From Morocco to Mauritius (and everywhere in between) they're the magicians of the hotel world, wielding their wands and making dreams come true. Believed to have derived from the Latin phrase conservus, or fellow slave, concierges are increasingly earning their pinstripes as they sashay into the 21st century.

And now, these master merlins are no longer just the top hat, tail-coated and white-gloved gods hovering helpfully at the brass doorknob. Enter the virtual concierge where, with a literal click of the fingers, time-poor executives are turning to the Internet and demanding solutions to the trickiest travel hassle before they even leave the ground.

Even the most sophisticated sleeping beauty wishes she could eternally slumber on the plush pillow and satin sheets that grace that deliciously decadent hotel suite. Straight from the pages of a fairytale, that's exactly what LA-based concierge service Preferred Group arranged recently when it accompanied a client to and from the Athens Olympics, organized everything from accredited Olympic transportation to the best accommodation in central Athens, invitations to private, invitation-only parties, a three-day excursion in the middle of the trip on a private yacht to Mykonos and Santorini as well as a private jet back to Athens from Santorini to finish up the last two days of events. Or consider the new client with an exceptionally busy travel schedule who requests a particular type of professional exercise equipment to be placed in their suite at every destination including New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Paris, Thailand and Los Angeles. Direct from the world-class Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, former concierge Emad Ghobrial implemented the Peninsula Hotel Global Concierge before branching out on his own and forming Preferred Group.