Now, WhatsApp a butler
The Hindu
Luxury hotels are adapting to guests’ needs for minimal interactions with specially-trained butlers who help lock out the outside world while bringing in warmth and fun
Pandemic-scarred and second wave-battered, I found myself checking into The Lodhi one weekend in June, drawn by the promise of space and emotional recuperation. Just time spent doing nothing but stare at flickering images of Mughal-style jaalis that dominate the architecture of the hotel, in the deep plunge pool within my suite. But the real reason why we stayed put for four days is not the suite’s roominess or giant TV screens, but Naveen, the personal butler assigned to my family and I. His unobtrusive care smoothened every First World problem I thought of: how to get the rooms cleaned in our absence without actually being absent? How to give laundry instructions with minimal contact? That the wine was to my liking? Above all, the Hamletian dilemma: to go or not to the rather excellent restaurants in the hotel. “It is full today, so perhaps you wouldn’t like to,” Naveen said quietly, from behind his mask and face shield, having gauged my need for strict privacy. He would instead bring up restaurant-style, off-menu meals — from billowy baos to black cod miso — and lay them out on the dining table, edible flowers, micro greens, frills and all, with the flair of a restaurant chef and bartender. A far cry from messy “room service”.More Related News