In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s Trainers feel about their Experience

Hospitality Service Graduates

Asked: “What did you like the least of the training?”: “N/A, but we want more training from Mr. Amer A. Vargas!  10+” C.W.O’N

“The training was very deep and detailed. Amer took his time to make sure we learn everything.”

“(The course) was very informative. It provided information & practical things that I did not have in mind (before). I especially liked the training session on the different types of ties, table settings, ways to use positive language & how to face things that can be negative in a positive light; how to respond to impractical/illegal guest requests in a very professional manner that does not affect your integrity, wine pouring, packing, unpacking…” U.G.

“I liked how in depth the training was. Mr. Amer made sure that I actually understood and learned what he was explaining. I really enjoyed the packing and unpacking training, as well as the wine pouring and the table setting sessions. 10/10: Mr. Amer was an amazing teacher/butler.” A.B.

Asked: “What you liked the least about the training?”: “In all honesty, I liked everything. The concept of “least liked doesn’t fit in my training vocabulary. (It was) neatly organized, perfect timing and successfully balanced. (Almost) too good to be true. Deeply appreciated. Great personality… 10!” H.H.

“The training was very informative and I would say I like the unpacking and organizing best. Mr. Amer was very transparent with his teaching, which made everything very easy to understand.” K.P.

(The training) was very interactive and everything was explained in detail. Very inspiring: I loved how what was explained could be used not only at work, but can be applied in our personal life and self growth.” A.Z.

“I liked everything about the training, especially because this was something new for me. What I liked the most is that everything was very well detailed: from the point where you learn the theory part to the practicals where you apply everything hands on. 10” F.G.

“Interactive, funny, approachable trainer. Absolutely loved the training! It was absolutely perfect: I wish it would be longer… 10!

(I particularly liked) “how Mr. Amer explained how to do everything. This is the best training I ever did in my entire hospitality life. Thank you to Joali Being for this training, and also thanks to Mr. Amer: he is the best of the best. A 10 for sure!”

“I loved how everything was explained in detail and (we were given) real-life of scenarios about how to perform in both difficult and easy situations. Mostly, Mr. Amer helped us improve on all the weak points we needed to improve on. It was a lovely experience to have been part of this training. M.R.

“Being a newbee I would say I loved how the training started. It wasn’t only about learning how to be a butler, but also important things like how to work as a team or how to study altogether. Also, to our trainer: thank you for making things interesting with visual images, video clips… and blending in so well with all of us. You have an excellent personality and thank you again for the knowledge you shared with us. I wish we would have gotten more time (for this training). I rate the training) a 9.5 out of 10: come again and let’s learn more so that I can grant it a 10!” S.

“I really liked that we were engaged all throughout the training. It was unique and the theory classes were also really fun and easy not to lose focus despite the long hours. Practicals were also very easy to follow, in spite of not having any prior experience as a butler. Everything was simplified and easy to learn and had a good flow and sequence to it.”

“The best part of the training would be the amount of details provided.  Mr. Amer focused on every part of the training. I love the fact that the training was not set out to work on a robotic style (rigid standards, verbiage, postures…) and personalizing to each and every guest differently. Learning the guests emotional state and how to interact with them was a major plus point. Overall the training was splendid: enjoyed every moment! 10/10, and I would go beyond if I could :-)” A.A.

“10/10: It was a honor to be trained by Mr. Amer.”

“It was very fast! Would like to get longer hours next time! 10000% 10 out of 10!” A.S.

 

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s Trainers feel about their Experience

Hospitality Service Graduates

About “What did you like the least of the training?”: “N/A, but we want more training from Mr. Amer A. Vargas!  10+” CHENELLE WILSON O’NEAL

“The training was very deep and detailed. Amer took his time to make sure we learn everything”

“(The course) was very informative. It provided information & practical things that I did not have in mind. I especially liked the training session on the different types of ties, table setting, ways to use positive language & how to fase things that can be negative in a positive light; how to respond to impractical/illegal guest requests in a very professional manner that not affect your integrity, wine pouring, packing, unpacking…” UNDREA GEORGE

“I liked how in depth the training was. Mr. Amer made sure that I actually understood and learned what he was explaining. I really enjoyed the packing and unpacking training, as well as the wine pouring and the table setting sessions. 10/10: Mr. Amer was an amazing teacher/butler.” ALLAN BOUTIN

About “What you liked the least about the training?”: “In all honesty, I liked everything. The concept of “least liked  doesn’t fit in my training vocabulary. (It was) neatly organized, perfect timing and succesfully balanced. Toog good to be true. Deeply appreciated. Great personality… 10!” HUBERT HALL

“The training was very informative and I would say I like the unpacking and organizing best. Mr. Amer was very transparent with his teaching, which made everything very easy to understand.” KHOY  PENN

(The training” was very interactive and everything explained in details. Very inspiring: I loved how what was explained can be used not only at work, but can be applied on our personal life and self growth.” ANGELICA ZARAFA

“I liked everything about the training, especially because this was something new for me. What I liked the most is that everything was very well detailed: from the point where you learn the theory part to the practicals where you apply everything hands on. 10” FLORENCE GIDUDU

“Interactive, funny, approachable trainer. Absolutely loved the training! It was absolutely perfect: I wish it would be longer… 10!

(I particularly liked) “How Mr. Amer explained how to do everything. This is the best training I ever did in my entire hospitality life. Thank you Joali Being for this training, and also thanks to Mr. Amer: he is the best of the best. A 10 for sure!”

“I loved how everything was explained in details and gave real-kind of scenarios about how to perform in both difficult and easy situations. Mostly, Mr. Amer helped to improve on all the weak points we need to improve on. It was a lovely experience to have been part of this training. M. R.

“Being a newbee I would say I loved how the training started. It wasn’t only about learning how to be a butler, but also imporant things like how to work as a team or how to study altogether. Also, to our trainer: thank you for making things interesting with visual images, video clips… and blending in so well with all of us. You have an excellent personality and thank you again for the knowledge you shared with us. I wish we would have gotten more time (for this training). (I rate the training) a 9.5 out of 10: come again and lets learn more so that I grant it a 10!)” SHADES

“I really liked that we were engaged all throughout the training. It was unique and the theory classes were aso really fun and easy not to lose focus despite the long hours. Practicals were also very easy to follow, in spite of not having any prior experience as a butler. Everything was simplified and easy to learn and had a good flow and sequence to it.”

“The best part of the training would be the amount of details provided.  Mr. Amer focused on every part of the training. I love the fact that the training was not set out to work on a robotic style (rigid standards, verbiage, postures…) and personalizing to each and every guest differently. Learning the guests emotional state and how to interact with them was a major plus point. Overall the training was splendid: enjoyed every moment!. 10/10, and would go beyond if I could 🙂 ” A. A.

“10/10: It was a honor to be trained by Mr. Amer.”

“It was very fast! Would like to get longer hours next time! 10000% 10 out of 10!” AKBOTA SEIL

 

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s Trainers feel about their Experience

Classroom Training, Hospitality Service Graduates

“The training was great, with loads of detailed information and very clear examples. It was easy to understand and showed things that we commonly use in our day-to-day performance.”

“The instructor is a fabulous person, stopping every so often to enquire whether we had questions or doubts before moving on.”

“All the contents of the training were very interesting and presented with detail. Amer is very pleasant and explains all concepts in a very precise way and easy to understand. Besides, he passes on all his passion for the profession.”

“The training delivery was very fluid, with loads of information and a very coherent trainer, who knows very well his field of work.”

“I loved learning about emotional engagement, the different ways a butler can provide service, who to deal with different guests and the technical side of the job like packing and unpacking.”

“All topics presented were very interesting and informative as well as quite entertaining. I personally enjoyed all the subjects and I am completely sure they will all prove useful in the future. Many thanks! 10/10! Totally!”

“I loved the mix of the sharing experiences during the theory presentation, the passion with which you make your job and the interest you always show. Congratulations! 10/10: You are the best!” DG

“What I loved the most was all the little tips and details the instructor delivered to improve our job performance. The training was very complete, dynamic and entertaining.”

[I really like] “the wonderful way the instructor has of delivering the training, in an entertaining way, never boring. That is a 10++/10, of course!”

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s Trainers feel about their Experience

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s Trainers feel about their Experience

On-line Training, Private Service Graduate

“We all want to thank you for the training we received from you on Luxury Service Basics. We would have loved to have you train us in person, but because of Covid circumstances, we were unable to do that. However, with the help of technology, you were able to conduct a wonderful training which was well received by all of us. We particularly appreciated the drills and corrections during the service portion of the program: It takes a trained eye like yours to catch the little nuances of our movements, especially over Zoom—for example, the angles of our bodies and the sounds we were making while walking!  You made the training fun with your quick wit and amusing stories that you shared from your many years of experience. We looked forward to the training each week and the hours flew by rapidly. The information you shared could only be known by someone who was in the field, and that is very valuable to us, particularly regarding International Etiquette. All in all, we feel that the training has prepared us to do our jobs more gracefully and confidently now and into the future. Thanks for offering to be available if we have any questions as we go forward. Also, should we find that we need additional training, you are the first person we will contact.” JO

 

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s trainers feel about their experience

On-line Training, Private Service Graduate

All my life I have had a secret fascination with the life, role, art, and skills of the traditionally trained British Butler—the refinement of character, sense of morals and ethics, integrity and decency, and a good grasp of taste and personal refinement.

I wanted to integrate everything about being a butler into my personal and professional life, to use the valuable skills and knowledge on an everyday basis and to grow as a person. I could not afford to go to a bricks and mortar school in another country, so I decided to look at one of Mr. Ferry’s books that had been in my library for 15 years and then do an internet search, during which I discovered the IIMB website.  I found other online and distance learning butler trainings as well, but even after reviewing these I could see from Mr. and Mrs. Ferry’s vision for the program and their personal experience, along with the development of the material and Mr. Ferry’s writings on the subject that I had already had experience with, that the online private-service butler course was the one for me. That is, I could study the art of being a butler even though I was already involved wholeheartedly in another profession and could not take off for 8-12 weeks to study at a bricks-and-mortar school. I was able to work on the course around my home/social/professional life, which wonderfully enough, turned out to be the very training ground where I could practice immediately whatever I was studying and working on.

The two principal textbooks of the course are by Mr. Ferry and associates, and they immediately set in place the centrality of the integrity and related ethical principles of the butler and the course builds on this foundation, and you repeatedly refine these qualities throughout the course. This was a dream come true for me because I always loved studying these qualities and the way they were tied into every part of the course was immensely satisfying; even in the seminary I attended, I never received this kind of focus on creating a sure moral and ethical foundation.  

There are a number of other texts required for reading with the knowledge and detailed instructions on such as cooking, cleaning, driving, packing a suitcase, handling difficult situations, discerning and handling wine and cigars, overseeing staff, refining one’s personal character and even how to walk and stand and move smoothly and gracefully. I was treated to a volume of very deep and thoughtful essays on the profession included in one of the principal texts which introduced me to “life technology” which I found I can use to improve myself as an individual and the quality of all the spheres of my life.  I believe essays such as these are so insightful and essential to day-to-day living, regardless of one’s profession and state of life. There is plenty to benefit from in this course, let there be no doubt about that.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how the course really exceeded my expectations and hopes. You get out what you put in, and every challenge that came my way simply became part of my lessons, tests, quizzes, and ability to refine my abilities and recraft how I approached problems.  I found myself creating magical moments for others, including my employer, all the while staying in the background.

The course took me 14 months, which gave me enough time to grow in a variety of ways mentally, emotionally and even physically during this training, as I came into a new appreciation during the many practical assignments of my strengths and weaknesses. I took on responsibilities in increasing measure as I realized I could handle quite a bit and handle it well. What had started as a fun challenge in short order became a passion—it’s immensely satisfying to see someone’s day or life made more special as a result of something I did to help them while taking myself out of the limelight so that it’s not about me but them. This, to me, is the core of the Service Heart.

My supervisor, Mrs. Monica Ferry, was absolutely outstanding in her role: Every day, I would correspond by email about the course work and my assignments. I did not receive limited and impersonal email acknowledgments to my essays and projects, giving me a pass if I were in the ballpark and that was the end of it. On the contrary, the interaction was most delightful and thought provoking in a highly professional atmosphere with plenty of detailed feedback and upbeat, enthusiastic encouragement. I learned even more from these discussions, tips, the unpacking of the course material, along with some solid advice and further challenges in the do-overs on the essays or video and sound recordings that I had submitted. On these, and where I needed to dig further to understand and practice certain disciplines, Mrs. Ferry was both understanding and at the same time, “Let’s get back on the horse!” My work was always promptly responded to, evaluated, critiqued and my understanding of the material was so positively influenced by this virtually daily interaction. 

My hat is off to everyone involved in putting a course like this together. It just happened to be a dream come true for me, but I have no doubt that anyone pursuing the profession and lifestyle of a butler will emerge from a course like this prepared and at the same time enthusiastic about the possibilities of the road ahead. 

In summary, I cannot recommend this course enough, and my hope is that many will benefit from it and take the art of butling to the next level of caring service in these current times.  I also hope that there may be others who will take the course and use it the way I have, as a means of celebrating the joy of being alive and sharing some part of the ‘good will and spirit’, butler style, with others and making the world that much better a place. WH

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.

In Their Words

How those trained by the Institute’s trainers feel about their experience

On-line Training, Private Service Graduate

All my life I have had a secret fascination with the life, role, art, and skills of the traditionally trained British Butler—the refinement of character, sense of morals and ethics, integrity and decency, and a good grasp of taste and personal refinement.

I wanted to integrate everything about being a butler into my personal and professional life, to use the valuable skills and knowledge on an everyday basis and to grow as a person. I could not afford to go to a bricks and mortar school in another country, so I decided to look at one of Mr. Ferry’s books that had been in my library for 15 years and then do an internet search, during which I discovered the IIMB website.  I found other online and distance learning butler trainings as well, but even after reviewing these I could see from Mr. and Mrs. Ferry’s vision for the program and their personal experience, along with the development of the material and Mr. Ferry’s writings on the subject that I had already had experience with, that the online private-service butler course was the one for me. That is, I could study the art of being a butler even though I was already involved wholeheartedly in another profession and could not take off for 8-12 weeks to study at a bricks-and-mortar school. I was able to work on the course around my home/social/professional life, which wonderfully enough, turned out to be the very training ground where I could practice immediately whatever I was studying and working on.

The two principal textbooks of the course are by Mr. Ferry and associates, and they immediately set in place the centrality of the integrity and related ethical principles of the butler and the course builds on this foundation, and you repeatedly refine these qualities throughout the course. This was a dream come true for me because I always loved studying these qualities and the way they were tied into every part of the course was immensely satisfying; even in the seminary I attended, I never received this kind of focus on creating a sure moral and ethical foundation.  

There are a number of other texts required for reading with the knowledge and detailed instructions on such as cooking, cleaning, driving, packing a suitcase, handling difficult situations, discerning and handling wine and cigars, overseeing staff, refining one’s personal character and even how to walk and stand and move smoothly and gracefully. I was treated to a volume of very deep and thoughtful essays on the profession included in one of the principal texts which introduced me to “life technology” which I found I can use to improve myself as an individual and the quality of all the spheres of my life.  I believe essays such as these are so insightful and essential to day-to-day living, regardless of one’s profession and state of life. There is plenty to benefit from in this course, let there be no doubt about that.

I was so pleasantly surprised by how the course really exceeded my expectations and hopes. You get out what you put in, and every challenge that came my way simply became part of my lessons, tests, quizzes, and ability to refine my abilities and recraft how I approached problems.  I found myself creating magical moments for others, including my employer, all the while staying in the background.

The course took me 14 months, which gave me enough time to grow in a variety of ways mentally, emotionally and even physically during this training, as I came into a new appreciation during the many practical assignments of my strengths and weaknesses. I took on responsibilities in increasing measure as I realized I could handle quite a bit and handle it well. What had started as a fun challenge in short order became a passion—it’s immensely satisfying to see someone’s day or life made more special as a result of something I did to help them while taking myself out of the limelight so that it’s not about me but them. This, to me, is the core of the Service Heart.

My supervisor, Mrs. Monica Ferry, was absolutely outstanding in her role: Every day, I would correspond by email about the course work and my assignments. I did not receive limited and impersonal email acknowledgments to my essays and projects, giving me a pass if I were in the ballpark and that was the end of it. On the contrary, the interaction was most delightful and thought provoking in a highly professional atmosphere with plenty of detailed feedback and upbeat, enthusiastic encouragement. I learned even more from these discussions, tips, the unpacking of the course material, along with some solid advice and further challenges in the do-overs on the essays or video and sound recordings that I had submitted. On these, and where I needed to dig further to understand and practice certain disciplines, Mrs. Ferry was both understanding and at the same time, “Let’s get back on the horse!” My work was always promptly responded to, evaluated, critiqued and my understanding of the material was so positively influenced by this virtually daily interaction. 

My hat is off to everyone involved in putting a course like this together. It just happened to be a dream come true for me, but I have no doubt that anyone pursuing the profession and lifestyle of a butler will emerge from a course like this prepared and at the same time enthusiastic about the possibilities of the road ahead. 

In summary, I cannot recommend this course enough, and my hope is that many will benefit from it and take the art of butling to the next level of caring service in these current times.  I also hope that there may be others who will take the course and use it the way I have, as a means of celebrating the joy of being alive and sharing some part of the ‘good will and spirit’, butler style, with others and making the world that much better a place. WH

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.