Staying at a luxury hotel that provides butler service to its guests is truly an experience second to none! Being able to fully enjoy this butler service, however, is easier said than done. Most of us do not have a personal butler at home waiting for us, and so most of us don’t really have an idea what the butler does. One of the signature services of most hotels that provide butlers service is packing and unpacking.

Are you really comfortable having someone else unpacking your suitcases for you and touching your personal belongings and underwear? No, and most of us aren’t… at least not at first. It takes a moment to adjust to this new level of service, and it’s up to the butler to break the ice and make the guest feel comfortable.

The butler displays professionalism and discretion, and the guest should feel comfortable to trust the butler with anything that they would normally ask their personal assistant to do. Because that’s what the butler really is, a personal assistant!

Unpacking and packing is an art with very specific guidelines as to how certain items should be handled and cared for, and how and where they should be placed in the room. The goal is to pack any items in a neat and organized manner with tissue paper to avoid any wrinkles, and to guarantee nothing gets damaged during your travels.

Great, so your hotel provides butler service, and you offer packing and unpacking service to your guests. Your guests will be amazed by this kind of superb service and come back over and over again while telling everyone they know to do the same, correct?

No, while packing and unpacking service is definitely a new experience that you’ll tell your friends and relatives about when experienced for the first time, it will become an expectation. Reality is that this service quickly becomes an expectation when traveling to hotels with butler service. It doesn’t amaze our guests anymore, and you don’t get a chance to build a personal connection either.

Working in hospitality and guest services for many years it’s a disheartening feeling to recognize that what amazed your guests yesterday, is just a cost of entry today. How can you reinvent yourself to exceed your guests’ expectations over and over again? The answer is simple… a passion for making your guest happy and the right attitude is all that is needed.

Today one of our new butlers in my hotel while literally only completing her training a couple of days ago, and probably challenged with her first packing request by one of her guests, told me how she tried to go beyond and exceed expectations. Her guest asked her for packing as he had a busy schedule filled with meetings ahead and had to depart early the next day. So she went ahead and not only packed his suitcases with a great sense for detail, but also decided to take the liberty of leaving a matching outfit for the next day outside his suitcase with a handwritten note saying that he should enjoy his stay until the very last-minute and not worry about what to wear the next day.

If she would just have packed his belongings with a great sense for detail and perfection, chances are that she would have only met her guest’s expectations.

The essence of service is to continuously strive to exceed your guests’ expectations by putting yourself in their shoes, and thinking outside of the box to go beyond. Do you think that the guest will be impressed by this service, and tell his friends and colleagues about it?

I know I am…

You’ll find more about the butler service at

The Butler Is Leading The Future Of Luxury

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