Butlers trained at the world-famous Savoy Hotel in London are all set to take to the skies by the end of the year for Etihad Airways’ premium three-room suites.
The Residence by Etihad, which will feature a living room, private shower room and double bedroom, is set to make its debut when the first Etihad Airways A380 service flied from the UAE capital to London’s Heathrow Airport on December 27.
A team of 13 men and women, all in-flight chefs or food & beverage managers, were last month sent to the London School of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of West London and the Savoy Butler Academy for a tailored three week training course.
They also demonstrated their hospitality skills during training at the Savoy Hotel and were given a series of master classes by the hotel’s head butler, Sean Davoren, focusing on etiquette and protocol, valet skills and concierge services.
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“The Etihad Airways trainees have been an absolute joy to work with and they all now possess the skills required to provide the highest standard of hospitality for the airline’s premium guests, by blending the discretion of a traditional English butler with the efficiency of a 21st century personal assistant,” said Davoren.
After the first service takes to the skies at the end of December, the airline will receive a further three A380s in 2015 and will deploy them on routes from Abu Dhabi to Sydney and New York.
A second group of butlers will also undergo the Savoy Hotel training early next year.
Etihad Airways vice president guest services Aubrey Tiedt said: “I am extremely proud of the team’s achievements and they all qualified with flying colours to become the world’s first ever butlers in the sky. They are really enthusiastic and cannot wait to board the A380 aircraft and put into practice all that they have learned.
“Etihad Airways aims to be the best in everything we set out to do and the flying butlers will provide a level of service that no traveller has ever experienced in commercial aviation.”
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