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If your idea of a butler springs from the pages ofJeeves and Wooster, you may be surprised to learnyou don’t have to be a member of the aristocracyto enjoy such personal service – it could come aspart of your holiday. While a hotel butler may notbe standing by to put toothpaste on your brush, as

one of Prince Charles’ staff was rumoured to do, theycan help with chores, such as unpacking and pressingyour clothes, or treats like running you a flower-strewnbath at an allotted time.

When the Savoy reopened last October following anambitious £100 million refurbishment, it introduced anew generation of butlers. This elite task force willtackle a range of jobs including completing guests’ busi-ness expense forms and helping them dress for dinner.There’s even a green butler to advise on all things eco-friendly in London. Prices for a suite for the night withbutler service start at around £1,100 plus VAT, thoughit’s worth looking out for packages.

In recent years, a wide range of more mainstreamhotels have added complimentary butler service forhigher room categories. And it’s not only business trav-ellers who are the target; many beach resorts haveintroduced butlers to help guests mark a special occa-

sion, or simply get maximumrelaxation from their holiday.

The Savoy is managed by Fairmont

At your

Being waited on hand and foot isn’t purely the preserve of the landedgentry. Many hotels and even cruise ships now offer butler service or

concierge floors, while you can also indulge yourself with a personalshopper or chauffeur/guide, as Debbie Ward reports

a touch of class n butlers and personal service

Autumn 2011 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk 43

a touch of class n butlers and personal service

Hotels & Resorts, which has butler service at severalproperties. The Fairmont Royal Pavilion, Barbados evenhas “beach butlers” who’ll deliver drinks and nibbles andfetch items from your room. St Regis is another chainwith butlers. They’ll wake you with morning tea andnewspapers and spring to other requests made by email.

Caribbean all-inclusive chain Sandals now has butlerservice as standard with its top-tier suites. The staff canbe summoned from a dedicated mobile phone to unpackyour luggage, serve you dinner in your suite, shine yourshoes and press your clothes. They’ll also organise yourstay, making all your spa, tour and dinner reservationsand reconfirming your flights before departure. A one-bedroom honeymoon suite with butler service at SandalsEmerald Bay in the Bahamas currently costs from£2,999 per person for a week’s all-inclusive in highseason, including flights.

far eastOn a smaller scale, Serene Pavilions, a boutique beachhotel at Wadduwa, Sri Lanka, opened two years ago withan all-butler concept. Serene has just 12 large villas whichcost from around £295 per night including breakfast.They’re full of mod cons, including remote-controlledblinds, but if the effort of pressing a button wears you out,your 24-hour butler can step in to ease your stay.

“Butlers help guests to unpack their baggage, organ-ise their meals, provide all the services requested bythem and basically follow them without interruptingtheir privacy,” explains Serene Pavilions chief executiveAnura Lokuhetty. “They’ll even organise meetings withthe chef to decide on the menu and locations for theirmeals, as we provide several options.”

Elsewhere in Asia, the Nam Hai hotel in Vietnam

beach resort Hoi An recently called in the Guild ofProfessional English Butlers to train its staff for threemonths. The guild, which also trains Sandals’ butlers,notes Caribbean and Far East hotels are particularly keento add this personal service. Among many others, it hasalso trained butlers at London’s Lanesborough and NorthIsland, in the Seychelles – honeymoon destination ofPrince William and Kate Middleton.

The guild has seen a boom in hotels seeking its serv-ices. “I’ve been training butlers in hotels for 15 years and

chauffeursBeing chauffeured on your holiday may seem an A-list extravagance but severaltour operators, including Kirker Holidays, Kuoni and Regent Holidays, offer tailor-made touring itineraries with private driver/guides. It may even be a practicalchoice for independent travel in destinations where road or vehicle safety is anissue.

In the UK and Ireland, Dream Escapes can arrange private journeys by fun andfabulous transport including sports cars, helicopters and seaplanes.

personal shoppersIn cities famous for retail therapy, many top-end hotels offer paid or complimentarypersonal shoppers. In Bangkok, for instance, Banyan Tree has a free shoppingcompanion who’ll hit the malls and markets for three hours with you, while untilDecember 31, Hansar Bangkok is offering a free shopping ambassador inconjunction with department store Siam Paragon.

In Marrakech, where haggling is key, paying a personal shopper could even saveyou money; tour operator Fleewinter can set you up with one.

Major department stores including New York’s Macy’s and Bloomingdales alsooffer personal shopper services.

butler and chauffeur tipsl Butler service may be included in your room rate but a tip is usually

expected at the end of your stay. l Preference forms on your hotel’s website, or sent by email, help your

butler prepare for your visit. If you’re not using butler service, you may still beable to select from pillow menus or choose the scent or flowers you’d like inyour room.

l If you travel independently, compare the cost of car hire to booking a tour witha personal driver; the chauffeur option, which often includes entrance fees, mayprove competitive.

personal service with local experts

42 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Autumn 2011

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n The Fairmont Royal Pavilion,Barbados, provides beach butlers

n Relaxing in thespa on MSC Fantasia

“It’s verymuchtailoring theservice to suitthe guest”

it’s increased year on year so now almost every type ofhotel has some form of butler service,” says Guild presi-dent Robert Watson. “It’s almost a guest expectationthese days; it’s not restricted to the luxury five-starmarket.

“The most important thing is to treat the guests asindividuals and that’s very much the essence of my train-ing. They may want you to be smiling, bubbly or ‘yes’,‘no,’ ‘there you are’. It’s very much tailoring the serviceto suit the guest.”

Cruise lines, too, are committed to butler service,most now offering it with higher-grade suites. MSCCruises’ butlers, for instance, can be paged round-the-clock to take care of laundry and shoe shining, makepriority bookings for restaurants, tender access andexcursions. They’ll even arrange for onboard boutiquesto open exclusively for you.

concierge floors and servicesIf you don’t want to splash out on the full butler experi-ence, concierge floors (also called club or executivefloors) in both hotels and cruise ships can be a goodcompromise.

Though perks vary, these upgraded levels usuallyhave a lounge for breakfast, drinks and snacks, betterroom facilities, and dedicated check-in and conciergedesks. Many major hotel chains including Fairmont,Ritz-Carlton and Starwood offer such floors and, moresurprisingly, some Disney hotels do as well.

The hotel concierge, who helps with reservations andlocal advice, is a familiar concept but nowadays not allsuch services are desk-bound.

Thinking of popping the question on holiday? At CapMaison, St Lucia a proposal concierge will help you doit in style, perhaps with the ring sent down a zipwire toan offshore dining deck. And if you don’t fancy luggingyour skies to the airport, how about sending them aheadto your chalet with ski concierge service Piste of Mind?

Upmarket tour operators, among them Kirker Holi-days, Audley Travel and Abercrombie & Kent, also offerconcierge services, booking ballet tickets, behind-the-scenes tours, that special restaurant or a family party sothe highlights of your trip are already in place when youarrive.

44 tlm n the travel & leisure magazine www.tlm-magazine.co.uk Autumn 2011

a touch of class n butlers and personal service

personal service facts

Debbie Ward has been a travel journalist for 12 years. Sheonce hired a private driver when she and her partnertoured Sri Lanka to chauffeur them between culturalhighlights – a luxury she could get used to.

butler servicehotels Fairmont Hotels: www.fairmont.comSt Regis Hotels: www.starwoodhotels.com/stregisThe Savoy: www.fairmont.com/savoyLanesborough, London: www.lanesborough.comThe Connaught, London: www.the-connaught.co.ukMacdonald Bath Spa Hotel: www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/bathspaSandals: www.sandals.co.ukSerene Pavilions, Sri Lanka: www.serenepavilions.com

Nam Hai, Vietnam: www.thenamhai.comNorth Island, Seychelles: www.north-island.comHalf Moon, Jamaica:www.halfmoon.rockresorts.comThe Chatwal, New York:www.thechatwalny.comBellagio, Las Vegas: www.bellagio.comFor more see:www.guildofbutlers.com/client.php

cruise linesMSC Cruises: www.msccruises.co.ukSilversea Cruises: www.silversea.comCelebrity Cruises: www.celebritycruises.comFor more see: www.discovercruises.co.uk

tour operators offering personal drivers and/or concierge service Dream Escape: www.dreamescape.co.ukKirker Holidays: www.kirkerholidays.comRegent Holidays: www.regent-holidays.co.ukAudley Travel: www.audleytravel.co.ukKuoni: www.kuoni.co.ukThe Private Travel Company: www.theprivatetravelcompany.co.ukTransIndus: www.Transindus.co.ukAbercrombie & Kent: www.abercrombiekent.comCox & Kings: www.coxandkings.co.uk

hotels with concierge floorsStarwood Hotels:www.starwoodhotels.comRitz-Carlton: www.ritzcarlton.comDisney hotels:www.disneyparks.co.uk

other concierge servicesCap Maison, St Lucia:www.capmaison.com/proposal-concierge.htmlPiste of Mind: www.pisteofmind.com

personal shoppersBanyan Tree: www.banyantree.comHansar Bangkok: www.slh.com/hansarbangkokFleewinter: www.fleewinter.co.uk/morocco/Bloomingdales: www.Bloomingdales.comMacy’s: www.macys.com

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