but jeeves wasn’t a butler, although bertie always said he could butle with the best of them. he was a gentleman’s gentleman. although jeeves’s age is never stated, i always imagine him in his 40s
I got this once… it was at the exact same resort that you went to! I felt very uncomfortable at first. Buttttttt then I found out he reserved\planned all of our dinner spots. Cue him becoming my favorite person! I wish I could’ve gotten to know mine better, but my then husband was super uncomfortable with it all 🙄
This is wonderful. And of course YOU treat your service staff like human beings. It’s a large part of your MO, and it’s beautiful.
You’ve now inspired me to have a zillion questions about how to fully get to know and employ a personal butler on a cruise ship (yes, a friend of mine and I are looking into this possibility).
I have never had a butler but am fully on board with recognizing the humanity of every person in the service industry. I love that you guys cranked the tunes and invited the locals over in the evening!
Thanks Donna! It truly is the people that make travel worthwhile! This place was such a fun time and I kept in touch with Glendon long after leaving. Great times had by all!
What’s a female butler called? We had one of those in Dominica last year. We hung out with her for hours, talking about everything and eating the world’s best and biggest avocados. I felt weird about the whole butler thing at first and then realized that it was an awesome opportunity to make a new friend and really get to understand life on the island.
Can we be besties? I love how you get to know people who “work” for you. I always want to chat with the doorman at the hotel. I feel honored if he reveals something personal to me.
It's the only way I know how!! I'm just so interested in the human stories! Did you ever see that movie, The Help? Friggin fantastic movie and that would totally have been me.
Owning a hotel and living there, yes, I've had the blessed privilege of having staff that did everything for us. While it was absolutely great to have someone do your laundry and cook for you, I'm not the kind of person that is comfortable with it. I want to participate/help! It took awhile to be 'somewhat' comfortable with it.
Seeing many, many hotel guests stay at our luxury hotel, I can say that there are people that are NOT mindful of the staff and some can treat people very rudely. Most of our guests were not like that but there were those that thought 'that's their job to wait on me hand and foot' which it is, and it's their luxury vacation so great, but it doesn't give anyone an excuse to not be respectful to people at all times.
We had one guest that was so 'distraught' at the humidity, dampness and rain, that in front of me (the owner) and our concierge (a Costa Rican) said "How do THESE people live like this?!" (meaning of course, the locals). I wanted to jump across the desk and strangle her. haha. but of course as the owner, the customer is 'right' and our concierge just simply said, "oh, it's a lot rainier where I live". haha.
Marlo, I concur with everything you've said. It's difficult to watch the uppities treat locals as less than just because they're "the help." It angered me as well, which is why I ALWAYS tried to make it fun and leveled out as I could. I adored the culture and people and how seriously they took their jobs but I just couldn't let them be serious while I was around lol.
please run don't walk to the nearest library or bookstore and get the entire collection of Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse! We will sic Aunt Agatha on you otherwise.
I absolutely adore how you came to an understanding that you weren't like other guests and your staff hung out with you like friends. I wouldn't expect anything different from you, and I would probably do the same thing.
When I traveled to teach yoga, I was often put up in rich people's guest houses. I stayed in a 5 bedroom Naples FL beach house. Evidently the guest who stayed there before me was a very famous yoga teacher who came with an entourage and trashed the place. I was there by myself with my dog...and the owner said I was the quietest mouse she's ever hosted and I could come back anytime (even if I wasn't working). She was the daughter of JFK's personal doctor.
I think you and I lived similar but different parallel lifestyles for about a decade...and still going that way. huh?
Wow, I can't believe the nerve of some people. But actually, I guess I can because it happens all the damn time lol.
Having a background in the service and hotel industry as an employee also made me hyper-aware of how some guests treat service staff because I've been on the receiving end of assholery at times.
I remember when I stayed at a Hilton in New Orleans, we invited our concierge guy out for a night on the town. He was about 24 years old and didn't mind at all hanging out with two old broads at the bars. He was super special and took us places we'd have never found on our own!
Love love this article and see you and your new colleague/friends work and hang together.
I’m so excited to learn more from you on this writing reviews for travel s I’ve done quite a bit of travel.
Our butler experience was incredible on a cruise ship right after pandemic. Wow.
We felt fancy and we couldn’t buy enough gifts for our fabulous staff.
Haha fancy is the perfect way to describe it! We all deserve a little fancy once in a while!
but jeeves wasn’t a butler, although bertie always said he could butle with the best of them. he was a gentleman’s gentleman. although jeeves’s age is never stated, i always imagine him in his 40s
I didn't know that about Jeeves! And I've always pictured him in his 60s with a snooty look on his face and a silver platter.
i don’t think he was snooty either - he could have gloated over his ability to save bertie from himself but only said, very good, sir
I got this once… it was at the exact same resort that you went to! I felt very uncomfortable at first. Buttttttt then I found out he reserved\planned all of our dinner spots. Cue him becoming my favorite person! I wish I could’ve gotten to know mine better, but my then husband was super uncomfortable with it all 🙄
Are you talking about the Sandals or the San Bar villa in Portland?
And yeah, I could see if you were traveling with a husband. I was always alone so usually welcomed the company!
Sandals! Def should have clarified lol
I'll never think of but-dialing in the same way ever again! Seriously, thank you, Kristi, for this lovely piece.
Hahaha, yeah it changed the entire meaning of it for me as well. I'm so glad you enjoyed this 😊
This is so beautiful. I love your humanness.
Thank you 😊
A very nice read Kristi. Thanks for the view into another world of having butlers (albiet a for a short time) and the butlers themselves.
Thanks for reading Os!
This is wonderful. And of course YOU treat your service staff like human beings. It’s a large part of your MO, and it’s beautiful.
You’ve now inspired me to have a zillion questions about how to fully get to know and employ a personal butler on a cruise ship (yes, a friend of mine and I are looking into this possibility).
There will be questions❣️
You should do it Teyani! Then you can tell us all about it.
I hope to be able to! Once I am able to be upright for more than an hour, I’ll set it up.
It is Silver Seas Cruise line that has it for all passengers I believe.
Take care of yourself first and then....off to butler land!
I agree! I'd totally read that story!
Cruise ships are something I know nothing about except that I never want to go on one 😂 I can’t be sitting on top of open seas like that!!
But I’m sure somebody knows about cruise butlers. Are they a thing?
Indeed they are on a couple of cruising lines.
I have never had a butler but am fully on board with recognizing the humanity of every person in the service industry. I love that you guys cranked the tunes and invited the locals over in the evening!
The pics in this essay are awesome!
Thanks Donna! It truly is the people that make travel worthwhile! This place was such a fun time and I kept in touch with Glendon long after leaving. Great times had by all!
Wow. Based on that last photo of your "third" butler, I'm not sure I'd be able to maintain a strictly professional relationship ;-)
Lmaooooo Jan!! That was my entire existence in Jamaica 😂😂 It helped that he was probably only 24 years old....likely the same age as my child 😂
Tee hee . . . but a guy that looks like that and who's entire job is to take care of me and keep me happy? I mean . . . <slaps self upside head> . . .
Hahaha after all these years, I think I’m finally seeing “Jan After Dark” 🤣🤣
What’s a female butler called? We had one of those in Dominica last year. We hung out with her for hours, talking about everything and eating the world’s best and biggest avocados. I felt weird about the whole butler thing at first and then realized that it was an awesome opportunity to make a new friend and really get to understand life on the island.
Yesss! You get it! I adore learning from locals rather than the watered-down tourist version of things.
As for a female butler...maybe a butlette?? 😂
Can we be besties? I love how you get to know people who “work” for you. I always want to chat with the doorman at the hotel. I feel honored if he reveals something personal to me.
It's the only way I know how!! I'm just so interested in the human stories! Did you ever see that movie, The Help? Friggin fantastic movie and that would totally have been me.
The Help--Great movie and book!
A peek into an amazing world I know nothing about...fascinating to experience it through your lens, Kristi!
Owning a hotel and living there, yes, I've had the blessed privilege of having staff that did everything for us. While it was absolutely great to have someone do your laundry and cook for you, I'm not the kind of person that is comfortable with it. I want to participate/help! It took awhile to be 'somewhat' comfortable with it.
Seeing many, many hotel guests stay at our luxury hotel, I can say that there are people that are NOT mindful of the staff and some can treat people very rudely. Most of our guests were not like that but there were those that thought 'that's their job to wait on me hand and foot' which it is, and it's their luxury vacation so great, but it doesn't give anyone an excuse to not be respectful to people at all times.
We had one guest that was so 'distraught' at the humidity, dampness and rain, that in front of me (the owner) and our concierge (a Costa Rican) said "How do THESE people live like this?!" (meaning of course, the locals). I wanted to jump across the desk and strangle her. haha. but of course as the owner, the customer is 'right' and our concierge just simply said, "oh, it's a lot rainier where I live". haha.
Marlo, I concur with everything you've said. It's difficult to watch the uppities treat locals as less than just because they're "the help." It angered me as well, which is why I ALWAYS tried to make it fun and leveled out as I could. I adored the culture and people and how seriously they took their jobs but I just couldn't let them be serious while I was around lol.
Thanks for your unique insight into this topic!
Mr. Bertram Wooster would definitely challenge the truth about your article title.
I'm not privy to who that is!
He is the employer of said butler named Jeeves...
Ooooooh hahaha!!
please run don't walk to the nearest library or bookstore and get the entire collection of Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse! We will sic Aunt Agatha on you otherwise.
Thanks for the holiday ❤️
I absolutely adore how you came to an understanding that you weren't like other guests and your staff hung out with you like friends. I wouldn't expect anything different from you, and I would probably do the same thing.
When I traveled to teach yoga, I was often put up in rich people's guest houses. I stayed in a 5 bedroom Naples FL beach house. Evidently the guest who stayed there before me was a very famous yoga teacher who came with an entourage and trashed the place. I was there by myself with my dog...and the owner said I was the quietest mouse she's ever hosted and I could come back anytime (even if I wasn't working). She was the daughter of JFK's personal doctor.
I think you and I lived similar but different parallel lifestyles for about a decade...and still going that way. huh?
Wow, I can't believe the nerve of some people. But actually, I guess I can because it happens all the damn time lol.
Having a background in the service and hotel industry as an employee also made me hyper-aware of how some guests treat service staff because I've been on the receiving end of assholery at times.
I remember when I stayed at a Hilton in New Orleans, we invited our concierge guy out for a night on the town. He was about 24 years old and didn't mind at all hanging out with two old broads at the bars. He was super special and took us places we'd have never found on our own!