Butler Thoughts

[DebbieH103]

I haven't been posting in the last week or so. I'm on the road, but yesterday, I arrived at Royal Plantation Ocho Rios, my favorite hotel in Jamaica. I am here at the same time as Raj Subramanian, Director of Training for the Guild of Professional English Butlers.

 

Raj happened to be sailing on Silver Spirit on the maiden and got off in Casablanca on December 28 or 29. He was consulting to start the program and is one of two management consultants involved with the Silversea program. He also is involved with Regent Seven Seas Voyager and is instantiating the program here at this resort.

 

I spent much of the day with him yesterday and half the evening discussing butler on Shadow, Whisper, Spirit and also what it needs to be here at this resort. I have his full attention for a few days if anyone has any comments. Raj is a wealth of knowledge. He recognizes that the butler service on Shadow is already far above that on Spirit due to the length of time it has been since implementation. They do have the right people on the job to make the program a success and really do want the butler to be a "go to" person who can have access to all the best of everything and the authority and ability to expedite special requests, questions, etc. If Raj was my butler, I would know the experience would be exceptional. However, I do know that his goal is for everyone to be like him and to excel in their talents. He is not afraid to tell someone when the butler line of business is not their cup of tea and look for the best in that individual and recommend another path.

 

I know he will be back on Silversea in March, I forgot which ship. He leaves here on Feb. 11 when I do and is going back to India to see his 2 year old and wife. He has been on the road for 4 months. Meanwhile, he is working maybe 18 hours a day and always like a sponge.

 

I already know the usual like we don't like packing or we do like it or whatever, but if you have out of the box stuff we have not discussed here before that Raj should know, please let me know.

[TLCOhio]

I haven't been posting in the last week or so. I'm on the road, but yesterday, I arrived at Royal Plantation Ocho Rios, my favorite hotel in Jamaica. I am here at the same time as Raj Subramanian, Director of Training for the Guild of Professional English Butlers. Raj happened to be sailing on Silver Spirit on the maiden and got off in Casablanca on December 28 or 29. He was consulting to start the program and is one of two management consultants involved with the Silversea program. He also is involved with Regent Seven Seas Voyager and is instantiating the program here at this resort. I spent much of the day with him yesterday and half the evening discussing butler on Shadow, Whisper, Spirit and also what it needs to be here at this resort. I have his full attention for a few days if anyone has any comments. Raj is a wealth of knowledge. He recognizes that the butler service on Shadow is already far above that on Spirit due to the length of time it has been since implementation. They do have the right people on the job to make the program a success and really do want the butler to be a "go to" person who can have access to all the best of everything and the authority and ability to expedite special requests, questions, etc. If Raj was my butler, I would know the experience would be exceptional. However, I do know that his goal is for everyone to be like him and to excel in their talents. He is not afraid to tell someone when the butler line of business is not their cup of tea and look for the best in that individual and recommend another path. I know he will be back on Silversea in March, I forgot which ship. He leaves here on Feb. 11 when I do and is going back to India to see his 2 year old and wife. He has been on the road for 4 months. Meanwhile, he is working maybe 18 hours a day and always like a sponge. I already know the usual like we don't like packing or we do like it or whatever, but if you have out of the box stuff we have not discussed here before that Raj should know, please let me know.

 

THANKS, Debbie, for the update, info and opportunity to learn more! YES, I would like to get more specifics and tangible details on the various things that these Silversea Butlers can and will do. Based on the comments from Duct Tape in South America, it seems that service is for real and potentially a good benefit. We will be on the Silver Cloud July 1-16 along the Norway Coast, fjords, etc. How much would the Butler be focused for helping us get and know the various services available on the ship? This will be our first time on Silversea after doing cruises on Crystal and Seabourn.

 

How much should we expect the Butler to know about the details for shore options in each port? I doubt and don't expect any service focus in that area. The pro & con on packing and unpacking has been beaten to death. My main Adidas shoes won't need polishing much. What else would be on the option list for skills levels and services that should be available and potential? Look forward to hearing more details from you and Raj. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[DebbieH103]

Think of the butler (for a start) as a facilitator. He is facilitating your dinner reservations, your packing and unpacking and your drink needs and solving any issues, etc. Step two is what you are saying, but they would be more likely to hook you up with the tour concierge. They can organize cocktails with other guests in your suite and things like that. Raj is off today, but you hit a good point I will bring up tomorrow. This is something I experience with my land guests, too. A lot of people don't know what service is available and aren't really comfortable in putting themselves in a position to ask for it. Some people would like a base sheet of what they can get but then maybe they will think they can get nothing else. That is a balancer.

 

I would say that they may know some things about the ports, for sure, as mine knew the good places to buy this and that, and after they have been on a world cruise and things, they will know some things. Mine was going out at night in the ports after 10:30, so he knew how to find a good authentic local bar and all but might not have known things a tour conductor would know.

[TLCOhio]

Think of the butler (for a start) as a facilitator. He is facilitating your dinner reservations, your packing and unpacking and your drink needs and solving any issues, etc. Step two is what you are saying, but they would be more likely to hook you up with the tour concierge. They can organize cocktails with other guests in your suite and things like that. Raj is off today, but you hit a good point I will bring up tomorrow. This is something I experience with my land guests, too. A lot of people don't know what service is available and aren't really comfortable in putting themselves in a position to ask for it. Some people would like a base sheet of what they can get but then maybe they will think they can get nothing else. That is a balancer.

 

THANKS, Debbie! YES, you've nailed it perfectly. After we look at the menu, then we can figure it out much better and know what we want. And, don't need. Look forward to hearing and learning more. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[RichardMK]

THANKS, Debbie, for the update, info and opportunity to learn more! YES, I would like to get more specifics and tangible details on the various things that these Silversea Butlers can and will do. Based on the comments from Duct Tape in South America, it seems that service is for real and potentially a good benefit. We will be on the Silver Cloud July 1-16 along the Norway Coast, fjords, etc. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

We will be on this voyage too! We are really looking forward to it.

[TLCOhio]

We will be on this voyage too! We are really looking forward to it.

 

THANKS, Richard, for responding and that you will be on the July 1-16 Silver Cloud Norway Coast/Land of the Midnight Sun adventure! I have heard from about five others who will be on this cruise from Copenhagen. Let me know how to reach you and/or I can post my e-mail. Is this your first cruise on Silversea? Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[TLCOhio]

We will be on this voyage too! We are really looking forward to it.

 

Hi, Richard! Just saw your connecting website and other info. Will send you a note.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[DebbieH103]

Raj and I had dinner from 10 p.m. to midnight last night, and today on a break, he handed me a 3 page sheet he got up at 6 a.m. to prepare for me. It is sort of geared to staff, but there are some points. I'll try to say some things without being too hotelish. Remember when I tell you this that a cruise ship is a hotel.

 

One phrase Raj put out there is that a butler is one of the closest companions of a guest during his stay. Additionally, he is a true representative of almost all the departments of the hotel from sales and marketing to the bell desk, housekeeping, food and beverage, and so on.

 

I think this is where the connection was missing on my voyage on Spirit. Our butler did not liase with us enough, and a confident guest can get them to step up. However, it is not the guest's job to force the butler to give the guest satisfaction. They should know how to do it...

 

Some ideas when thinking about your butler from my thoughts...

 

...did he/she make you feel welcome and comfortable after a long journey?

...how long did it take for you to meet him or her

...if you had unusual requests, how were they handled

...were you offered packing and unpacking, amenity choices? Laundry service (will be an additional cost for many guests for the laundry)

...did he have an eye for detail on organizing your suite?

...did he have enough knowledge of food and beverage to understand your cocktail requests, you food allergies, your need for reservations, cocktail parties, special entrees?

...did you know he could mail letters, run errands, do odd/petty jobs while you are having a good time around the ship?

...did he make you feel like you could relax around him and be yourself, open to your sense of humor/style, bond with you, make you feel your needs were anticipated without having a feeling of invasion of privacy?

...did he know phone numbers on how to call various departments--technology, spa, hotel director, tour desk, etc. if you had any need to know anything?

...could he facilitate any request with any department even though he is not the expert, or did he throw up his hands (not my department, we are not allowed, call yourself, etc.)

...did he have imagination in surprising you with special touches and moments that blew you away no matter how many trips you have taken?

...did he look for things in your cabin before your departure, make sure your account was settled?

...did he offer to get you into returning guest parties and handle other entitlements?

...did he take room service requests?

...did he seek you out when he solved an issue or wait for YOU to follow up, leaving you wondering all day

 

These are just the basic from my point of view.

[TLCOhio]

Raj and I had dinner from 10 p.m. to midnight last night, and today on a break, he handed me a 3 page sheet he got up at 6 a.m. to prepare for me. It is sort of geared to staff, but there are some points. I'll try to say some things without being too hotelish. Remember when I tell you this that a cruise ship is a hotel.

One phrase Raj put out there is that a butler is one of the closest companions of a guest during his stay. Additionally, he is a true representative of almost all the departments of the hotel from sales and marketing to the bell desk, housekeeping, food and beverage, and so on.

I think this is where the connection was missing on my voyage on Spirit. Our butler did not liase with us enough, and a confident guest can get them to step up. However, it is not the guest's job to force the butler to give the guest satisfaction. They should know how to do it...

Some ideas when thinking about your butler from my thoughts...

...did he/she make you feel welcome and comfortable after a long journey?

...how long did it take for you to meet him or her

...if you had unusual requests, how were they handled

...were you offered packing and unpacking, amenity choices? Laundry service (will be an additional cost for many guests for the laundry)

...did he have an eye for detail on organizing your suite?

...did he have enough knowledge of food and beverage to understand your cocktail requests, you food allergies, your need for reservations, cocktail parties, special entrees?

...did you know he could mail letters, run errands, do odd/petty jobs while you are having a good time around the ship?

...did he make you feel like you could relax around him and be yourself, open to your sense of humor/style, bond with you, make you feel your needs were anticipated without having a feeling of invasion of privacy?

...did he know phone numbers on how to call various departments--technology, spa, hotel director, tour desk, etc. if you had any need to know anything?

...could he facilitate any request with any department even though he is not the expert, or did he throw up his hands (not my department, we are not allowed, call yourself, etc.)

...did he have imagination in surprising you with special touches and moments that blew you away no matter how many trips you have taken?

...did he look for things in your cabin before your departure, make sure your account was settled?

...did he offer to get you into returning guest parties and handle other entitlements?

...did he take room service requests?

...did he seek you out when he solved an issue or wait for YOU to follow up, leaving you wondering all day

These are just the basic from my point of view.

 

THANKS, Debbie, for the added info and details! We're not high-demand folks, but it's helpful to get a better sense of how this works. I will share this background with our good friends from Columbus who are traveling with us on this Norway Coast trip. Keep up the great research work. Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

[CatServants]

DebbieH,

 

We've had two butlers on another cruise line, one who met all of the criteria you list, and the other who met almost none of them. We still talk about both of them, but in very different terms.... :) The first was a real asset to us during the cruise and significantly enhanced our enjoyment of it, while we would have preferred no butler at all for the second case.

[breckpatty]

WOW, Debbie,

Thanks to you and Raj for informing us about the roll of the Butler.!

Great information.

[meow!]

We've had two butlers on another cruise line, one who met all of the criteria you list, and the other who met almost none of them.

We agree with you .. meow! We had "butlers" only twice, both times on Celebrity. One hardly did anything, the other was very nice, and we ended up tipping the latter double the recommended rate.

[DebbieH103]

There are sometimes it may seem like a butler is doing almost nothing but is doing things behind the scenes and other times when a butler just does not get some of the list.

 

Remember, I'm a hospitality executive and a luxury specialist, and I place myself in various situations just to see what a guest would experience. I go all over the place and try food just to check presentation and taste. I May order drinks I barely touch or ask for this and that. I may try something one day and something else another day. Kind of like a shopper of my own creation.

 

This is my 20th stay at this resort, and there are still maybe 4 or 5 people that have been coming here since I have (3 wks. after it opened). You know one or two of them still don't act like we have ever met while most of the resort acts like I am family. This is an example of two different types of employees. I don't think any butler will succeed if they don't have passion for service and a knack for adapting to the personal needs of the guest and how they like to be treated.

 

It can't be a cookie cutter job. I see Raj trying to teach them things over and over about learning the habits of the guests. Well, he can't just do it it for them. They have to absorb this and own it when he is gone.

 

Simple stuff! Here's my day - lunch evaluating various foods at the beach restaurant. Well, what happens? One of my favorite wines showed up down there in a bucket of ice, and it was topped up the whole time I was there. I hadn't even ordered. Nice touch...

 

One of my butlers knew that I didn't like that the head butler's number wasn't in my phone. Minutes later, he had a new phone over here and even showed me what to do with it. He surprised me with my favorite breakfast and even went and carved a whole pineapple fresh and brought blueberries.

 

He escorted me to my spa appointment and was there when I got out. He was then asking what else I wanted him to organize about my day. I asked him then if he could organize steamed clams for lunch the next day, and he said consider it done. Of course, had he not been there, I might not have ever got around to the request and would have gone home wishing I had some clams.

 

BUT I mentioned to him, the head butler, the executive assistant manager, the front office manager, two other butlers and a few other people that I was annoyed that my alarm went off at 6:22 a.m. and would they get that thing turned off and add to the hotel inspection list to make sure the previous guest did not leave on the alarm. This thing has 14 buttons and 3 knobs, so not every guest feels like figuring something like that out. Well, guess what? At 6:22 this morning, the thing rang again.

 

During the day, I asked to have a chair brought into my room and the butlers brought it and even called me to discuss placement and followed up about it later.

 

Later, they showed up with wine and spicy seafood canapies because they know I like spicy. That was nice except it was at a few minutes before 7, and they knew I needed to be somewhere else at 7. So even though they tried to create a WOW moment, the timing was off. What ended up happening is they brought the wine I liked here and then I didn't get to have any and went to the other event and did not have it there.

 

Further, the butler knew my room key didn't work, but she took 30 minutes to get me the new key. Meanwhile, my camera batteries died, and so I got no photos of my entire event. Remember, this is a 74 room hotel that has 10 butlers.

 

Next thing, I did not get escorted to dinner, so it was 31 minutes before I got water. That was when I left the table because of lack of service. After that the executive assistant manager came over and then the same waitress that ignored me 40 times was all over me with service. Of course, with me she missed her window. However, the head butler knew I liked to dance because I kept mentioning and said I'm not a good dancer but we can try. So, pretty soon, I was waving more people to dance, and we got twenty people out there and never sat down until the band left the resort.

 

I came back to chocolates and a sheet about the history of chocolates.

 

So, what will I remember, the 10 good things or the fact that 4 butlers and 5 requests and still nobody got this alarm turned off or that because that butler did not escort me to dinner, nobody knew I was there and I didn't get a glass of water without leaving the table? Sometimes it is the simplest thing and not just some big elaborate service.

 

People that are excellent can't be everywhere at once, but they can study and ponder and have a knack for things. I spotted Raj walking the property a few times, also. I saw him studying wine labels. I saw him mixing with guests. When he saw me, he thanked me for the evening the night before. Clearly, he has the knack. Of course he should, but he knows that if he is selecting 10 butlers, he will have to train more than 10 to find those with the knack.

 

I am on my soapbox this morning...but I got an extra 38 minutes to ponder thanks to my alarm going off a second day in a row!

 

These petty things could make you think Debbie must be the highest maintenance creature that walked the earth. I just like simple elegance and true concern. Really, all I needed the entire day was for these guys to turn off this alarm!

 

CatServants, you are basically saying in one or two sentences what I am saying in this long rant. People will talk about the best and the worst and may remember the worst longer. That is why the anticipation part is so important.

 

Last week, I was at another resort, and my butler did not work in a team/shift situation like here. When I checked in, I said I like chardonnay, club soda, and Diet Coke, and if I have plenty of that, I will be the happiest person around. My room had 3 refrigerators, and daily they were bursting with this stuff. It was waiting for me on the beach and every restaurant was ready with chardonnay for me. What impression did I leave with? Wow, that he LISTENED...he did his job.

[DebbieH103]

I made a mistake in this. In the sentence about 4 or 5 people still coming here. I meant 4 or 5 still working here since 2001.

[breckpatty]

Debbie,

You are so right about what we remember about our trip.

My father, a US Air Force Colonel, had a saying - when all you are selling is service, it better be GOOD.

Sometimes we pay a huge premium for the best service, it is not just disapointing to receive poor service, it is a rip off.

However, it is such a treat to have great service when you are not expecting it!

I live in a ski resort, year round and restaurant service is slow at everyplace in town, every season.

In Poipu Beach, Kauai, we had efficient, courteous service in every place we dined, reservations or not, and the restaurants were all packed.

How refreshing, that really made the trip for us!,Conversley, on our last day, we booked a room at a 5 star resort, at full rack rate, just to cool off in the pool, shower and change clothes before a 9pm flight. At registration, we were not given pool cards and had to spend most of our time correcting that issue. Then the PoolGrill was colsed for repairs so we had to get our early dinner in a more formal dining room. What a waste of money! When we couldn't get the waiter's attention there, we moved to the bar and the bartender took our order immediatly and and rushed it out of the kitchen for us while we enjoyed the best MaiTais on the island. We won't forget her, a good way to end our poor (3 hour) stay!

You win some & lose some, however, I do expect superior service on SS and have been reassured by the many return guests!

Thanks for your perspective.:)

[Slipper of the Yard]

I'm curious about the suggestion that the butler escort you to dinner.

 

Obviously you're a woman. Are you travelling alone?

 

Because, and I'm thinking of my wife here, it is my job to escort her to dinner. It had not occurred to me to think what she might do without me (although she is no shrinking violet!!!!) and wonder if this is something that would be appropriate to a woman travelling alone only? I don't think my wife is likely to want to go to this sort of hotel alone - I only travel alone when a transatlantic is involved - so I suppose in practice it isn't likely to happen that she'd be in a top notch hotel herself.

 

If she were with friends, then one of the Gentlemen would take my role as escort. Obviously.

 

It is the last think I'd want if I was alone or with my wife. And I have stayed in some pretty upscale places, where service is studied, low key and superb.

 

I'm genuinely curious.

[duct tape]

Good stuff, Debbie. Thanx.

[cechase]

Debbie thought that I might relate some experiences with butlers. Before my late wife and I discovered Silversea, we had six cruises on Celebrity always with a Royal Suite and a butler. We had six different butlers, and on one occasion our butler was promoted to head butler on the ship, and is somewhat of a legend on the Celebrity cruise critic board.

 

Our experiences with the butlers was really varied. Some seemed to have a memory lapse after we made a request and others literally read out minds. On our very first cruise, my dear wife was ill with a fever and went to the clinic twice during a 10 night cruise. Our butler was so sweet, he literally was acting as a nurse to comfort her, make her comfortable and spend time with her. Our top butler was absolutely fantastic, making our reservations, acting as our courier, setting up our suite for a cocktail party, and he actually had us wait in the comfort of our suite at disembarkation and then he escorted us off of the ship to our luggage. The rest of the butlers were in the middle, confident, smiling faces and setting the table in our suite for room service breakfast, which all of them did. They all also had one failing - Celebrity is not all inclusive like Silversea, so we would order ourselves a litre of Beefeater's Gin and a litre of Absolute Vodka for our suite, and when we were escorted to our suite, our order was never there! Well, can't make much of that because the same thing happens on Silversea, but it gets taken care of.

 

In April, am looking forward to seeing how butlers work out on Silverseas. They were still suite attendants on my November cruise on Shadow.

 

I should mention that this service on Celebrity is not without cost! When it comes to tip time if you are in a Royal Suite with a butler, you actually have three people to tip for your suite, the butler, your cabin attendant and his assistant. Our cruises were 9 - 11 nights, and our tip to the butler based on our subjective satisfaction ran from $200.00 to $400.00. God, I love Silversea!!!!

[DebbieH103]

Slipper, at some of the luxury resorts, butlers escort both husband and wife to dinner to liase with the restaurant host, make sure a drink is served promptly, etc.

[IveGotThatSinkingFeeling]

Slipper, at some of the luxury resorts, butlers escort both husband and wife to dinner to liase with the restaurant host, make sure a drink is served promptly, etc.

 

I can't understand this, and share Slipper's confusion.

 

If one is staying at somewhere good, the regular staff will do everything possible without having some hired help reminding them that they need to do their jobs.

 

Or is this just some way to suck up to guests and make them feel special?