Butler Manager

SUMMARY:
Ultra Luxury Hotel opening in Sea Point is looking for a Butler Manager.
 
The Butler Manager leads and manages the butler department, setting the gold standard for supremely personalised, anticipatory, and discreet service to all guests. This role manages a team of skilled butlers who cater to the individual needs and preferences of the most discerning clientele.
 
Proven hotel pre-opening experience is essential. The candidate must have been an integral member of a hotel opening team, actively involved in establishing operational standards, systems, service culture, and team structures from the ground up prior to the property’s first guest arrival.

POSITION INFO:
Duties:
 
Lead and manage the butler team, setting clear service standards aligned with ultra-luxury benchmarks.
Oversee personalised pre-arrival preparation for all guests, including suite set-up and preference fulfilment.
Build and maintain detailed guest preference profiles, ensuring continuity and personalisation across stays.
Train and develop butlers in silver service, etiquette, anticipatory service, and guest psychology.
Manage the scheduling, rostering, and deployment of the butler team across all suites and VIP rooms.
Act as personal butler for VVIP and high-profile guests as required.
Coordinate with Housekeeping, F&B, Concierge, and all departments to fulfil bespoke guest requests.
Manage the in-room dining experience, ensuring seamless and elegant service.
Handle all guest feedback relating to butler services, implementing improvements proactively.
Maintain all butler service equipment, trolleys, silver, and supplies to impeccable standards.
Conduct regular team briefings, role-plays, and service excellence training sessions.
Prepare departmental reports, budgets, and supply requisitions.
 
Requirements:
 
Formal butler training certification (Guild of Professional English Butlers, Ivor Spencer, or equivalent) preferred.
Minimum 5 years’ butler experience with at least 2 years in a management or Head Butler role.
Experience in ultra-luxury hotels, private residences, or superyacht environments.
Strong knowledge of wine, spirits, dining etiquette, and luxury lifestyle services.
Demonstrated experience serving an international, high-net-worth, and culturally diverse clientele, with a refined understanding of the nuanced expectations, sensitivities, and preferences of discerning global travellers.
Prior experience within an ultra-luxury property is strongly preferred, with a thorough understanding of the intimate, detail-obsessed, and hyper-personalised service culture that defines a 68-key operation where every guest interaction carries the full weight of the brand and no request is too small to matter.
Impeccable personal presentation and refined manners.
Deep empathy, intuition, and ability to anticipate guest needs.
Absolute discretion and confidentiality.
Strong leadership and coaching abilities.
Calm, poised, and unflappable demeanour.
Multilingual skills highly advantageous.