short-let residential buildings, where guests and residents expect a hotel-style concierge presence even outside a traditional hotel setting. These sites often need staff comfortable handling key handovers, check-in style greetings and guest queries alongside more typical concierge duties, and we brief candidates accordingly before placement.
Regardless of sector, the thread that runs through all of our placements is the same: staff who are reliable, presentable, properly briefed on the building they’re working in, and backed by an agency that answers the phone when something needs sorting quickly.
Our Process
How Booking Staff Works
Tell Us What You Need
Call, email or use our booking form to tell us the role, the site and the timeframe.
We Match Suitable Staff
We select vetted staff whose experience fits your building type and requirements.
Staff Are Briefed
We share your site procedures with placed staff before their first shift begins.
Ongoing Support
We stay reachable for extensions, swaps or relief cover for as long as you need us.
Our Standards
Who We Place, And Why It Matters
A staffing agency is only as good as the people it sends through the door. Every candidate registered with Ellison Grey Concierge Services goes through a consistent screening process before they are eligible for any booking, whether that’s a permanent concierge role or a single relief shift. We’d rather turn away a booking than send someone unsuitable to a client’s building, and that principle shapes how we recruit, train and manage every member of staff on our books.
Identity & Right to Work
Every candidate’s identity and right to work in the UK is checked and documented before they are added to our booking pool.
Employment References
We take up references from previous employers, particularly for concierge and front of house roles where trust and discretion matter most.
Presentation & Communication
Staff are assessed on presentation, spoken English and general manner before ever being put forward for a client-facing role.
Site-Specific Briefing
Before a first shift, staff are talked through your building’s procedures, key contacts and any site-specific rules or sensitivities.
Uniform & Presentation
We can supply staff in a plain, neutral uniform standard or coordinate with your building’s existing dress code and branding.
Ongoing Performance Checks
We check in with clients after initial placements and act quickly on any feedback, positive or otherwise, to keep standards consistent.
Where We Work
Based in Canary Wharf, Covering London
Ellison Grey Concierge Services is based at 10 Preston’s Rd, London E14 9RL, right in the heart of the Canary Wharf and Blackwall area. Our location puts us close to some of London’s busiest residential towers and commercial developments, and it’s given us a genuinely detailed understanding of what buildings in this part of London expect from their front of house and concierge teams.
While Canary Wharf and the wider E14 postcode remain a core focus, we regularly place concierge, front of house, reception and handyman staff across Central and Greater London, working with managing agents, developers and corporate occupiers who need staffing partners they can rely on for more than one site.
Our staff have worked across a wide mix of building types — glass-fronted commercial towers, converted warehouse apartments, new-build residential developments with shared amenities, and older mansion blocks where a more traditional style of concierge service is expected. That breadth of experience means whichever kind of building you manage, we can usually put forward staff who have already worked somewhere similar, rather than starting from a completely blank slate.
Client Feedback
What Managing Agents Say
★★★★★
The concierge team Ellison Grey placed at our residential block settled in immediately and residents noticed the difference within the first week. Communication with the office has been consistently easy.
Property Manager, Canary Wharf residential block
★★★★★
We needed reception cover at short notice when our receptionist was signed off sick, and Ellison Grey had someone suitable briefed and on site the same morning. It genuinely saved us a very difficult day.
Office Manager, East London commercial office
★★★★★
Their handyman staffing has quietly become one of the most useful parts of our service contract. Small jobs get sorted before they turn into resident complaints, and the same person now knows our building well.
Building Manager, mixed-use development, London
★★★★★
We use Ellison Grey across three separate buildings now, and having one point of contact for concierge and front of house cover across the whole portfolio has cut down our admin significantly.
Portfolio Manager, residential management company
★★★★★
What stood out was how well their front of house officer was briefed before their first day. It felt like they’d already worked in our lobby for months, not hours.
Facilities Lead, corporate office, Canary Wharf
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How quickly can you provide emergency relief cover?
In most cases we can arrange relief and short-notice cover within a few hours of your call, depending on the role and location. Clients with an existing account typically see the fastest response, since we already hold a site briefing on file that can be passed straight to the covering member of staff rather than built from scratch on the day.
Do you cover buildings outside of Canary Wharf?
Yes. While we are based in E14 and have particularly strong coverage across Canary Wharf, we regularly supply staff to residential and commercial buildings throughout Central and Greater London. If you manage more than one site, we’re also happy to act as a single staffing partner across a wider portfolio rather than treating each building as a separate account.
Are your concierge and front of house staff vetted?
Every member of staff supplied by Ellison Grey Concierge Services has their identity and right to work checked, is referenced by previous employers, and is assessed on presentation and communication before being placed on site. Staff are also briefed on your building’s specific procedures ahead of their first shift, so they arrive prepared rather than learning your site from scratch on the job.
Can I book a single shift rather than an ongoing contract?
Yes, temporary staff cover can be booked as a one-off shift, a short run of cover, or an ongoing rota — whichever fits your building’s current situation. Many clients start with a single booking to see how our staff fit their site before deciding whether to move to a regular arrangement, and there’s no obligation to commit beyond what you actually need.
Do you supply handyman staff separately from concierge cover?
Yes, handyman staffing is available as a standalone service, whether you need a one-off callout or a regular scheduled visit to keep on top of maintenance. You don’t need to already use our concierge, front of house or reception services to book a handyman — plenty of clients come to us purely for maintenance support.
How do I get started with Ellison Grey?
Simply call 020 8154 5427, email team@concierge-services.uk, or use our booking form, and a member of our team will get back to you with next steps. For new clients, we’ll usually ask a few questions about your building and the type of cover you need before putting forward suitable staff, so the first booking is matched properly rather than rushed.
Do you offer ongoing contracts or just one-off bookings?
Both. Some clients prefer a formal ongoing contract covering a set number of concierge, front of house or reception hours each week, while others simply call us as and when cover is needed. Pricing and terms are discussed directly once we understand your building and the type of staffing arrangement that suits it, rather than being forced into a single fixed package.
A Straightforward Approach to Building Staffing
Ellison Grey Concierge Services was built for property managers, managing agents and building owners who want staffing sorted without having to think about it constantly. Whether that means a permanent concierge team for a residential tower, a receptionist covering someone’s maternity leave, a handyman keeping on top of communal repairs, or an emergency call at 6am because someone hasn’t turned up for their shift, our approach doesn’t change: understand the building, supply the right person, and stay reachable when something needs sorting. Based at 10 Preston’s Rd in Canary Wharf, we’re proud to support buildings across E14 and the wider London area, and we’d welcome the chance to talk through what your building currently needs.
Need Concierge, Front of House or Relief Staff?
Speak to Ellison Grey Concierge Services today and let us take the pressure off staffing your front desk.