Etihad Airways is the first commercial airline to offer in its new Airbus A380 an extra-large private VIP suite dubbed “The Residence” along with nine First Class Apartments. “The Residence Experience” will include dedicated Butlers on call throughout the flight, offering the type of discrete personal service and attention to detail found in the world’s most exclusive hotels. These hospitality professionals have now been selected by Etihad Airways and will be undergoing specialist training at the Savoy Butler Academy in London, delivered by the University of West London in conjunction with The Savoy Hotel.
The three-week-long training programme will teach Etihad Butlers everything they need to provide a world-class service that caters for the individual tastes of every VIP traveller, from international protocol and etiquette to valeting and from organising travel arrangements to luxury food and wine service standards. The first two weeks of training will take place at the London School of Hospitality and Tourism, University of West London, the leading provider of luxury hospitality management education, and the third week at The Savoy Hotel itself where the trainees will work with the Butler teams of the hotel.
Patricia Paskins, lecturer in the University of West London and Head of International Butler Training programmes, said: “I am thrilled that a prestigious airline such as Etihad has engaged us to train their “Residence” crew to the highest possible standards, enabling them to deliver exceptional and memorable service and passenger care. We envisage that this training will further enhance the airline’s overall service culture provided not only to VIP’s, celebrities and dignitaries but to every passenger that flies with them.”
Professor David Foskett, MBE, CMA, Head of the London School of Hospitality and Tourism, said: “Our collaboration with Etihad in this programme is testament to our expertise in luxury hospitality management which is driving our educational provision at professional, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It is also an illustration of the industry response to the continuously growing demand for ‘luxury experiences’ in the international travel market”.
The London School of Hospitality and Tourism offers a postgraduate programme in Luxury Hospitality Management for university graduates as well as an Executive MA in Luxury Hospitality Leadership designed specifically for industry professionals who would like to get a more strategic perspective of leading hospitality businesses in the global upscale and luxury market.
