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Gone are the days when luxury hotels could assume guests would be satisfied with a smile from the receptionist and some insider advice from a long-serving concierge. As major brands battle for business, they’re promoting increasingly niche services and employing staff with highly specialised – or peculiar – skills to set their properties apart and create a loyal customer base.
The most impressive positions seem to be the quirky few that are offered by a miniscule number of properties internationally. At the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, ‘duckmaster’ Anthony Petrina is in charge of what is one of the residence’s main attractions: its flock of ducks. The 25-year-old takes responsibility for the overall care and wellbeing of the five North American mallards and is most visible in his role during the twice-daily March of The Peabody Ducks. At 11am each morning, he accompanies the ducks as they march along a red carpet from their rooftop Royal Duck Palace to the marble fountain in the lobby. John Philip Sousa’s King Cotton March plays as the procession takes place. The procedure is repeated at 5pm, when the ducks return to their palace and retire for the evening. It sounds made up, but it happens.
The hotel has employed a duckmaster of sorts since 1940, but recently created animal-related roles take a more conspicuously ecological approach. At the Shangri-La Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa in Oman, the hotel’s turtle care project employs a dedicated turtle ranger who ensures turtle nests are sheltered from any threats and that guests and local communities are informed of the plight of the species through educational talks and viewings. Similarly, Jean-Michel Cousteau Resorton the island of Vanua Levu in Fiji employs a full-time resident marine biologist, Johnny Singh, who educates guests about local ecosystems and also undertakes research projects and local outreach programmes to ensure the resort is as environmentally sustainable as possible. At more than 20 Fairmount hotels around the world, meanwhile, beekeepers are employed to maintain apiaries that pollinate local plants and provide local honey for onsite restaurants and bars. It’s a win-win initiative for the chain, with the brand seen to support the local environment and the locally sourced honey also meeting a growing demand from luxury consumers for hyper-local food.
Of course, caring for animals is all well and good but many guests have chosen to visit a luxury hotel because they want to take care of themselves. At the Akaryn Samui hotel in Thailand, a female ‘sunbed supervisor’ is on hand to ensure residents don’t get sunburned. Those who avail of her services will firstly be prepped and buffed in the hotel spa – exfoliation and application of signature suncare brands are meant to aid the development of an even, rich tan – before they take to their lounger. The sunbed supervisor will then time guests’ sun exposure, adjust their shade level and reapply suncream after swimming, or whenever needed, to ensure they tan to a satisfactory level.
Those with an aversion to sunbathing may instead prefer cosying up in a room in the Taj Boston. During the colder months, a ‘fireplace butler’ is available to ensure guests make the most of their suites’ fireplaces. Described, grandly, by the hotel as ‘wood sommeliers’ these butlers can suggest what type of woods are best from the hotel’s dedicated wood menu, and will of course light the fire if required. The chain is expanding the role and fireplace butlers are now available to assist guests at the Taj Palace Marrakech, although presumably there’s less call for the service there.
Guests at the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain in Tucson can warm themselves up via the services of Richard Gutierrez. The property’s official tequila butler, he can often be found by the pool, dispensing free samples of tequilas and tequila-based drinks. His services are something that could well be deployed at some point by Melissa Rosenfield, Viceroy Anguilla’s director of vibe and VIP services. Explaining her unique position, she says: “I’m the social director, the party planner, the camp counsellor and the good-time Charlie. I plan all programming and handle all celebrities and VIPs and just manage the ‘cool factor’ there. The original job description was just like, ‘make sure the music and lighting is cool.'”
And when the time comes for guests to take in their surroundings, there are employees who can help with that too. At Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap, resident historian Mouth Saravann can inform visitors about the hotel’s heritage, the history of nearby Angkor Wat and the distressing past of Cambodia as a whole. Sister property Le Royal Monceau in Paris offers the services of an art concierge, who is qualified to guide guests through the innumerable cultural pursuits on offer in the city. Likely popular with American tourists eager to trace their lineage, the services of ‘tartan butler’ Andy Fraser, an employee of The Balmoralhotel in Edinburgh, have recently been made available to guests. He assists them in tracking down their family tartan from the thousands of traditional recognised tartans using the Scottish Register of Tartans and can arrange for a kilt to be made in Edinburgh’s most established kilt shop, Kinloch Anderson.
By John O’Ceallaigh
via Lorre White, The Guru of Luxury: Luxury hotels’ oddest professions.
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Art and food are two of the main draws for Florence visitors, and after a day exploring the former, you’ll need plenty of the latter. Should you wish to dine like the Medici, this list highlights five sumptuous dinners not to be missed while in the Tuscan capital, a slice of La Dolce Vita guaranteed with every one.
A trip to Florence is not complete without a visit to Acqua Al 2, home of the Blueberry Steak. The combination strikes people as unusual, as does the menu’s other fruit-inspired meat dishes, but the meal is so delicious, so perfectly balanced, you have to wonder how no one ever thought of it before. Be sure to preface your steak with the pasta sampler. The kitchen staff will serve three (generous) samples of what they think are the best tasting pastas that night, meaning you are almost guaranteed not to repeat, though everything is so well crafted, that wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen.
“Buca” in Italian refers to a basement level bar or restaurant, and Buca Mario is one of Florence’s finest. As you step down into the restaurant (watch your head), you will be greeted not by a dim, quiet cavern, but a subterranean world of bright light and bustling energy.
Here try a spectacular Ribollita, the traditional Tuscan vegetable soup that incorporates crusty bread right into the base. The real draw, though, is the famous Bistecca alla Fiorentina (Florentine Steak), a 2.5+ pound piece of Chianina beef served between medium and rare. Even if that Tuscan specialty holds no appeal for you, Buca Mario will still consider you family: everyone receives a free apron on the way out.
The name translates to pandemonium, but within the stucco walls of this Bellosguardo area establishment, there is only the excitement that comes from being surrounded by good food and a loving staff. The menu, all seasonally based, is prepared by “Mamma”, who comes to each individual table to advise you on your choices. Try another delicious example of the Bistecca alla Fiorentina, as well as the Tuscan specialty soup Pappa al Pomodoro, and whatever you do, save room for one of the best cheesecakes you will ever taste, Mamma’s own recipe.
Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori
Reservations are key here, not only because of popularity, but because the trattoria seats only a handful of people at a time. The small size is ultimately a benefit, providing an intimate atmosphere and the chance to talk with the owners, a husband and wife duo that prepares everything from scratch. They write the menu by hand each day, deciding what’s fresh in the markets and taking into account what they feel like preparing, “tutto quello che vogliamo.” With strong luck, the pappardelle covered in a rich wild boar sauce will be in their thoughts the night of your visit, but whatever their decision, you will be lucky.
Trattoria 13 Gobbi
Trattoria 13 Gobbi is a maze of cozily lit rooms, each evoking a different aspect of Tuscany. The caprese salad is an excellent starter: the house made buffalo mozzerella will melt in your mouth, and the tomatoes are crisp and fresh. There are many delectable dishes to choose from at 13 Gobbi, including a pappardelle with boar sauce to rival that of Vini e Vecchi Sapori, but the one item that keeps patrons returning again and again is the penne pomodoro. Served in a steaming glass bowl, the penne is covered in marinara blended with spices and clumps of mozzerella. Simple presentation, stunning effect.
So enchanted were we with the dish that we asked our waiter for the recipe, which he gladly wrote it down on a napkin. He warned us, however, that he’d been an employee of 13 Gobbi for three years and had attempted to make it several Sundays a month. Not once was he successful in recreating the magic. All the more reason to come back!
Bonus: for dessert on the town, try Gelateria dei Neri
This small shop serves a wide variety of absolutely delicious gelato. For the fruit lovers, there are flavors like strawberry, melon, and chocolate orange, and for those like myself who hunger for decadence, the tiramisu and Nutella will more than satisfy.
Lorre White, The Guru of Luxury: Dine like the Medici: 5 incredible meals to experience in Florence.
Cayman Moms 