The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is renowned for its legendary dedication to providing personalized, warm and consistently exceptional service to all guests in each of their 17 properties. This desire to deliver memorable experiences necessitates constant innovation, and the family-run collection is continuing to redefine luxurious hospitality by offering guests the option of a highly trained butler in their collection of properties throughout London and South Africa.

Butlers undergo a thorough hiring process and an exhaustive training period. Examples of foundation training include courses such as “Cultural Awareness,” “The Effortless Experience,” and “TNT's (Tiny Noticeable Touches)” as well as required guest service/technical skills such as the art of packing and unpacking, shoe cleaning, and pressing.

“I believe the most important qualities a successful butler should have are great guest empathy, unwavering discretion, and the ability to communicate clearly on all levels,” said Andrew Pike, General Manager of The Milestone Hotel. “They should have excellent attention to detail and possess the ability to accurately read guest needs. Our butlers are unique because they are empowered and encouraged to use their initiative to make sure our guests have the most enjoyable stay possible. Often, butlers are viewed as aloof and stand-offish, but Red Carnation butlers are always friendly, warm and professional.”

When high-profile guests are in-house, butlers often move into the hotel for the duration of their stay in order to be available 24/7. Daily duties include hotel and room orientations and room preference checks, but many requests are sudden and unplanned so butlers must have the ability to think on their feet and prioritize duties. 

“One of our guests wanted to propose to his girlfriend during his stay, but he had no idea how,” said Malcolm Hendry, General Manager for '41.' “He asked us to come up with some ideas, and one of our butlers spent quite a bit of time brainstorming with him. After some sleuthing, our butler discovered that the couple loved stargazing and that one of their most romantic evenings was under the stars. He came up with the idea to place a telescope on our roof and then attach the proposal message on a far-away building. That night, on our candlelit and rose-petal covered roof, our guest directed the telescope to the proposal message. We are delighted to report that she said 'Yes!'”

About The Red Carnation Hotel Collection
The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is an award-winning collection of five- and four-star family-run boutique hotels in London, Dorset, Guernsey, Geneva, Palm Beach, South Africa and Ireland. Each property has its own individual character and unique location that reflects the local environment, culture and cuisine. They all share the qualities central to the Red Carnation's ethos that win them so many prestigious awards – splendid luxury, generous hospitality, inventive and traditional cuisine, private art collections, passionate service and loyal staff committed to creating richly rewarding experiences for all their guests.

For more information about The Red Carnation Hotel Collection, please visit us at www.redcarnationhotels.com or email book@rchmail.com.

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About The TreadRight Foundation
At The Red Carnation Hotel Collection and parent company The Travel Corporation, we understand that travel matters; it allows us to explore the world and gain a deeper understanding of each destination, its history and culture, through enriching experiences. We also recognize that it is our responsibility to help protect the places we visit and take care of the world around us.

Created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation's family of brands, The TreadRight Foundation is a not-for-profit that works to help ensure the environment and communities we visit remain vibrant and preserved for generations to come. To date, TreadRight has more than 35 sustainable tourism projects worldwide. The Red Carnation Hotel Collection is proud to be active founder and supporter of TreadRight's projects and work. Go to www.redcarnationhotels.com/responsibilities/treadright to learn more.

TreadRight's guiding principle is to encourage sustainable tourism development through conservation, leadership and support for communities. We encourage each of our partners to use this principle to guide all of their actions, whether at our regional offices or when taking guests around the world. By providing grants to organizations that encourage sustainability in different destinations, we hope to maintain the natural attractions across the world that defines each unique region. Foundation priorities are set by the Steering Committee, which includes sustainability leaders like Céline Cousteau and Costas Christ.

To learn more about our past and current work at TreadRight, please visit us at TreadRight.org.

Red Carnation Hotels – Because We Care