Butler

Job Description

We invite you to join the world of luxury hospitality at Raffles The Palm as we currently looking for Butler. Reporting to the Butler Supervisor / Assistant Head Butler. The Raffles Butler is not defined by the tasks they perform, but by what they make possible for every guest they serve. This is a role of presence, not just procedure. The Butler is the architect of the individual guest journey: the single point of continuity from the moment a reservation is made to the moment a guest steps into the world again, and the reason they return.

At Raffles, the Butler operates across two models of service. As Butler in Residence, they are a dedicated presence for every suite and VIP guest: proactive, personal, and fully accountable for the arc of that stay. As Butler on Call, they are a presence felt rather than seen: available, responsive, and ready to step in whenever a guest needs them. To the guest, both are simply 'The Butler.'

Key Responsibilities

Knowledge

• Hold thorough, practised knowledge of all Butler Service SOPs; not as rules to follow, but as a foundation from which to deliver with confidence and consistency.
• Remain fully current on Raffles Brand Standards, LQA criteria, Forbes Travel Guide standards, and the expectations that define five-star butler service globally.
• Maintain working proficiency across all platforms used to capture, action, and track the guest journey.
• Demonstrate accurate knowledge of all room categories, suite configurations, F&B offerings, in-house experiences, and property-wide facilities.
• Stay continuously informed on arriving guests: their profiles, histories, preferences, special occasions, and any intelligence gathered across all touchpoints.
• Remain current on local culture, seasonal events, and the area’s social landscape to serve as a credible and genuine resource for guests.

The 360° Guest Journey

• Internalise and embody the Raffles brand personality in every interaction: Charming, Graceful, Thoughtful, and Welcoming.
• Consistently execute the Top 5 Service Excellence pillars in every guest encounter: Look, Smile, Talk, Listen, and Thank.
• Operate as the orchestrator of the guest journey; the conductor who ensures every department plays its part at precisely the right moment.
• Own the guest relationship from pre-arrival to post-departure, not as a series of handoffs, but as a single, unbroken arc of care.
• Initiate meaningful pre-arrival contact: review profiles with intent, anticipate what has not yet been asked for, and personalise every element of the arrival before the guest lands.
• Conduct in-room check-ins and room orientations with warmth and genuine curiosity; reading each guest to determine the level of engagement they seek.
• Correspond with guests via appropriate channels – written, digital, verbal – always in the Raffles tone: considered, elegant, and never transactional.
• Anticipate needs before they are expressed. A pattern observed becomes a gesture before departure.
• Be proactively present: visible, attuned, and ready throughout the entire stay.
• Manage all guest requests with full personal accountability; coordinating across departments, tracking to completion, and following up without being asked.
• Handle complaints and service failures with ownership and composure: acknowledge, recover, and follow through until the guest's trust is fully restored.
• Inspect arrival and occupied rooms through a butler's perspective.
• Execute Raffles Rituals and special occasion set-ups with precision, creativity, and genuine care for the detail.
• Offer packing and unpacking service with the discretion and attentiveness that transforms a practical task into a considered experience.
• Monitor DND and OOO rooms with diligence, acting on welfare concerns immediately and in full accordance with SOP.
• Maintain impeccable butler notes: recording preferences, observations, and interactions in a way that serves the next encounter as richly as the current one.
• Practise genuine, knowledgeable upselling; recommending experiences, dining, and services because they are right for this guest, not to meet a metric.
• Collaborate daily with Housekeeping, Private Dining, Front Office, Engineering, Concierge, and all relevant departments; communicating with clarity, respect, and shared ownership of the guest outcome.
• Embody the 'We Are All Butlers' philosophy: treat every colleague as a contributor to the guest journey, and every interaction – internal or external – as a reflection of the Raffles standard.
• Attend shift briefings, department meetings, and training sessions with active engagement.
• Contribute to the team's culture through reliability, discretion, and a consistent willingness to support colleagues.

Qualifications

PERSONAL ATTRIBUTES

• Guest Journey Ownership, Empathy & Anticipation, Emotional Intelligence, Personalisation, Cultural Sensitivity, Service Recovery, Attention to Detail, Multitasking, Strong Interpersonal Skills
• Commercial awareness. Multi-cultural fluency across international guest profiles.
• Neat, polished appearance. Articulate. Good posture. A presence that is both warm and composed.

EXPERIENCE & QUALIFICATIONS

• Minimum 2 years of experience in a guest-facing role in a luxury or ultra-luxury hotel environment.
• University degree, preferably in Hospitality Management, Tourism, or a related field.
• Proficiency in English is essential; knowledge of other languages is a plus.
• Familiarity with Forbes or LQA standards preferred.
• Knowledge of Opera PMS. Butler certification or equivalent professional training.
• Flexible availability including nights, weekends, and holidays
• Housekeeping, Food and Beverage or/and Guest Relations knowledge

AND ABOVE ALL

• Embrace the Raffles brand promise and luxury in your role and in all your interactions.
• Foster an inclusive environment where every individual feels valued and respected

Additional Information

Employee Benefits:  Join our team and enjoy a range of exclusive colleague perks, including complimentary upgrades, extended stays, discounted stays across Fairmont & Raffles properties, special dining and wellness discounts, and added luxuries to enhance your experience. We believe in taking care of our team, ensuring that your hard work is rewarded with exceptional benefits.

Our Values

Respect:
We value the needs, ideas and individuality of others. We treat everyone with fairness and dignity. 

Excellence:
We make genuine connections, and we cherish every opportunity to make the people around us feel special.​

Belonging:
We celebrate our differences. We support each other and we always stand together.​

Empowerment:
We have authority to take initiative and anticipate moments that create unforgettable experiences. ​

Integrity:
We build trust through mutual respect and being authentic.​

Diversity & Inclusion

Raffles is committed to creating an inclusive environment where diverse talent thrives. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds to join our team.

At Raffles, we want to bring out your highest potential. Shortly after applying, you will receive an email from our partner AssessFirst prompting you to create a profile and complete a questionnaire. This is a mandatory step for your candidacy to be considered as it enables us to explore your compatibility with this role and our culture of luxury excellence.