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Elton John needs his dog walked, pronto. Jennifer Lopez wants white flowers filling her suite. And every other rock band seems to demand a bowl of monochromatic M&Ms upon check-in. With the Toronto International Film Festival kicking off this week, there is something you should know about the hotel perks that routinely flow to visiting celebrities: You don't have to be Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt to have your every whim catered to. You just have to be paying for a room -- and, in some cases, willing to pay to be doted on. Fact is, most of the A-list perks at upscale hotels are available to any guest. The trick is in the asking.

The Four Seasons in Toronto's Yorkville district is a hub for Hollywood heavy hitters. But the list of beyond-the-call-of-duty "I Need It Now" services the concierge staff say they have provided to the hoi polloi is endless.

They've lent a guest their dress shoes. They have a stash of cufflinks and formal button covers they dispatch for free. They've tracked down a jeweller at 9:30 p.m. at home so a guest could buy an engagement ring. They've shopped for 4,000 crayons from nine different stores for a guest who wanted to donate the crayons to charity. They've even helped a guest who wanted to move to Toronto put in an offer on a $1-million condo (even though this would, in effect, put an end to the guest's need for a Toronto hotel suite).

Often, however, the treats are much simpler, and on the house if conceived by staff. "If a guest has just arrived from a long overnight flight, we'll prepare something for arrival to help him or her ease their jet lag," spokeswoman Melanie Greco says. "Or if you check into the hotel sniffling, you'll be surprised to find some remedies waiting for you in your room. Maybe herbal tea with lemon and honey with some throat lozenges (and rum) on the side."

For other treats, it's best to ask what's free and what will show up on your bill. It might be simply the cost of the item or may include a service fee.

In fact, as a new BBC Canada TV series called Hotel Babylon suggests as it follows the behind-the-scenes scheming of British hotel staff, a fair chunk of a hotel's business may come from the creatively priced extras -- from tanning beds to, in one scene, a discreetly packaged inflatable sex doll -- ordered on a whim.

The Fairmont chain's Vancouver-based spokeswoman, Jill Killeen, sees things in more earnest terms: "We really want to turn your stay into a memorable vacation or business trip. Quite often it's the little things that do that."

Furthermore, she says, pampered celebs and VIPs are, by their nature, better at asking for those little things than "regular" folk who don't see the inside of a fancy hotel suite that often. "It's the people who are on that once-in-a-lifetime trip who don't ask. For heaven's sake, ask us to do things for you."

Want to wash your hair in Evian? Staff will leave a case in the bathroom. Want to store your wedding dress at an airport Fairmont while you're sunning yourself on the beach? Can-do. Need a dog walker? No problem. Fairmonts in Boston and Vancouver have even added in-house dogs to the mix, so if you're missing your Rover, you can borrow one for an afternoon.

"If you want only red Smarties in a bowl, we'll do that for you," Killeen says. "Yes, you have to pay for them, but we will sort through all the Smarties boxes to make sure you get only the red."

Killeen says requests like this are rare, not because they're pricey -- you would be charged only for labour if it took hours and hours -- "but because people assume that you can't do it. They wouldn't presume to ask."

At the Windsor Arms in Toronto, Christine Korda, director of sales and marketing, says many guests need reminding that the hotel has 24-hour room service and a butler who is ready to iron a shirt or dash out to shop at the last minute. "If you need Aspirin at 3 in the morning, we'll run to the drugstore." You'll be charged for the Aspirin and a 10-per-cent service fee is all.

Other Windsor Arms perks don't incur fees (but asking for them without a juicy tip in your pocket might seem boorish.) They'll ask a piano player to stay late to serenade a couple, a bartender to sing, or the butler to deliver an engagement ring on a silver tray.

Indeed, marriage proposals seem to generate the most VIP service requests -- from custom-designed desserts to wacky floral arrangements. "I tell you, men are still so lost," Korda says.

She also reminds guests that many of the hotel's amenities are round the clock. You can work out at 2 a.m. before a flight, or request an in-room massage after hours. "Or how about a midnight swim?" Korda adds. "There's a fireplace by the pool."

But if you never ask, you'll never know. As long as it's not illegal, chances are it can be done.

The Park Hyatt Toronto offers perks like take-home Cartier stationery, a choice of 300 newspapers, a vast DVD library and a complimentary shoeshine service. The best bonus, though, is a fleet of Audis at your service, free of charge. Just be sure to call the night before. They've also just added new amenity kits with all those gels and liquids travellers can no longer stow in their carry-on luggage.

Despite their smaller size, boutique hotels can and do offer similar levels of customized service. Toronto's Hotel Le Germain routinely offers in-room spa treatments and babysitting services to its guests. At the nearby SoHo Metropolitan, everything from a private plane excursion to a private shopping trip can easily be arranged. They've dubbed one of their new services the "Sleep Concierge," with treats including body pillows, Obus Forme neck pillows, hot nighttime drinks or a glass of wine. And they've introduced a special program, "Solo at the SoHo Met," which, although not expressly a singles service, groups solo travellers for trips to restaurants, theatre and festivals such as TIFF.

While Toronto may be the centre of the VIP universe for the next two weeks, don't forget to trawl for perks wherever you are. For instance, the Four Seasons Resort Aviara in San Diego has a "surf concierge" for surf trips, lessons and insider tips on how to mix with local surfers.

In essence, these high-end digs aim to make guests return home feeling like a somebody. Or, as the voice-over on the first episode of Hotel Babylon posits, to give you "the opportunity to live out your wildest, darkest, craziest fantasies, to be, maybe just for a night or two, who you really want to be."

Pack your bags

WHERE TO STAY

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts: 1-800-819-5053; http://www.fourseasons.com.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts: 1-800-257-7544; http://www.fairmont.com.

Windsor Arms: 18 St. Thomas St., Toronto; 1-877-999-2767; http://www.windsorarmshotel.com.

Park Hyatt: 4 Avenue Rd. 1-888-591-1234; park.hyatt.com.

Hotel Le Germain: 30 Mercer St., Toronto; 1-866-345-9501; http://www.germaintoronto.com.

SoHo Metropolitan Hotel: 318 Wellington St. W., Toronto; soho.metropolitan.com; 1-800-668-6600.