While butlers of the rich and royal have held an important place in households for centuries, it is more recently that butlers have become available on a temporary basis to guests who lodge at fine hotels.
Even if your everyday life doesn't involve the services of a butler, your honeymoon or next romantic trip may. The increasing availability of vacation butlers reflects a competitive effort among upscale hotels to win the loyalty of guests.
What do butlers do, and will you feel comfortable having one around? First of all, some attitude adjustment is required on your part: Butlers exist to serve you; you don't have to please them. You simply need to treat them respectfully and as professionals.
Services butlers render range from place to place, but their activities basically center around making your stay more comfortable and sparing you from having to do tedious things like unpack, pack, draw a bath, or make reservations yourself.
The iconic butler is an Englishman. (The word "butler" derives from the Middle English "bottler," the person responsible for the castle's wine cellar.)
Today's butlers keep up with the times, offering services that old Jeeves couldn't have imagined. At London's posh Dorchester Hotel, e-butlers assist guests with technology issues.
La Pleta Hotel & Spa Raises, in the Catalonian Pyrenees, features a boot butler who relieves skiers of their boots after a day on the slopes. He cleans and sterilizes, dries and polishes. Ski boots are then returned to the guest’s room in pristine condition, ready for another day on the slopes.
Click on the images above or links below to learn about butler services at more vacation venues.
After having a butler around, you may wonder how you ever managed without one. Polite as they are, though, they do get touchy when you attempt to take them home with you.
