“The Butler Did It” Takes on a New Meaning at Raffles Hotels & Resorts
Grandeur and impeccable service have been the hallmarks of a stay at Raffles Hotels & Resorts ever since the flagship property—an elegant colonial-style building—opened in Singapore in 1887. Over the decades, guests, including a long roster of literary lights and world-renowned celebrities, have come to expect nothing but the best from the hotels’ attentive staff, including butlers who seem to anticipate every need and fulfill it as if by magic.
Now the luxury hospitality brand is capitalizing on that reputation with a new campaign that underscores the role of butlers in creating a memorable and inspiring guest experience: “The Butler Did It” depicts designer and actor Waris Ahluwalia, tastemaker Robert Rabensteiner, and model May Siu as quintessential Raffles guests who enjoy the beyond-the-call-of-duty ministrations of an unforgettable butler played by model Tim Easton.
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Clever and a bit cheeky, the innovative campaign is the work of creative director Trey Laird, founder of TeamLaird, and photographer Dylan Don. “Raffles is a heritage brand,” says Laird, “but it delivers a modern guest experience that is full of warmth, with a playfulness and sense of whimsy. This was the spirit I wanted to evoke. I’m grateful to the incredible creative talent that, through a shared passion for exceptional hospitality and culture in all its forms, brought this campaign to life in a way that is unique and distinct to Raffles.”
The actors’ backgrounds add to the fashion-forward ambience. Ahluwalia, who founded the House of Waris and has collaborated with other artists on jewelry, apparel, and accessories, has also acted in several Wes Anderson films, most notably, The Budapest Hotel. Rabensteiner is an international fashion magazine editor-at-large. He styled the campaign, which uses the iconic Singapore property as a backdrop.
Over the past few years, Raffles has expanded its luxe hotels to important global destinations—from Paris and London to Istanbul, Dubai, Boston, Jaipur, and Bali, among others—always seeking to express the authentic spirit of a place. The hotels celebrate gastronomy, well-being, arts and culture, and the environment with the goal of famously ensuring that “visitors arrive as guests, leave as friends, and return as family.”
The legendary Raffles butler service is an integral part of that mission. The butlers serve as personal assistants, guides, go-to liaisons, even party planners, always with discretion, imagination, and knowledge of every facet of the hotel. They are proactive and quick to intuit what a guest might want or need before the guest even realizes it.
“With a vibrant aesthetic and sense of wit that is inherent to the Raffles brand, this bold campaign celebrates the hallmarks of the Raffles experience, including the ways our butlers create magic at every turn,” says Omer Acar, CEO of Raffles Hotels & Resorts. “Our campaign depicts the butler as the hero of any occasion, no matter how unconventional. We hope that our guests will now join us in saying ‘The Butler Did It’ when experiencing a surprising moment of delight with Raffles.”
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