Luxury hotel service – what does it actually mean? part II | Luxury Products

This time, a continuation of the series of articles on how customer service should look in top-quality hotels. What should be given special attention, and what falls within the responsibilities of the highest standards. Karol Weber, who specializes in hotel luxury, will tell us about it.

Butler

The most popular service that truly distinguishes a luxury hotel from an ordinary five-star one is the butler service. The term ‘butler’ is associated with a person dressed in a tailcoat, like in an English estate.
It is more of a personal guest assistant, available 24/7. It’s a kind of “companion” who you can talk to, seek advice from, and who is the first you call with any request, instead of dialing various numbers.

Guests are greeted in the lobby by the butler and then escorted to their room. The service includes unpacking luggage, ironing shirts or blazers, making restaurant reservations, and setting the room service time. The butler (male or female) will help you dress, organize meetings or parties in the suite, run errands, serve dinner in the room, wake you up with aromatic coffee in bed, and deliver breakfast at a scheduled time. They fulfill all guest wishes. If needed, they can also walk the dog.

Although from conversations with butlers in hotels where I experienced this service, I know that not all guests understand what their role entails and may feel uncomfortable with someone, for example, unpacking their luggage.

In Poland, there are three hotels offering this service. Dr. Irena Eris Spa in Polanica Zdrój, where a private assistant is available only for the Presidential Suite guests. Recently, butler service for suite guests was introduced at the Warsaw hotel Bristol Luxury Collection, in response to the nearby Raffles Europejski, where butlers are available to guests of all room types.

LIMOUSINE

Arriving at a luxury hotel should be accompanied by a fitting vehicle, such as a Mercedes, or, as in the case of the St. Regis Hotel in New York, a black Bentley, or in Ritz in London – a blue Rolls-Royce.

When I stayed at the Ritz in Paris, a dedicated airport staff member was waiting for me at the aircraft exit and escorted me to the chauffeur. The limousine was equipped with a climate control panel, window controls, magazines, and Evian water, and as we approached the hotel, the chauffeur texted the hotel staff, who were waiting at the entrance and greeted me by name before I had a chance to introduce myself.

Raffles Europejski offers free limousine transfers from the airport for suite guests. But limousine transport is not everything. Guests of the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo can also fly from Nice Airport by helicopter.

HOUSEKEEPING

In luxury hotels, the role of the housekeeping staff is invaluable. Housekeeping staff are often available 24/7 in larger properties. Important elements of the in-room service, beyond the obvious, include folding guest clothes, polishing glasses on the table, sewing on a loose button, or free shoe polishing (sometimes provided by porters). Room refreshment services are not limited to occupied rooms but also include preparing the room before the guest’s arrival and even on the day of departure in case of late check-out.

No hotel can claim to be truly luxury if it does not practice, in addition to daily room service, evening turndown service. Besides refreshing the bathroom, replacing towels, dimming the lights, and turning down the bed (and changing the bedding if necessary), characteristic elements include a mat with slippers at the foot of the bed (so the guest does not step on the floor barefoot) and a radio with a music channel to help the guest relax.

Special nighttime rituals (massages), herbal teas, and infusions are also practiced.
In luxury hotels, if there is a ‘Do Not Disturb’ sign (or its red light equivalent) on the door handle, staff do not treat this request as a reason to neglect the guest and their room. At Four Seasons Hampshire, where I worked, we would call the room in the afternoon. If there was no answer, we would enter the room to check if everything was okay and leave a note under the door asking the guest to contact us if needed.

Toothbrushes and other accessories were delivered on a tray lined with a napkin within 10 minutes (that was the standard). We placed guest cosmetics on the washbasin countertop on small towels, always with the label facing the guest. In case of a technical fault in the occupied room (such as a blown bulb), the staff was obliged to report it to the maintenance department, and if the fault was difficult to fix, the guest was informed with a special note requesting contact with reception.
It is absolutely unacceptable for the housekeeping staff to enter a departure room before the end of the hotel day to check if the guest has checked out!

This can be done when they see the guest leaving or have received such information from the floor inspector. In case of an extension of the hotel stay, reception should inform the floor inspector.
Alongside music suited to the hotel's character, scent plays an important role (in the lobby and on the corridor rooms) as well as well-maintained plants. Responsibility for this lies with the Housekeeping staff.

I should also mention uniforms. The same attention given to the attire of Reception and F&B staff is also given to the Floor Service staff. Ladies traditionally wear dresses or elegant tunics, depending on the hotel's style, and gentlemen are equally as elegant. At Four Seasons Hampshire, the room attendants and public area staff wore tailored trousers, shirts, vests, and ties, with polished shoes. Equally important as the uniform is grooming, well-maintained facial hair and nails, and hygiene standards.

Karol Weber
Trainer and author of the blog www.enjoyyourstay.pl