Dan the Butler. My life in private service. Notes of a modern day butler .

How to spot a red flag in potential new staff and clients is now second nature but has taken some practice over a number of years with some hard lessons learned. This episode takes a look at some of the houses that divide staff and set traps and some of the red flags that staff have bought into peoples homes causing toxic situations. Some staff can travel thousands of miles to take up a position and when it does not work the consequences can be heart wrenching often leaving the member of staff stranded so you always have to be 100 percent sure about who you bring into your home and whose home you go to work in.

Hello and welcome to my podcast. This is EP1 explaining how I became a modern day butler and what the job entails. From Cartier laden bouquets for Joan Rivers to just being a friendly face in your home taking care of all the hospitality. 2024 definitely is a time where privacy is the new luxury and the use of 2nd homes, luxury villa rentals and the engagement of a butler has risen exponentially and I am here for that!

This episode is about my experience driving supercars for my clients and some of the challenges that can bring and my advice on what to do if your employer/client asks you to sign a waiver leaving you financially responsible for any damage that happens in your care. Driving and taking care of my clients cars is part of the job of being a butler so knowing the ins and outs of Rolls Royce's and Ferrari's is vital, especially when you have to park them in a busy town with everybody watching you willing you to make a mistake!

I have had a love affair with the South of France for decades and was very lucky to live there for 10 years and still work here in luxury villas and homes. Over this series I will include episodes on where to stay and what to do, places that I book for my UHNW and high profile clients that are often overlooked by the annual travel lists of Conde Nast and The Times etc, but I am starting it off with where to eat and here are my favourites within the "Golden Triangle" of the French Riviera. If you have been I hope this podcast transports you back and if you are looking to visit maybe this will give you some inspiration on where to eat too. Let me know if you have been and where would you have recommended https://linktr.ee/danthebutler.co.uk

Dealing with crime in the luxury villas I work at is unfortunately an occupational hazard and one I was not prepared for. Crime can be sophisticated and just outright brazen in equal measure. From luxury villas being robbed to me being gassed in my sleep, I have experienced a lot of different ways that criminals have tried and succeeded to break in. I wanted to make this episode light as my volume of break-ins sits alongside a long career over many years so it is a numbers game! Of course these crimes have effected me, still many years later, especially with regard to when I stay onsite at a new property but if you are looking to buy or rent for a holiday a luxury villa please do not be put off. Know that security measures are in place, act as you would normally at home with regard to locking up and keeping items safe and enjoy your time, plus as the butler, I am treating the night security guards like kings!

Hello, and thank you for checking out my first episode. After a 2 decade career in theatre, Joan Rivers persuaded me to change course and become a full time butler. 15 years later, I am still going strong working for my UHNW and high profile clients at their homes around the world. With old and new money being together now more than ever my style, approach and manner has had to evolve to what it is now - a modern day butler and I love it. Its not just the 1% I take care of, privacy has definitely become the new luxury in 2024 with more people wanting to celebrate, holiday or just be together in style and the use of luxury villa rentals has risen exponentially with me being more in demand than ever! Taking care of people is my superpower and I am very lucky I get to do it in some amazing homes in fantastic locations. I hope you enjoy what I am putting out there and if there is anything you would like me to talk about please reach out. https://linktr.ee/danthebutler.co.uk

EP1. What is a Modern Day Butler and how I got here.  Working my way up the theatre management ladder,  it was the great Joan Rivers who persuaded me to change course slightly and become danthebutler! In a very visual world of social media, I don't feel I am 100% able to show my working life on camera but did want a way to be able document my experiences working for my UHNW and high profile clients around the world and what came out of that are these podcasts. This episode is about the influences I had early on on how to deliver unrivalled hospitality and some of the challenges I face and fun I have in 2023 working as a private butler. Thanks for listening, Dan