Profile of Werner Leutert

My parents were Swiss and I was born in Maryland, USA.   I grew up in the traditions of Swiss hospitality, efficiency and appreciation for manners and protocol.   My service nature led me to earn a BS degree in Restaurant and Hotel Administration from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA.

I began my service career as manager of a family owned resort in the Adirondack Mountains of New York; at the Irondequoit Club Inn.  Here as a young manager right “out of the box”, I was exposed to a concept that differed from the hotel school focus on managing for profit.  The property had old traditions and was  focused on satisfying the owner’s needs, and was only available to “family” and  a select public to enjoy the facility as space allowed.  The owner’s desired me to  manage for tradition and for their own needs and they were willing to cover any shortfalls in income versus expense. 

Next came 18 years service as Butler /Estate Manager of the Glendorn Estate, now a Relais and Chateaux affiliated property www.glendorn.com, but completely private during my time there.  As the largest single employer of domestic staff in Pennsylvania during the 80’s, Glendorn employed over 60 persons during peak summer periods in all the traditional household positions ranging from cooks, to housekeepers, nannies, drivers, and more. While catering to the wishes and sensibilities of 6 distinct branches of the same family who owned the estate, I became intimately familiar with the challenges of keeping the respect of family members and staff.

After the family Matriarch passed and oil fortunes dipped in the 90’s, the owners of Glendorn Estate decided to open up the facility to paying guests as a destination resort for an exclusive sector of the public.  I then decided to continue in private service- next as the formal Butler for a family in a fully staffed residence in Naples, Florida. 

Several years later, seeking to capitalize my understanding of private service employment from the perspectives of employer and employee, I opened my own private service staffing consultancy in 1999. 

I am keenly interested in all matters concerning Butlers, House Managers and other private service personnel.  I  have frequently been asked to consult on a variety of staffing and non staffing projects including site visits, coaching for employers and employees, specialized projects such as the recruitment of Paul Hogan, Butler extraordinaire for the Fox Television hit show Joe Millionaire and many other projects large and small.   Through a newsletter and an ever growing network of contacts, I reach out to and keep in contact with other professionals in private service.

As President of the International Institute of Modern Butlers, www.modernbutlers.com I am available to answer questions, provide ideas and consult with you on matters pertaining to education and training in private service situations in the private home as well as in specialized service venues such as hotels, spas and resorts, where personal service is an art form. I understand traditional values in the modern service context.