Serving the Wealthy: The Modern Butler’s & Household/Estate(s) Manager’s Companion, Volume I

Having worked in private service and the hospitality industry in England, Steven Ferry decided to train as a butler in London at the original school offering such an education, run by the Queen’s Toastmaster, Sir Ivor Spencer, and then worked in the USA as a butler. It was during these years that his path crossed with many other butlers and he founded the Guild of Traditional Butlers, the first association of its kind, in 1990, to pool knowledge and experience and offer assistance to each other. He wrote the first industry text, ＂The British Butler’s Bible＂ in 1992, published in 2001, followed by ＂Butlers and Household Managers, 21st Century Professionals＂ in 2002 and revised in 2008. Teaching engagements followed at a butler academy in Europe and in private estates. While teaching subsequently at hotels, spas, resorts and private villas, it became evident that a new text was needed to address the issues and needs of hospitality industry butlers, and so came about ＂Hotel Butlers, The Great Service Differentiators.＂ In 2004, at the request of peers, Professor Ferry established the International Institute of Modern Butlers to set and maintain standards for the butler profession. But moving beyond the obvious target of the butler profession, he saw the opportunity to use the butler model to raise standards for all service industries and even individuals in their private lives. In addition to training, consulting, the creation of training materials, and the expansion of the Institute into an International organization, Ferry has given speeches at various universities and organizations, had four-dozen articles published, and introduced initiatives, such as the spa butler and an international database to curb criminally inclined hotel guests. This two-volume edition ＂Serving the Wealthy, The Modern Butler’s & Household/Estate(s) Manager’s Companion＂ represents the culmination of a quarter of a century of working in the profession as a practicing butler, teacher, and lecturer. While it may not be a definitive work (that would take an encyclopedia), it does cement the basics of the profession while also providing some extremely useful skills for life in general. Mr. Ferry has worked in several professions prior to butling, including teaching, counseling, intelligence, and writing & photography for book and magazine publishers, corporations, and PR & Marketing agencies. He has hundreds of articles and photographs published, as well as over 20 books.