Butlers in the Media

by Steven Ferry

Our profession has enjoyed a second month in a row with next-to-no media mentions worldwide! As most coverage tends to be incorrect, off the wall, or invasive of our principals, the old adage “No news is good news” would seem to apply— certainly when we relish operating quietly in the background, rather than being forced onto the virtual stage offered by the modern-day media.

Postscript: Ooops, spoke too soon: On the last day of the month, an article appeared about a butler at a Sandals resort in the Bahamas, who was fired after he admitted molesting a sleeping guest the night before her wedding. Now the hotel is being sued for $30 million. From the report, the hotel management, who obviously have some corporate cultural issues in hiring this butler in the first place, are trying to brush it all under carpet and not escalate it to the police, earning them a resounding “F” for their service recovery skills—they even allowed the same butler to look after the guests the next day, while claiming that they fired him immediately. It is hard to know where to start, but hopefully there will be a shake-up at Sandals and an effort to restore the reputation of their butlers, the majority of whom no doubt are not perverts.

The Institute is dedicated to raising service standards by broadly disseminating the mindset and superior service expertise of that time-honored, quintessential service provider, the British Butler, updated with modern people skills, and adapted to the needs of modern employers and guests in staffed homes, luxury hotels, resorts, spas, retirement communities, jets, yachts & cruise ships around the world.