Hotel butler

A hotel butler

Description

Hotel butlers provide personalised services to guests in high level hospitality establishment. They manage the housekeeping staff to ensure clean interiors and excellent customer service. Hotel butlers are responsible for the general welfare and satisfaction of the guests.

Hotel butlers typically do the following:

  • Meet guests when they arrive and getting them settled in their rooms
  • Anticipate guests’ needs by learning their preferences, allergies, dislikes, etc.
  • Have a thorough understanding of all spirits and specialty foods in stock
  • Assess and restock wine and spirit collections as necessary
  • Serve meals and pour drinks for guests
  • Communicate with housekeeping to ensure rooms are cleaned at the most convenient time for guests
  • Run errands for guests when necessary
  • Ensure guests’ rooms are clean and tidy up when necessary
  • Recommend and arrange amenities for guests
  • See guests off when they check out
  • Remain well-groomed at all times
  • Keep up-to-date on all hotel policies on safety and hygiene
  • Perform all duties with discretion, professionalism and a pleasant demeanor

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to hotel butler:

house steward
butler administrator
household manager

Minimum qualifications

A high school diploma is generally required to work as a hotel butler.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Hotel butler is a Skill level 2 occupation.

Hotel butler career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to hotel butler.

hotel concierge
hospitality establishment receptionist
night auditor
camping ground operative
train attendant

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of hotel butler. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of hotel butler with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

hospitality entertainment manager
accommodation manager
camping ground manager
rooms division manager
travel agency manager

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of hotel butler.

  • Explain features in accommodation venue: Clarify guests’ accommodation facilities and demonstrate and show how to use them.
  • Comply with food safety and hygiene: Respect optimal food safety and hygiene during preparation, manufacturing, processing, storage, distribution and delivery of food products.
  • Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
  • Greet guests: Welcome guests in a friendly manner in a certain place.
  • Handle customer complaints: Administer complaints and negative feedback from customers in order to address concerns and where applicable provide a quick service recovery.
  • Identify customer’s needs: Use appropriate questions and active listening in order to identify customer expectations, desires and requirements according to product and services.
  • Maintain customer service: Keep the highest possible customer service and make sure that the customer service is at all times performed in a professional way. Help customers or participants feel at ease and support special requirements.
  • Run errands on behalf of customers: Take orders and follow requests on behalf of a client, such as go shopping or pick up dry cleaning.
  • Handle guest luggage: Manage, pack, unpack and store guest luggage on request.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of hotel butler. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Oversee guest laundry service: Ensure that guest laundry is collected, cleaned and returned to a high standard and in a timely fashion.
  • Implement marketing strategies: Implement strategies which aim to promote a specific product or service, using the developed marketing strategies.
  • Provide tourism related information: Give customers relevant information about historical and cultural locations and events while conveying this information in an entertaining and informative manner.
  • Ensure the privacy of guests: Develop methods and strategies to ensure maximum customer privacy.
  • Assist clients with special needs: Aid clients with special needs following relevant guidelines and special standards. Recognise their needs and accurately respond to them if needed.
  • Implement sales strategies: Carry out the plan to gain competitive advantage on the market by positioning the company’s brand or product and by targeting the right audience to sell this brand or product to.
  • Serve beverages: Provide a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages such as soft drinks, mineral waters, wine and bottled beer over a counter or using a tray.
  • Take room service orders: Accept room service orders and redirect them to the responsible employees.
  • Handle delivered packages: Administer delivered packages and ensure that they all reach their destination in time.

ISCO group and title

5151 – Cleaning and housekeeping supervisors in offices, hotels and other establishments


References
  1. Hotel butler – ESCO
  2. Butler job description template – Workable
  3. Featured image: By U.S. government – http://www.whitehouse.gov/, Public Domain
Last updated on November 10, 2022

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