Chocolate statues, ice penguins and goat’s milk baths: top British butler Sean Davoren delivers
Service veteran heads a team at London’s The Savoy and is in Hong Kong to impart his professionalism, such as never saying no and creating a home away from home for lucky guests
From packing 150 suitcases for one guest to colour coordinating wardrobes and hunting down a specific Gucci handbag in stores, Sean Davoren, 59, from Limerick, Ireland, has done it all as one of the world’s top butlers.
But don’t take his servitude for granted. He says: “I choose to serve you, but I am nobody’s servant. It’s a big industry and people need to understand that it is a profession.”
For the head butler at one of Britain’s finest five-star hotels, The Savoy, there are no requests too bizarre. If there’s a will, there’s a way, according to Davoren, who goes to great lengths to ensure guests at the London establishment are satisfied.
“Each one of my guests are individuals and my service to them must match, because we are not all the same. I would do anything for anyone – as long as it is legal.”
Amid booming local demand for butlers and guest managers, Hong Kong’s Vocational Training Council has turned to Davoren to train talent for the city’s hotel, service and tourism sector. For two days in April, he imparted his knowledge to 19 people in an advanced programme for professional butlers.