Whatever luxury hotel guests, and individuals and families in upscale private residences, are looking for, pampering and having fun are two common goals that butlers are relied upon increasingly to provide.

And what do they provide? The way we teach them, it is anything requested that is legal. And when the butler is doing it correctly, whatever they anticipate the guest or employer wants before they even ask for it. That is part of the magic of having a butler—where things appear as if by magic.

Some luxury resorts and hotels strive to create magical moments for their guests. This is right on track with their mission, and why butler service is being offered increasingly in hotel settings, instead of just in private estates, as used to be the case just thirty years ago (before the hospitality industry realized the extra dimension of service guests could experience in their suites and villas).

For families who have not inherited and grown up with great wealth and who may not be used to the idea of butlers as the superior service-providers usually reserved for aristocracy and royalty, there is much to be gained by turning over the grind of running their estates and staff to a trained and experienced butler, leaving themselves free to enjoy the freedoms their great wealth brings.

Over the years, we have had the pleasure of working around the world with private families (who obviously must remain nameless), as well as top hotel chains and private villas, where the managers and staff have been more than eager to learn just what it is that makes butlers the superior-service professionals that they are.

And that does not mean tails, white gloves, and hushed tones everywhere: in London and New York, yes, The Savoy, St. Regis, and Mandarin Oriental; but not in the natural world of the Six Senses or One & Only chains, where white beaches and flashing white-teeth smiles are more in order, and the butlers bare-footed.

If one thing is certain, whatever the venue, those who can afford it will always be better off with a modern or traditional butler in the wings, seeing to their every need.