Day in the life: What it's like being a butler at a luxury Las Vegas resort

14.09.2023 - 12:31 / thepointsguy.com

Everything about Las Vegas feels indulgent, from the glittering lights on the Strip to the cacophony of casino slot machines and all-you-can-eat buffets. However, perhaps nothing in Las Vegas is more indulgent than the luxury hotel suites that sit high above the Strip.

These suites can cost more than $10,000 per night (sometimes much, much more) and come with square footage that likely exceeds that of your house, not to mention custom decor, top-of-the-line amenities and 24-hour butler service. You'll find 17 penthouses, experiential suites and sky villas that fit this description at the Palms Casino Resort.

Stay in a penthouse loft, sky villa or experiential suite at the Palms, and you'll be treated like the high roller that you are, thanks largely to butlers like James Hogg, the resort's lead butler.

Hogg shared what it's like catering to Las Vegas' most elite clientele and what he finds most rewarding about his career with TPG's Tarah Chieffi.

Quotes have been edited for clarity.

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I started working in hotels at the age of 16. I grew up in Farnham, England, a town about an hour and a half south of London and began my hotel career in the 1980s. It was far enough back that I remember having meetings about putting black-and-white televisions in the hotel rooms.

I took an apprenticeship that put me on the path to becoming a butler. After receiving my hotel and institutional management degree, I was sent to London for my apprenticeship. After a long day folding napkins with the bar manager and restaurant manager from the Hilton Park Lane (who had one foot out the door and into retirement), they suggested we do something a little more fun.

They taught me the traditional ways of being a butler. After a year and a half of working with them, I had learned all the old trade skills. I could serve as a barman and a waiter, but I also knew how to pack and unpack a suitcase, how to make a good cocktail, how to steam and iron clothing, how to cater to someone's specific diet and even how to shop and put outfits together for guests.

Because I was formally trained, I led my own butler team when I moved to Vegas with my family. They wanted a European-style butler, not just someone who wheels in a plate of food. Guests in the high-end suites have their own team when they are at home and want the same when they are away. I came to the Palms in 2022 and now lead a team of six permanent butlers and our support staff.

The day starts with the handover from the night team. The butlers on the night team will share anything that happened overnight with the daytime butlers. Then we go through the rooms that will be checked in to that day and make sure