Butlers at the ready at Le Royal Meridien Bahrain

The scheme, which has seen the men undergo intensive training throughout the last two months, is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, and is operating as a pilot for possible roll-out in further Le Royal Meridien properties in the region.

The new butlers have been hand-picked from the hospitality sector and were trained by Robert Watson, training director of the London-based Guild of Professional English Butlers.
Francesco Borrello, general manager of Le Royal Meridien Bahrain, said: "Service levels are key at Le Royal Meridien. Training the butlers has needed an important start-up investment, but we believe that the butlers will add a real edge to our offering, especially as customer service is one of principal selling points for our hotel.

"The butlers will operate throughout the hotel, catering to the individual needs of every guest - before the guest even realises he needs anything. This could range from making sure the room is stocked with the guest's favourite fruit, unpack the luggage, to packing the suitcases again and checking the room for anything the guest may have left behind.

"The butlers are on call to every guest, 24 hours a day, and the guests have a dedicated button on their phone; in fact, they could even call their butler to place a room service order on their behalf!"