BotH: Chapter 13

Chapter 13
The Butlers

One thing that set our resort apart from other brands is that we have butlers. Really, really, for real, butlers. Most people who were first time visitors weren't sure how to use their butler and people who had used them at other locations were super critical of their service.

Nigel was originally from Great Britain and served in HRM army to some capacity. He also had met the Queen on several occasions (usually when they handed out their Christmas gifts) and really fit the "butler" stereotype. Plus it was fun to hear his accent. Nigel, however, was quite the scoundrel around most of the employees. We knew he was married, with kids, yet he flirted relentlessly with pretty much any female employee that he encountered. He was nice though and we had some lovely conversations about good ol' England. I think that because I've never been there and since we don't have royalty it fascinates me to know end to talk about things that probably seem so ordinary to him. Moving on. A group of ladies came for a girl's weekend and stayed in a suite, which meant they were entitled to the butler service. Normally this meant that their butler would bring them coffee/tea in the morning, assist in unpacking and organizing their suitcases, and various small tasks. While there the lady who was hosting the weekend asked if he would come and read them a bedtime story. Sure enough, he went into their room and read them all a chapter of Harry Potter. He also had been requested (by a different lady on a different occasion) to fluff her pillows. You never say "no" at The Resort, so he had to go fluff her pillows before she could go to bed.

There were two other butlers, Ernest who I have discussed before (remember Mr. French?), and Mike. Mike was super cool but you could tell he didn't love being a butler. He used to help out in banquets if they were slow in the butler department. Most guests (and most employees) didn't really understand what a butler did. You could tell it annoyed Mike since he got called to do things that were not his job, at all. Once there was a business group staying at the hotel and in between meetings, several days in a row, Mike got called up to go change the sheets of a male guest who had been "entertaining" one of his co-workers on their breaks. He had to speak with Housekeeping on the protocol of handling these particular sheets because it was her time of the month. Disgusting, I know. And not his job. Eventually Mike left and I can't blame him!