Janet Molero Wellman is a concierge extraordinaire at Hotel Mazarin in the French Quarter. Not only does she always have a smile for each hotel guest who seeks her help, she also offers them eye candy with her array of handsome necklaces that daily adorn her neck.
“I have always loved jewelry, and while I love pretty earrings and bracelets, I think nothing makes more of a statement than an interesting necklace. I wouldn’t think of going to work without wearing one of my favorite necklaces.” says the friendly, attractive local native, who has a large collection of necklaces from her past residences in Zurich, Geneva, Moscow, and seven states in the U.S. She also has a cherished collection of local jeweler Jose Balli’s silver jewelry from his Chartres Street shop in the French Quarter.
Janet finds her work fulfilling and never boring. “I love meeting people from all over the world and helping make their visit to New Orleans a pleasant experience,” she says. “We have a wonderful city, and I never tire of assisting them with even the smallest request.”
She says she feels fortunate to be able to wear whatever she wishes to work and not a uniform.
“It does give me an opportunity to express my style and showcase my wonderful collection of necklaces,” she says, adding, “I don’t have an expensive collection of jewelry; they are just things that caught my eye and I joyfully added them to my collection.
An art student for two years at Louisiana State University, Janet is the divorced mother of two children – Patrick, who is the pastry chef at Coquette Restaurant on Magazine Street, and Stephanie, who graduated from Loyola University and is now doing additional studies. She smiles and unabashedly says she has no qualms with recommending Coquette to visitors since she knows it is excellent. “I always call and tell my son the names of the people who are coming to the restaurant and he will make an effort to meet them and recommend a special dessert for them. It’s that extra touch that travelers love.” 
Janet spent more than a decade being a travel agent before she switched to serving as a concierge.
“This is my favorite job because it is so diverse. I recently met two young teachers who lived near the North Pole,” she says. “They loved New Orleans and I found it interesting to hear about where they lived. I also enjoy making special dreams come true, like the older gentleman who brought his wife to New Orleans to celebrate their anniversary and requested that I get champagne, roses and order a pedicab to pick them up at the hotel to take them to dinner. The wife was thrilled with his thoughtfulness and I was happy to have made their anniversary so special.”
Each day is a new and pleasant challenge for Janet and she is always pleased when a guest mentions her necklace. “It’s fun to dress up and decide which necklace I will wear,” she says with a smile. “It’s all a part of a happy job in a beautiful setting.”
