Great attention to detail was given during a staff inspection, at which the correct position of name tags, the best material for white gloves, and whether a bow tie should be inside or outside a collar was discussed. Earlier in the week Mr Machelse had lectured on subjects that had included how to serve and set tables, and how to iron a shirt - perfectly.
ëWhat makes a good butler,'' he said, ''is that he must be well-organised, loyal, very focused on detail, and, perhaps most importantly, he needs to have a low profile''.
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All in the detail
by Andrew Begg
September 2004
Seasoned hoteliers maintain that it is the little things, the detail, that customers remember. The friendly smile here, the search for a particular newspaper, on one hand, or that crooked picture frame, or the mineral water not properly chilled, on the other. These minutia, they say, can be the difference between a return visit or a customer turning his back on a hotel for good.
This attention to detail was given special focus recently, during a week-long butlering course presented to selected staff at the JW Marriott. In attendance were thirteen people in all - front desk staff, bellboys, and butlers. Yes, butlers. There are four of them at the JW Marriott, all of whom take their profession very seriously. As I walked in, the course presenter, Hugh Machelse, who tours the world giving lectures and talks on the subject for his Netherlands-based company, International Butlers, was explaining how to open a bottle of wine.
''Handle it as if it is a very expensive vintage,'' he said. ''Show the customer the label. Put the end of the corkscrew right in the middle of the cork. Use a napkin to hold the bottle. Don't screw it in completely - maybe halfway. If it doesn't come out the first time, screw it in again.''
Some other useful tips accompanied this advice, such as, ''Always have a corkscrew with a small knife in it'' and ''The best corkscrews are the ones you can see right through to the shaft.''