Butlers in the Media
by Steven Ferry
An interview with the Chairman done a while back finally surfaces.
Apart from the usual pronunciamentos by a certain ex-butler with an inflated sense of self-importance and a diminished sense of the niceties of butling, the past month in the media was marked by more abuse of the word “butler:”
- Teddy Bear butler;
- Bass (drum) Butler (an advanced foot pedal for it);
- Charging Butler (to charge VW electric-car batteries;
- Naked butler—an interview with a chap who saw a friend being a butler and who was then somehow inspired to become a butler himself, which he did by taking mixology classes and then taking off his clothes while serving drinks;
- The future of Robot Butlers includes hopes for one with “arms that could load dishes, pick up clothes, or bring food from kitchen to table.” Quite ingenious, really, although we do have people butlers that can do that and more already.
Thanks to the silent thousands of butlers around the world who are holding fast to the high standards embedded in our profession.
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.