A white-gloved hand touching the hall clock

The Salon — House rules

The Nature of the Manor and Our Promises

Keeping the door is also the butler's work.

Queen's Butler — Definition

About The Nature of the Manor and Our Promises

The nature of the Manor and our promises set out clearly what The Salon undertakes, and which uses we decline. While you are in the house, a butler remains inside too, including late at night; no key is handed over; the 19th-century French bed is treated as a training fixture for butler education; and the Manor is not a place to be used as a residence.

A butler in the house, the key, and the bed: three points that uphold the nature of the ManorThree promises

Three promises

Inside the door, a butler is always at your side

A butler waiting for a guest in the gallery of the Manor

While you are in the house, a butler remains in the house

At Queen's Butler, a butler remaining in the house means that for as long as you are inside the Manor, including late at night, a butler is inside too.

No key is handed over; the butler opens and closes the door

Not handing over a key is both a matter of good management and the very form of a house served by butlers.

The 19th-century French bed upholstered in black silk damask

III

The bed is a training fixture for butler education

The 19th-century French corbeille bed is a fixture used for training in dressing sheets and linen.

The Manor of Queen's Butler exists so that you may experience the care and manner of a butler
While you are in the house, a butler remains inside too, including late at night
No key is handed over; entry and exit are attended by a butler
The Manor cannot be occupied exclusively on its own
We do not accept a visit whose sole purpose is the use of the bedding
The Manor cannot be used as a residence, for example by registering an address

The bed and the bathroom

The bed is a training fixture for bed-making in butler education
You are welcome to rest on it during your stay
Please follow your butler's guidance in handling the bed and linen
The Salon has a private shower room
Towels, a hairdryer and amenities are provided
When you use the bathroom, the key and entry and exit remain in the butler's keeping

Rules for outings

Outings are available on stays of four hours or more
Time spent out counts as part of your stay
Please return at least one hour before the end of your stay
If you would like a butler to accompany you, please tell us when booking
Only a limited number of butlers are able to drive
For journeys beyond the Tokyo Waterfront area (Daiba, Aomi and Ariake), actual costs such as parking are charged
If you go out alone, the butler keeps the house in your absence

Food, drink and the table

You are welcome to bring your own food and drink
The Manor does not serve meals
You may watch the butler's handling of the silver as a scene at the table
Please avoid placing anything that could scratch or heat the furnishings, and follow your butler's guidance

Furnishings and photographs

Please use the antique furniture, silver and porcelain under your butler's guidance
The armour, hall clock, silver and porcelain are moved by the butler
Before taking photographs, please ask your butler whether belongings or props may be placed on the furnishings
When photographing a butler, and when publishing the result, please confirm their consent in each case
Please keep the passages and the space before the doors clear so that your butler can guide you safely

Bookings and extensions

Fees are fixed at the time of booking
We do not offer reductions or refunds for changes to a booking
Extensions are accepted only when there is no following booking, subject to availability
For an extension requested on the day, the additional time is charged at 20% above the usual rate

Promises regarding butlers

If a butler appears in a photograph, please confirm their consent to both the photograph and its publication
Requests beyond the scope of a butler's duties, or that would compromise a butler's dignity, are respectfully declined
What each butler is able to do varies from person to person

Membership hours and bookings

Membership hours and visits are upper limits and do not guarantee a booking
If a booking cannot be accepted because of butler availability, we propose alternative dates
Only the portion that could not be booked owing to The Salon is carried over to the following month
Booking priority runs Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, then Visitor

Doors and keys

On arrival, going out, returning and leaving, the butler keeps the door

A butler receiving a guest inside the entrance door

We ask about outings when you book

An outing at Queen's Butler means leaving the house during a stay of four hours or more.

We welcome you at the door

Your butler confirms your name, opens the door and shows you into the Manor. No key is handed over; we take your coat and belongings, then confirm how you would like to spend the day.

Before you go out, we confirm the time and your valuables

Time spent out counts as part of your stay, and we ask you to return at least one hour before the end. If you go out alone, the butler keeps the house in your absence.

If a butler accompanies you, the house is locked

On an outing with a butler, we lock the Manor before setting off together.

The butler opens the door on your return

Your butler opens the door in time for your expected return.

At a glance

Rules on numbers, hours, keys and refreshments, to check before booking

Usual party size	Women only, from one guest to a maximum of six
Late-night stay	8 pm to 9 am the following morning, for one guest only. However late the hour, a butler remains in the anteroom within the house
Butlers	Both male and female butlers. While you are in the house, a butler remains inside too, including late at night
Key	Not handed over. Entry, exit and the opening and closing of the door are attended by a butler
Bed	A bed-making training fixture for butler education. You may rest on it during your stay, but we do not accept a visit whose sole purpose is the use of the bedding
Shower room	A private shower room within The Salon, with towels, a hairdryer and amenities

What the butler keeps

Remaining in the house whenever you are inside, including late at night
Keeping the key and the door, and welcoming or seeing you off at every entry and exit
Dressing the bed linen as a training fixture, and showing you how to rest on it safely
Showing you the butler's handling of the silver as a scene at the table
Quietly explaining how to hold and set down the furnishings and silver when you touch them

What we ask you to keep

Receiving a key and occupying the Manor exclusively
Using the Manor solely for the use of the bedding
Using the Manor as a residence
Photographing a butler without consent, or publishing images or footage of them
Requests beyond the scope of a butler's duties, or that would compromise their dignity

Outing rules

How the butler attends you differs between time in the house and time out

The dining room, with its yew table and chairs and chandelier

Scene	Where the butler is	Key and time
Spending time in the house	At your side, or in the anteroom	The butler keeps the key. You may call with the silver bell
Going out alone	The butler keeps the house	Time out counts as part of your stay
Going out with a butler	The butler accompanies you	The house is locked. Valuables remain in your own keeping
Leaving the Tokyo Waterfront area	Destination and travel agreed in advance	Actual costs such as parking are charged
Changing plans, for rain or otherwise	We receive you at the house and suggest ways to spend the time inside	The order is rearranged within the booked hours
Late at night	The butler remains in the house	Outings are not available

Chauffeured pick-up to and from five points, including Tokyo Teleport Station, is a service that accompanies your plan. On some days the car is not available, so we confirm this when you book. Even if your destination and times are not yet decided, please talk to your butler about an unhurried way to spend the booked hours.

Why

Precisely because no key is handed over, you can be lady of the house inside its door

The reason Queen's Butler does not hand over a key is to preserve, down to the manner of entering and leaving, the fact that this is a house where butlers serve. There is someone to open the door, someone to take your coat, someone waiting for your return. And so you can enter into the time of the Manor without the burden of managing it.

When the butler withdraws to the anteroom, it does not mean the house has been left. When the silver bell rings, we return to your side to attend to tea, lighting, the temperature of the room and the move to the next room. Time spent quietly on your own is not the same as using the house unattended.

On a late-night stay, however late the hour, a butler remains in the house. While you rest on the bed, we withdraw to the anteroom; in the morning, we draw the curtains and prepare tea. No key is handed over. In this house, keeping the door is also the butler's work.

A butler opening the door of the Manor to see a guest off

QWhere is the butler at night?

While you are in the house, the butler is in the anteroom within the Manor. Call with the silver bell and we return to your side to attend to tea or lighting. We stay at a distance that protects the quiet of your rest, yet lets us respond whenever you need.

QCan two friends take a late-night stay together?

The late-night stay is for one guest only. Daytime and evening slots accept up to six guests, so for two, please choose one of the usual slots. To enjoy the Manor by night, the evening slot from 5 pm to 11 pm is also available.

QCan I borrow a key when I go out?

No key is handed over. If you go out alone, the butler keeps the house and opens the door on your return. If a butler accompanies you, the house is locked. In either case, time spent out counts as part of your stay.

QCan I go beyond the Tokyo Waterfront area?

Yes; please discuss the destination and timing with us in advance. For journeys beyond Daiba, Aomi and Ariake, actual costs such as parking are charged. Please return at least one hour before the end of your stay.

QMay I bring food and drink?

Yes, you are welcome to bring your own. The Manor does not serve meals. We ask for your cooperation in placing things so that the furnishings are protected. You may watch the butler's handling of the silver at close quarters as a scene at the table.

QMay I take photographs in the Manor?

Yes. If a butler appears, please confirm their consent to both the photograph and its publication. For compositions that involve touching the furnishings, your butler shows you a safe position. As there are no other parties in the house, you can choose your backdrop at your own pace.