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Clients on the lookout for something a little special on their next hotel stay? From duckmasters to fireplace butlers, there is a concierge to suit any and every need…
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Fairmont Waterfront, Vancouver
This eco-hotel has six honeybee hives on its third-floor terrace that house half a million of the insects between May and September, spending winter at a honeybee centre.
Interested guests can join Bee Butler Michael King and his team of “Bee Buddies” on one of the daily rooftop herb garden and hive tours. The bees produce 600-800 pounds of honey each year, with another 4,000 pounds harvested from off-site hives.
The amber nectar laces house cocktails and is slipped into the resident restaurants’ salad dressings, as well as local lager the Fairmont “Stinger”.
The 489-room hotel, which has harbour and mountain views, also offers guests guided morning runs along the city’s seawall. Twenty-six Fairmont properties are now involved in the honeybee hive scheme.
The Rubens at the Palace, London
Pet concierge Dave Brown welcomes feline and canine pals from the get-go when they stay at The Rubens.
Upon arrival a welcome hamper is provided, complete with a toy, a treat and clean up bags, while in-room pet-friendly amenities include a custom-made Rubens hotel pet bed, food and water bowl with pet menu and floor mat, turn down treat and “Do not disturb/Pet sleeping” card.
Upon check-out, guests also receive a framed photo of their pet and a certificate of stay. For a fee the hotel can also provide dog walking/sitting, a grooming service, birthday celebrations, bathrobes, leashes and dog and cat first aid kits.
The Victoria-based hotel has 143 deluxe guest rooms, eight royal rooms and 10 suites.
Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, global
For clients hankering after a whiff of the glamorous heyday of travel, selected Rosewood Hotels offer guests a fragrance butler. Available 24/7 patrons can ring the fragrance butler at any time, and the butler will appear at their door, carrying a silver tray with fragrances for guests to use.
In line with the company’s “A Sense of Place” philosophy, each local fragrance butler proffers a fragrance menu, which has been compiled according to the hotel’s location: at the Rosewood Corniche in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, many of the fragrances feature oud, a rich and woody scent which is highly prized in the Middle East, while at The Carlyle in New York Chanel Chance is one of a handful of perfumes available.
Banyan Tree Ungasan, Bali
Located on the Bukit Peninsula, this resort has a romance concierge who will help honeymooners create their perfect getaway.
The team is not limited to honeymoons either; they can also arrange weddings onsite at the Dove Wedding Chapel - a glass prism festooned with 300 white ornamental doves - as well as coordinate anniversary celebrations.
One example of a special event the concierge can organise is a private cliff-edge candlelit dinner.
The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans
“Laissez les bons temps rouler” (let the good times roll) is a common expression in the US’s Deep South; for clients that are a bit partial to New Orleans’ bacchanalian vibe, the Ritz-Carlton allows guests some respite via its recovery concierge. The onsite hangover healer can offer the suffering party their signature “Hair of the Dog” Bloody Mary, a Cure (Kir) Royale or perhaps a rejuvenating spa treatment or two.
But for those who are keen to get back on the wagon a seasonal snowball sommelier, available every Saturday in July and August, offers guests lessons in the art of making a southern take on the advocaat and lemonade cocktail.
Clients that are less inclined to enjoy the delights of the city’s renowned Bourbon Street can make use of the hotel’s in-house crawfish concierge, Jason Flato, in May. The state of Louisiana is known for the sweet and meaty crustacean, and Flato teaches guests how to peel, boil and eat the critters in the leafy hotel courtyard.
Ladera, St Lucia
Ladera, an eco-luxe resort in St Lucia, employs a furniture concierge. All the furniture for the 37-suite boutique property is made on site by a team of four carpenters and a carver. “Everything you see in the rooms in Ladera is hand-crafted on site and made with local wood,” says Olivier Bottois, vice-president of marketing and operations.
The resort has recently introduced a new line in honeymoon furniture.Bottois explains: “Guests can pre-order a personalised honeymoon bed.
We will engrave whatever they want on the bed, and it will be in their suite for the duration of their stay. Once they leave, we will ship it to them. The bed costs $5,000 plus shipping. We can also make other furniture to guests’ specifications - the concierge takes care of all orders.”
Viceroy Riviera Maya, Mexico
Chocolate, lime and rosemary, peach and oatmeal - no, these are not smoothie flavours, but super-soap combinations available for guests at the Viceroy on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. A choice of the cleansing bars, made in local Mayan communities, using organic ingredients, are available on arrival; the soap butler will personally slice your bar from a large block.
The soaps’ scents change seasonally - there’s cinnamon in winter and melon for spring. And for those who want to lather up back at home, the artisanal bricks can be purchased in the hotel shop.
St James’s Hotel and Club, London
Tony O’Connell is a busy man - as well as assistant head concierge he is the hotel’s official children’s concierge. O’Connell can tailor an itinerary to suit guests between the ages of 4 and 15: from visits to local museums, West End stage shows and playgrounds to theme park day trips.
“One of the better experiences I’ve arranged is a 4x4 driving experience around the dirt track at Mercedes Benz World in Weybridge,” says O’Connell. “What kid can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a car before they have left school!”
For weary parents who have managed to get the children into bed, the five-star hotel also has a cocktail butler on hand. Mixologist Zdenek Zemen can shake or stir guests’ Martinis from the comfort of their own suite or even create a bespoke cocktail upon request.
The Peabody, Memphis
When Anthony Petrina, the Peabody’s fifth duckmaster, and his assistant aren’t working as public ambassadors at this Memphis hotel they are looking after the hotel’s five resident ducks.
The birds march along a red carpet at 11am and 5pm daily and otherwise live in a “Royal Duck Palace” on the hotel rooftop, a $200,000 structure made of marble and glass that includes a fountain with bronze ducks, a small house which is a replica of the hotel.
Clients may even bump into a celeb during their stay - Priscilla Presley, Nicholas Cage and Justin Timberlake have all come to see the ducks in action.
Maritim Hotel, Mauritius
New to the Maritim is a VIP beach butler service, which provides patrons with access to a secluded and private beach area with reserved sun loungers. Of course, the beach butler will be more than happy to deliver any food, drinks and ice cream direct to guests on the sand. And should sun cream splatter all over your client’s sunglasses, there’s a cleaning service for that too.
Guests that book a suite or villa at the hotel receive the VIP beach package on a complementary basis. For all other guests the service is available for €20 per day.
Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Sante Fe, New Mexico
If your clients fancy a romantic moment in front of a wood-burning fire yet lack the know-how to ignite anything other than a match, fear not: the Four Seasons Santa Fe’s fireplace butler is ready and willing to set their kindling alight.
Located in the desert landscape of the southern state and bordering the Santa Fe National Forest, each of the resort’s 65 guest rooms and suites, features a fireplace full with aromatic local Pinon logs. After putting in a call to the designated telephone line, the butler will arrive in “rugged outdoorsmen gear” and help to fulfill the cozy fireside fantasy with camping mugs of either hot chocolate or steaming apple cider.
