What does a butler do?

[dxwell]

We’re staying at the Royal Beach Seminyak next weekend and the private villa comes with a butler.
This is our first experience with a butler. What exactly will they do?
Thanks, DX

 

[lovetravellingoz]

Iron's your newspaper Well at least in the movies. Mind you these days that would melt one's iPad

I too get my first experience of this on May 19 when I start a Silversea Cruise. First job is stocking our room with our choice of alcohol from the ship's stocks

 

[Daver6]

I'm basing my answer on the fact that I'm my dog's butler. So feed you, drive you around and pick-up after you go to the toilet. Also get pats, scratches and the odd bath.

 

[juddles]

I'm basing my answer on the fact that I'm my dog's butler. So feed you, drive you around and pick-up after you go to the toilet. Also get pats, scratches and the odd bath.

Gold But actually pretty true.

IMHO the concept of a butler is that rather than have to deal with many an issue yourself, you download everything on one specific person, who "solves stuff". A good butler transforms one's life to another level. A bad one is just embarrassing and hard all round.

 

[Milboo]

I’ve had these several times in Sri Lanka. Basically they are there to make your stay seamless and make sure the other teams like housekeeping meet expectations.

They did things like
- drive us to our villa/ show to room and explain all the features
- check over housekeeping
- pop past and ask if we would like drinks/ food brought to us
- brought us bed tea
- prepared the room in the evening including lighting a fire if wanted - and drew a bath
- arranged activities (or arranged for the person to come to us)
- took away some shoes that a little critter chewed and had them repaired locally
-organised a car to take me to the nearby shops when I needed something
- arranged luggage to be collected
-delivered laundry back
- popped by at breakfast to make sure everything had been ok overnight
- brought me a bucket when I was unwell (albeit an ice bucket!)
- basically was the one who would appear if we contacted butler services because we needed anything

 

[dxwell]

hey did things like

Thanks @Milboo that's exactly what I needed.

Also thanks @lovetravellingoz for the inspiration, life goals are important.

I too get my first experience of this on May 19 when I start a Silversea Cruise. First job is stocking our room with our choice of alcohol from the ship's stocks

 

[terryeveritt]

They are not true Butlers in the traditional sence, however, are there as an interface for all ohter hotel services.

 

[juddles]

They are not true Butlers in the traditional sence, however, are there as an interface for all ohter hotel services.

I agree. What appears to be referred to as a butler here is more like a personal concierge. To me a true butler only serves one master.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Apparently at Hemingway’s in Nairobi they unpack and pack your suitcases - no way that’s going to happen!

 

[h15t0r1an]

You need to watch "Jeeves and Wooster" old tv series.

 

[blackcat20]

Apparently at Hemingway’s in Nairobi they unpack and pack your suitcases - no way that’s going to happen!

Same at all the St Regis properties

 

[waimate01]

We had one at Vomo in Fiji. Took us a while to get the hang of it. On the first day, we accidentally gave him the slip, which caused him no end of concern. He was looking for us everywhere.

He was with us from first thing until bedtime every day. He would interface between us and everything else. At breakfast, we did not order with the normal wait-staff - he would take out order and relay it. Seems pointless, but he very quickly comes to know your preferences. Someone else would clear the plates (a definite pecking order, and the butlers were clearly the rock stars of the staff).

When we went to the bar, he would take our order and bring our drinks. If there were bar snacks going around, he would put a selection on a plate and bring it to us. If we wanted to go diving, we'd tell him and he would arrange it with the dive shop. He'd come out on the dive boat to hand us a towel upon surfacing. He'd carry my facemask and fins back to our suite, and rinse them for me.

He'd also just hang around in case we needed anything. Cup of tea, drink from the bar, whatever. He would walk with us to and from our suite for every meal. He'd arrange the towels near our pool. He'd tidy. He'd ask us about our plans/desires for the day then talk to the necessary people to make it happen. If we just wanted some time-out, he'd go hang with his buddies elsewhere until the an agreed time.

He was a full-time personal manservant. Of course, us being Australians before long we'd have him in to sit with us in the conditioning, and we'd fetch him drinks, etc, and have long chats about life in Fiji.

 

[Kelstarama]

I had a butler when I stayed at a safari camp in Zambia, even though I was the only guest in camp! I did feel a little uncomfortable at the idea of having a butler. He did enjoy a chat though, and I learned a lot about him, his family and many interesting stories about his life.

He was the only staff member allowed in my tent. He brought me morning and evening tea, did the housekeeping, met me after game drives with a a cool facewasher and carried my camera bag to and from my tent. One morning I forgot to take my tube of Vegemite to breakfast. He went back to the tent to collect it and asked me every morning after that "Do you have your breakfast spread, madam?"

 

[Flying mermaid]

We stayed at 3 camps n Singita Grumeti (Tanzania) a few years ago and I revealed to my butler at the first camp that I had developed a bit of a passion for Amarula. (Cream based liqueur). Our first butler made sure that as we moved to each new camp there was a fresh bottle of Amarula in our suite .

 

[love_the_life]

I was on a ship in the Arctic when I got a bug. The doctor was very keen for our butler to sponge me down.
I declined

 

[dxwell]

And so it turns out that it was more personal concierge rather than dedicated butler.
Regardless, every request was rapidly responded to (mostly can you bring x to our villa). I was happy.

Good to hear other's experiences with a true butler. A goal for us now.

 

[amaroo]

Stayed at a few places where this service was offered ... some live-in, some where they only stayed for part of the day (around 18 hours).

The one we had in Belize was full on, he was the only one that served us, breakfast, lunch and dinner, including room service, drinks at the bar, etc.... if we contacted reception/conceige (at any hour) he would answer. He saw us off and greeted us when we got back. The man was non-stop!

 

[Pushka]

We had a Butler in the IC in Bali. He was a little weird. He had this way of staring into your face. He always seemed to be in the room - a duplex and the bedroom was in a loft and not visible from below. We would come into the downstairs area and kick back have a drink etc and the next thing he would pop his head over the bannister and say Helloooo. We hadn’t heard him as he was super quiet. It totally weirded us out.

 

[blackcat20]

We had a Butler in the IC in Bali. He was a little weird. He had this way of staring into your face. He always seemed to be in the room - a duplex and the bedroom was in a loft and not visible from below. We would come into the downstairs area and kick back have a drink etc and the next thing he would pop his head over the bannister and say Helloooo. We hadn’t heard him as he was super quiet. It totally weirded us out.

That sounds very invasive...

 

[Flying mermaid]

All our butlers in Africa have been just amazing, but we had one at the Plaza in New York and he was a bit weird, but then we hated everything about the Plaza, so that was in keeping