Recent Articles
The Barefoot Butler
The Barefoot Butler Far removed from the swirling turmoil of the world, its political upheavals, financial scandals, and social unrest, Soneva Gili stands as a very small island sanctuary—no bigger than a football field or two, it secrets away 250 staff amongst its shady trees and about 120 guests in less than 50 water villas [...]
The Long-Term Worldwide Impacts of Fukushima Daiichi’s Nuclear Cataclysm
Is it or isn’t it? Fukushima. Is it a non-issue for all but those living around the Fukushima Daiichi power plant, as governments and obliging media have been saying; or are the meltdowns spreading invisible tentacles of radioactive death around the world, as some are insisting and others are wondering, a sense of unease at [...]
The Floating Condos of the Carib
Colorful government-assisted housing graces one shoreline. Each condominium costs about $250,000, while we can’t even give away comparable housing in the US for 1/10th of that price: a curious example of supply and demand, made all-the-more curious by the huge demand for housing among America’s millions of homeless. Bermuda is hit by hurricanes, but their building [...]
The butler and guest excursions
Any trainer will tell you that the most challenging class to teach is not the class who questions your facts, but is in fact the class who simply sit there and accept every word without comment. Teaching a class of living dead is a disheartening, energy sapping exercise at best. I enjoy being challenged; it [...]
Complaint-handling skills for Hotel Butlers
This week my butler class has been doing training on complaint-handling procedures – something I take very seriously. A poorly handled complaint can do irreparable damage. Sites such as ‘Tripadvisor.com’ allow guests to do far, far more harm to your hotel’s reputation than in the past. In order to make these sessions as realistic as [...]
La Rioja in Spain, a must for wine & food (and other things…) lovers
August is gone, and with it, summer holidays. As Mr. Ferry mentions both in Butlers, 21st Century Professionals and in Hotel Butlers, The Great Service Differentiators, butlers, under their low-key demeanor, tend to write little or nothing on their personal experiences and preferences, devoting the vast majority of their writings to keep records of what [...]
