A Butler Contract with Your Buddy
Carrying a relationship nurtured at the Manor into your own home.
About A Butler Contract with Your Buddy
A butler contract with your Buddy is our guidance for arranging that a butler you met at The Salon attends you on a continuing basis at your home or elsewhere. Unlike membership at the Manor or the monthly butler visit, we listen to your wishes on place, frequency and content and then set out specific terms. Fees and terms are detailed on the official THE BUTLER website. A contract depends on the Buddy's availability and comes into being only with the agreement of both parties.
Membership at the Manor and a butler contract rest on different foundations
| Item | The Salon | Butler contract |
|---|---|---|
| Place | The Manor in Odaiba | Your home or elsewhere, arranged according to your wishes |
| Butler | The butler on duty that day, or your Buddy | We confirm whether your preferred butler can accept |
| Time | By the hour, or the hours granted with membership | Arranged around your preferred frequency, time of day and length |
| Content | Service suited to the settings of the Manor | Your preferred settings, discussed against what can be provided |
| Fee | Published rates, or the monthly membership fee | Advised on enquiry |
| How to arrange | Reserve your preferred date and time | Enquire with your preferred place, frequency and content |
Five steps to set out your wishes before enquiring
Reflect on your time at the Manor
If you have met a butler at the Manor, recall the manner and conversational pace that put you at ease. If you have not, we will ask about your present circumstances and guide you on how to proceed.
Tell us which butler you have in mind
If you know the butler's name, please let us know. You may also enquire without a particular butler in mind; we will confirm which butlers are able to accept a contract.
Set out where you would like to be attended
We ask what kind of setting you envisage, such as your home. Conditions regarding region and location are advised on the basis of your specific wishes.
Put the occasions into words
Be specific about the occasions you wish for: personal attendance, receiving visitors, going out. Whether a butler can provide them is confirmed after your enquiry.
Tell us your preferred frequency and hours
Let us know the days of the week, times of day and length of each attendance you have in mind. Please confirm during the consultation how these can be accommodated.
In your home, we ask about the rules of your household before the etiquette of the Manor
Being attended at home is not a matter of transplanting the settings of the Manor; it is a matter of the butler confirming the rules of that place and the way you live. How shoes and coats are handled at the entrance, how visitors are addressed, which items may be touched and where the butler should wait are all discussed at the consultation.
Your household wishes are the everyday details put into words: the hours at which you may be spoken to, the wish to be left alone during family time, the items to be set right before visitors arrive.
A Buddy can draw on the tea preferences and conversational rhythm learned at the Manor, but never omits confirmation. Because home life includes family and visitors, we discuss in advance the consideration due to those present and the scope of information that may be shared.
Three occasions to put into words before the consultation
Everyday personal attendance
Be specific about the occasions you wish for: coats and belongings, tea, confirming the day's schedule. We also ask which items may be handled and where they belong, and advise on what a butler can provide.
Read more
A day of receiving visitors
If you wish to receive visitors, tell us your preferences for greeting at the door, taking coats and where the butler should wait. We confirm the terms with the butler and advise how far these can be accommodated.
Read more
A day of being accompanied out
If you wish to be accompanied on an outing, tell us the destination, travel, doors and belongings that will be involved. Expenses such as transport and the areas covered are advised on enquiry.
Read moreWhat we ask at the consultation
- Where you wish to be attended
- Your preferred frequency and times of day
- The personal attendance you wish for
- The reception you wish for with visitors and on outings
- Your preferred butler and your rapport
Requests we cannot accept
- Requests beyond the scope of a butler's duties
- Requests that compromise the butler's dignity
- The provision of meals
- Assuming that membership hours at the Manor may be used outside it as of right
- Assuming that a consultation alone confirms a contract or its start
Matters to confirm at your consultation
- The form of contract and how it is confirmed
- Fees and the treatment of expenses
- Area, frequency, hours and duration
- Arrangements when the butler is unavailable
- The process from consultation to commencement
Please tell us as much of these six points as you can when enquiring
| Preferred butler | If you know the name, please let us know. If you have not yet decided, we ask about the manner and distance you prefer. We confirm whether your preferred butler can accept a contract. |
|---|---|
| Preferred place | Tell us the kind of setting you envisage, such as your home, and the region. Details of the address are requested after your enquiry, only as far as necessary. |
| Preferred frequency | We ask about your preferred rhythm: daily, particular days of the week, a few times a month. We confirm the butler's availability and travel, and advise on the frequency we can accept. |
| Preferred hours | We ask about your preferred time of day, whether morning, daytime or evening, and the length of each attendance. We confirm the butler's availability and advise on the hours and length we can accept. |
| Preferred content | Tell us in terms of specific occasions: taking your coat, receiving visitors, accompanying you out. We confirm what the butler can provide. |
| Preferred timing | Let us know when you would like to begin the consultation. The possible start date and any confirmation needed beforehand are advised after your enquiry. |
The Japan Butler Association confirms your wishes against what can be provided
The Japan Butler Association, the operator of Queen's Butler, confirms your preferred place, frequency, hours and content against what the butler is able to provide. Fees, the form of contract, terms of use and the process to commencement are advised once we have heard your wishes.
For you and your butler to build a long and reassuring relationship, the scope of the butler's duties and the butler's dignity must be protected. If you wish to add to or change the content, please first consult the Association; we confirm whether it can be accepted and advise accordingly.
QWhere can I find the fees?
The fees and terms of a butler contract are set out on the official THE BUTLER website, which handles butler contracts. If you tell us your preferred place, frequency, hours and content in your enquiry, we will explain them alongside.
QCan anyone enter into a contract straight away?
We first hear your wishes and confirm the Buddy's availability and what can be provided. A contract comes into being only with the agreement of both parties, and we cannot guarantee that one will be concluded.
QDo I need to be a Silver member or above?
We ask about your current membership tier and visits to the Manor, and guide you on how to proceed. There are also ways to confirm your rapport with a butler at the Manor. Please begin by telling us your wishes in an enquiry.
QCan I enquire from outside Tokyo?
Please tell us your preferred region, frequency and hours. We confirm whether we can accommodate you, including travel. The areas covered and expenses such as transport are advised on enquiry.
QWhat happens when the butler is unavailable?
We hear your wishes and the butler's availability, and advise what can be arranged in their absence. Please also tell us whether you would prefer to change the date or to be attended by another butler.
QCan the butler prepare meals?
We do not provide meals. If you have wishes regarding the handling of food and drink, please tell us specifically at the consultation so that we may confirm what the butler can provide.
Four examples of what to confirm when arranging attendance
Settling the entrance and the keys
When arranging attendance at home, you may wish to confirm how the butler comes and goes, where coats and shoes belong, and your wishes regarding keys.
Read more
Learning which items may be touched, and where they belong
You may wish to confirm which items may be handled and which may not, and where each is returned. When this is confirmed depends on the content of the consultation.
Read more
Settling how visitors are addressed and the distance kept
You may wish to tell us in advance how visitors should be addressed, whether coats are taken and how far they are shown in. What can be provided is confirmed with the butler.
Read more
Speaking early of anything that does not suit
A relationship in which you can raise what differs from your wishes, such as when you are addressed or where the butler waits, is what matters.
Read morePutting the boundaries into words, so that service may continue for years
The boundaries of a butler contract exist not to narrow your wishes but to let the butler judge with confidence and continue to serve faithfully. Hours, place, the items handled, the reception of visitors and accompanying you out are all put into words at the consultation stage.
As life changes, so does the attendance you need. If you wish to change the frequency, place or reception of visitors, please consult the Japan Butler Association. The method of change and the confirmation process are advised once we have heard your wishes.
However close your Buddy, we cannot accept requests that compromise a butler's dignity or exceed the scope of a butler's duties. Within these boundaries, we work with you to set out what attendance is possible.
About your Buddy
- A Buddy agreement depends on the butler's availability and requires the consent of both parties. We cannot guarantee that an agreement will be made
- Only some of our butlers are able to enter into a butler agreement
You may also wish to read
Tell us the attendance you wish for in your daily life
Please add your preferred Buddy, place, frequency, hours and content to the enquiry form. Fees and terms of a contract are set out on the official THE BUTLER website, which handles butler contracts.