More hotel butlers at your service

Growing competition spurs hotels to provide personalised service

By Tessa Wong
		Trainer Anthea Tan, 30, teaching Shatec trainee butlers Albbey Barcia Afable (left), 27, and Jeremy Kim, 24, how to pack a suitcase at St Regis hotel. Shatec yesterday launched a new three-month-long module to train butlers, to meet growing demand for such services. — ST PHOTO: AZIZ HUSSIN

IN A bid to gain an edge over the competition, hotels in Singapore have ramped up their butler services.

Instead of just shining shoes or making reservations, the butlers of today attend to a guest’s every need.

They will scour stores across the island for a favourite brand of shampoo, troubleshoot problems with a guest’s Blackberry or PC, and even fill a room with balloons for an extra special birthday touch.

The competition to provide the best personalised service has heated up as more five-star and deluxe establishments open here.

Since hotels like St Regis and Capella opened and made such services par for the course, more outfits have fine-tuned their offerings to win over well-heeled guests. More than 20 hotels here now offer such services, according to Singapore Hotel Association executive director Margaret Heng.

She noted a growing demand for such services over the past three years as more business travellers and well-to-do tourists visit Singapore. Many are drawn here by high-profile events such as the Apec meetings and the F1 races.

These guests want personalised service, and this need has not really abated during the downturn. Ms Heng said: ‘In a recession, high net worth individuals are not so greatly affected.’

The demand is so great, it has spurred hospitality school Shatec to start a new module to train people to fill this need.

Launched yesterday, Shatec’s module will last three months, during which trainees will learn skills such as picking the right cigar and packing a suitcase.

There are nine trainees in its first batch. Shatec plans to run four courses a year, and hopes to produce each year at least 40 hotel management graduates with the specialised skills to be top-notch butlers.

The course could not have come at a better time for those in the industry. Many say finding the right butler is tough in Singapore.

Mr Oscar Postma, St Regis’ executive assistant manager for rooms, said only one or two people out of every 10 he interviews for a butler position make the cut. ‘We need a special kind of person with the right attitude, so it can be difficult.’

Besides being sensitive to travellers’ needs, the job also demands a high level of commitment. The butlers at Shangri-La hotel, for instance, have only a minute to respond to a guest’s call – any longer, and their supervisor is immediately alerted to their tardiness.

They also have to stay in the hotel if their assigned guest wants round-the-clock attention.

For Mr Abdul Shahir, 20, one of Shatec’s first trainees, the challenge of being a butler is one to relish.

The Singaporean admits that he is unusual in this respect: ‘In our culture in Singapore, serving doesn’t come naturally.’

But he said the skills he will acquire during the course will set him apart from others in the industry. ‘With more guests who can afford to pay for this service, it puts me in a highly valued position.’

Source : Straits Times – 7 Oct 2009