Hello and Welcome!
It's spring and the Academy has sprung into activity. We have a great crew for this session. Good students always make for a better program.
Over the last few months I have been kept very busy traveling for business. From Quebec's snowy countryside, to the threshold of the African savannah, to the historic cities of Hyderabad and Mumbai, my 35,000 km travel pace has been fast and furious. It's nice finally being at home and having the opportunity to spend time with the students who are anxious to learn.
In the upcoming months I will be
traveling once again for training assignments to Europe, Asia and Africa. I
promise to keep everyone posted with lots of "tweets" as well as video posts to
our blog The Butler Speaks; so stay tuned.
As always, thank-you for your
support and I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter.
Charles
MacPherson
President
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Spring Session 2010 at the Academy
We're in full swing of
the Spring Session at the Academy.
The current group of students has come to us from such diverse locations
as Beijing, Las Vegas, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal as well as here from
Toronto.
The class is evenly
divided between those who will be seeking employment in private service and
those who will be looking for work as hotel butlers. Some of the students are here to upgrade their skills while
others are seeking to develop skills for the very first time. So far we have covered Household
Management 101, Etiquette and Protocol, Clothing and Butler Skills and coming
up is Event Planning, Housekeeping, Laundry, First Aid, Household Management
201 and so much more.
The next session of
the Academy begins on September 13 and we are accepting applications now. Call us now to reserve your position for
the 2010 Fall Session.
2010 Fall Session Schedule
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Indian Hotel Readying Butlers for launch
of Palace
 Taj Hotels Resorts and
Palaces does such a terrific job of restoring historically significant
buildings to their original glory for the company's collection of exquisite hotels
and palaces. Recently I had the
opportunity to witness all of the incredible work that goes into the opening of
a palace hotel as I was invited to train the team of 31 butlers for Taj
Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India.
Falaknuma means
"Mirror of the Sky". The aptly
named palace, a blend of Italian and Tudor style architecture, was once the
royal guest-house of Nizam Mehboob Ali Khan who governed the city of
Hyderabad. Among its luminous past
guests were King George V and the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II.
Taj Falaknuma Palace
will open as a 7-star hotel in May 2010.
Case Histories
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What does a $160 million Yacht look like?
If you've ever wondered what $160 million can buy you in the world of luxury yachts, click on the image below to find out.
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Getting Ready for the 2010 FIFA World Cup
 I was recently invited
by the Saxon Boutique Hotel & Spa in Johannesburg, South Africa - a member of Leading Small Hotels of the World - to train
their team of butlers in anticipation of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. This was my first trip to South Africa
and I was grateful to receive such a warm welcome by the hotel managers and
employees. Using the Hotel Butler
101 program, the butler team was taught the practical skills that will set the
Saxon Hotel apart as it delivers butler service at its best. The program included everything from
First Impressions, Body Language and Guest Arrival to Garment Care, Etiquette,
Room Service, Table Setting and more. The objective was to elevate guest service so that it is consistently peerless,
discreet and personalized. The Saxon Hotel is no
stranger to VIP guests. In the
past it has hosted such high profile individuals as President Clinton, Nelson
Mandela, Oprah and Elton John. Case Histories |
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Congratulations to Langdon Hall!
 Last year I had the pleasure of being engaged for a training assignment by Langdon Hall Country House Hotel and Spa in Cambridge, Ontario. Just this week it was selected as number 77 by the prestigious San Pellegrino World's 100 Best Restaurants for 2010. Congratulations to Langdon Hall on this significant achievement! Case History |
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iPad: Hotel hype or
help?
14 April 2010 8:37 AM 
Associate News Editor
patrick@hotelnewsnow.com
INTERNATIONAL
REPORT-More than a week after its release, the techno-pundits and early
adopters are mixed in their reactions to the iPad, Apple's slick touch-screen
tablet computer. Within the hotel sector, consultants and operators believe the
gadget will serve a practical purpose.
Ask Charles
Yap, and he will tell you it's the buzz and the utility that makes the iPad
interesting.
As director of
global brand communications for InterContinental Hotels Group, Yap is aware of
both the buzz surrounding Apple's newest gizmo as well as the capabilities of
its intuitive interface.
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New Money and its Challenge to the Private
Service Professional
It's very
easy to sit in judgment and disparage the "nouveau riche". It's done all the time. The media loves
to make fun of the young and moneyed and the public loves even more to hear
stories of their folly and extravagance. As they say in the newspaper business, "it makes good copy."
In my
business, I hear over and over again from people looking for employment that
they will not work for the "nouveau riche." They justify their position in any number of ways. For me, however, such declarations are
always form of bigotry and tell me more about the snobbery of the individual
making them than I'm sure they would like.
Admittedly,
new money does bring its challenges not only to the lucky individuals who have
it but also to those men and women who work for them. Matters can be further complicated by the combination of
newfound money with youth. For
example, Over-Stepping Boundaries (OSB) is an all too common error made by both
employers and employees. When an
employer does it it's often because they confuse a working relationship with a
friendship. The bottom-line is
that the running and organization of a newly constructed mega-mansion isn't
done by instinct. It's a skill that is learned over time.
A House
Manager has a critical and potentially very rewarding role in assisting a young
family to navigate successfully through these choppy waters. The key to success is the following: -
Remember that you are "assisting" and not "teaching". A House Manager is after all in service
and the notion of being an "assistant" is more in line with that role than a
"teacher".
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Be Diplomatic. The language that you use when offering advice is
as important as the advice itself.
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Be Gracious even when your "assistance" is not well received.
-
Be Consistent so that operational procedures become standard and
expected over time.
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Give each other the benefit of the doubt and that no one ever
wants to feel judged.
-
And finally, stay professional and you'll never go wrong.
Remember,
relationships always need time for healthy germination. While money might be
earned overnight, building a successful household from the ground up will
always take time. |
The Butler Speaks
 Come visit us at our blog "The Butler Speaks" for the latest in Butler News.
In the upcoming weeks, we'll be posting some fun travelogue videos of my recent trip to India.
Remember, we love lots of questions and always do our best to answer them all.
The Butler Speaks
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Join us on Twitter
 Now you can follow what is happening at butler school and elsewhere by joining us on Twitter. We hope to see you and look forward to following your tweets too!
You can find us easily with this Twitter Blog Link or follow us @butlerschool if you already have an account.
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Charles MacPherson Associates
Charles MacPherson Associates Inc. has over twelve years
experience in the luxury residential market and the luxury hospitality
market. We have four complementary lines of business:
* Advisory & Consulting
* Training
* Placement
* Academy
Today we would like to highlight The Charles MacPherson Academy for Butlers and Household Managers, which is a certified Private Career College located in Toronto, Canada. We teach those individuals seeking to enter the world of service,
individuals seeking to upgrade their skills, and employers who wish to
enrol their staff for specific skills development.
info@charlesmacpherson.com
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Contact Information
Toronto:507 King Street East Suite 100 Toronto, Ontario, M5A 1M3 CANADA (416) 369-1146 office (416) 369-1743 facsimile New York:134 West 82 Street Suite 3B New York, New York 10024 United States (212) 877-6962 office (917) 441-0064 facsimile
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Clothing &
Valet Care 101
Clothing & Valet Care 101 (2 days) This course will include
fashion, colours, understanding designers, how men's and ladies clothes are
made, understanding the difference between ready to wear, made to measure and
couture, learning how to correctly build a gentleman's and lady's closet. - Suitcase
Packing
- Suitcase
Unpacking
- Packing
for Employers
- Caring
for Furs
- Leather
/ Suede Shoe Care
Course Schedule |
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Housekeeping 101
& 201
Housekeeping 101 (2 days)One of the most important classes begins with a lecture on understanding the
importance of light, temperature and humidity and how it affects the household
and furnishings. Additionally the class covers dealing with spills, safe
cleaning techniques, tools, reviewing different surfaces, furniture pieces and
how to correctly clean a room, bed making and including turn down service. Housekeeping 201 (3 days) Hands on classes learning to correctly clean bathrooms, bedrooms, how to
appoint guest rooms, guest bathrooms and then all of the different methods of
suitcase packing and unpacking from clothing, make-up, shoes and dealing with
dirty items and finally long term clothing storage. Course Schedule |
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Table Setting
& Service 101
Table Setting & Service (3 days) A hands-on class includes learning different utensils, china, glassware for
service and dining. We proceed on to table setting table space calculation and
the different methods of table setting from around the world, as well as
understanding the types of table service, napkin folding and the order of
service chart. This course is at least 50% hands on.
Course Schedule |
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Laundry 101
Laundry 101 (3 Days) Understanding the laundry symbols chart, how to correctly use a washer and dryer, preparing clothes for the wash, dealing with stains, ironing, folding of laundry and linens, using a mangle machine correctly, steaming ball gowns, mending buttons dealing with dry cleaning and dying dark clothes. All of this and more is done in our Miele Sponsored Laundry facility at our Academy, the only one of its kind in the world! Course Schedule |
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Butlering Skills
101
Butler Skills 101 (1 Day) A professional butler teaches butler traits, code of ethics and then
traditional items such as ironing a newspaper, answering the door, making
coffee, making tea, dealing with different kinds of coffee such as espresso,
cappuccino, latté etc. and finally setting the perfect fireplace. Butler Skills 201 (1 Day) This class goes to the next level of service including tray service how butlers
manage household and difficult situations within the household and dealing with
employer demands. Course Schedule |
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Household Management 101 & 201
Household Management 101 (2 days) This class delves into
the business aspects of household management beginning with abbreviations of
the industry, managing household inventories, procedures, manuals, petty cash,
and general best practices for a successful over-all household management
structure. Know your target audience. Who are your most important clients or
prospects, and why? Household Management 201 (2 Days) This advanced level covers household
management issues at the highest level. Attention will be paid to managing
large-scale estates and families with multiple properties, large numbers of
staff and guests and family members with high profiles. Common problems and
issues one typically encounters will be addressed. Course Schedule |
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Household Mechanicals 101
Mechanicals 101 (1 Day)An expert from the service industry assist students to understand complexities
of a modern household's operating systems and the need for engaging the right
professionals to ensure that the systems run properly. Course Schedule |
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