Director of Butlers

Head of Operations - Smyth & Co Luxury Hospitality Consulting

Director of Butlers for beautiful Caribbean resort - relocation opportunituy!

• Position Title: Director of Butlers
• Salary: Highly competitive, plus accommodation and travel
• Department: Rooms Division / Guest Experience
• Reports to: Resort Manager / General Manager
• Team Size: 35 Butlers (large European-style operation)
• Environment: True luxury resort setting over 100 acres , servicing villas, suites, and residences

Role Overview

We are seeking a top-tier Director of Butlers to lead and elevate a large-scale, European-style butler operation within a true luxury resort environment. This is a hands‑on, highly visible leadership role requiring deep luxury service DNA, outstanding emotional intelligence, and the authority to reset, standardise, and elevate service at scale .

The successful candidate will set uncompromising standards for anticipatory service, presence, grooming, posture, language, and consistency , ensuring the butler experience aligns with Forbes / LQA / Michelin‑level expectations .

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the butler operation end‑to‑end across villas, suites and residences, ensuring flawless consistency and delivery.
• Elevate and enforce standards: grooming, posture, language, etiquette, arrival/departure rituals, in‑room service sequences, and anticipatory service.
• Drive a culture reset where required—setting expectations, addressing underperformance, and restoring pride in the function.
• Maintain high guest visibility : present in the operation, leading by example, not desk‑bound.
• Coach and develop the team through daily floor presence, observation, feedback and structured training.
• Establish clear SOPs and service playbooks in line with ultra‑luxury benchmarks (Forbes, LQA and equivalent).
• Partner closely with Resort Leadership and Heads of Department to ensure seamless cross‑functional delivery.
• Manage performance, scheduling, succession planning, and talent development across a large, mixed‑tenure team.
• Ensure exceptional guest handling for UHNW and American luxury guests , with calm authority and discretion.
• Maintain service recovery excellence and proactive guest experience management without drifting into “guest relations only.”

Key Requirements (Non‑Negotiable)

• Proven Director / Head of Butlers experience in ultra‑luxury resorts or palaces (Aman, Cheval Blanc, Raffles, Rosewood, Peninsula, Dorchester Collection, One&Only or equivalent).
• Demonstrated leadership of high‑performance teams across villas, suites, and residences.
• Strong grounding in International and European luxury service standards , with confidence managing UHNW and American luxury guests .
• Personally experienced in high‑level butler service (not purely guest relations).
• Track record in culture reset and standards enforcement: grooming, language, posture, anticipation.
• Comfortable managing long‑tenured teams and underperformance without disruption.
• High guest visibility; not desk‑bound.

What We Will Not Consider

• Guest Relations–only profiles or current Guest Manager profiles
• Cruise‑ship butler backgrounds
• Candidates without International and European luxury training
• Corporate or policy‑heavy operators lacking floor presence and luxury service instinct

Role Mandate (Success Measures)

• Elevated service standards and consistency across the entire butler team
• A clear operating rhythm: daily floor leadership, coaching, and accountability
• Alignment with Forbes / LQA / Michelin‑level expectations
• Strong partnership with Resort Management as a trusted senior leader

Candidate Profile & Search Notes

• Open to International and European or international candidates with the right pedigree.
• Only discreet, currently employed, top‑tier candidates should be presented.

Seniority Level

• Director

Employment Type

• Full‑time

Job Function

• Management

Industries

• Hospitality