Do You Really Need a Cashmere Butler?
Butlers are par for the course these days in just about any luxury hotel, but how often have you come across a cashmere butler? New at the Balmoral, a Rocco Forte hotel in Edinburgh, the personalized service-available for guests staying in the recently refurbished Scone & Crombie suite-comes courtesy of Derek Umpherston, a 20-year veteran of Scotland's cashmere trade and current store manager of cashmere brand Hawico's Edinburgh flagship.
The Scone & Crombie suite's sumptuous textiles-upholstered on the furniture, hanging from the windows-are enough to inspire you to take home something of your own. Ring for Umpherston, who will bring up a tray of cashmere swatches and help dream up a wrap, sweater, hat, or gloves in the colors you choose. Like all of Hawico's cashmere, selections will be made in the company's mills in the Scottish town of Hawick and then delivered to your door.
"It's all about hospitality-what can we do to make our guests feel special?" says General Manager Richard Cooke. "By opening our little black book to the experts in this field, we give our guests a bespoke service from the comfort of their suite."
For the more sartorially curious, the Balmoral can arrange private tours of Scotland's mills, giving guests a chance to meet with the craftspeople behind cashmere and also tartan and tweed, the country's most iconic textiles.
Adds Cooke, "It's our duty to bring Scotland to our guests."
Balmoral's Scone & Crombie suite, from $5,200 a night, roccofortehotels.com (cashmere butler service complimentary for suite guests). Hawico cashmere, from $195, hawico.com.
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