Change of front desk staffing hours roils some at Bethesda apartment building

The Solaire Bethesda luxury apartment tower has officially announced a cutback in concierge hours, after a few weeks of rumors and agitation among some residents of the building. A couple of weeks back, a source in the building reported management would be dropping the 24-hour concierge amenity, and that there would soon be no one at the front desk between 11:00 PM and 7:00 AM. An assistant property manager would take the place of the front desk concierge the rest of the day, rumor held. At least one resident meeting was organized to discuss whether or not to protest the decision a few days later, with some residents feeling they had been promised the same level of front desk service permanently.

On Friday, building management made an official announcement to residents. According to the email, the property is now transitioning from the lease-up phase to the long-term management of the building. As a result, the front desk concierge will now be on-duty from 7:00 AM to 11:00 PM, "to assist with package acceptance, valet laundry/dry cleaning, guest check in, etc." A maintenance team will continue to be on-call 24/7, the message added.

Management sweetened the announcement by promising a new "perk" - pun intended: They said they are working on making Starbucks "premium coffee service" available to residents, and that residents will enjoy a light breakfast in the lobby over the coming week. An inquiry regarding the rumored changes, submitted through the building's website prior to the official announcement, was not responded to as of this writing.