The owner returns for the third season. Your chief steward hands you a single sheet from last summer that says: "Hates starch. Left cufflink drawer. Never touch the blue case." That sheet saved somebody a very bad week, and it is your job to make it better.
What a valet profile is
A valet profile is a written, confidential record of how one guest wants their wardrobe and effects handled. It travels forward between charters and seasons, and it is the difference between a service that feels personal and one that feels like guesswork.
What to capture
| Category | Record |
|---|---|
| Hanging | Hanger type, spacing, garment order (by colour, by type, by outfit) |
| Pressing | Starch level, creases in trousers or not, cuffs, shirt folding vs hanging |
| Laundry | Detergent, fragrance, no fabric softener, hand-wash items, what never goes out |
| Shoes | Trees in or out, polish finish, which pairs are never cleaned |
| Effects | Watch placement, jewellery handling instruction, spectacles routine |
| No-go | Cases, bags, drawers or items that are never opened or moved |
| Dressing | Time before an event that clothes are laid out, who lays them out |
How you build it
- Ask once, early, and properly. At the start of a charter, through the chief steward(ess) or the guest's PA, ask a short set of questions rather than interrupting the guest repeatedly.
- Observe and record. Where does the guest put their watch overnight? Which shirts come back unworn? Which shoes never leave the case? Behaviour is more reliable than stated preference.
- Write it down the same day. Memory is not a system, and you may not be the valet next season.
- Confirm changes. Preferences drift. A principal who wanted everything pressed in 2023 may be travelling with a personal dresser now.
Reading the wardrobe
A guest's own packing tells you a great deal. Garment bags and tissue interleaving signal a wardrobe that is professionally handled ashore. Shoe trees in every pair signal a guest who expects them replaced. Labels cut out, or heavy repair, signal a favourite that must never be sent out. Treat the first unpack as a survey.
Storage and privacy of the profile
The profile is guest personal data. Keep it in the yacht's controlled system, not in a personal phone note or a shared cloud drive. It should contain service preferences only: never observations about a guest's health, relationships, habits or possessions beyond what is needed to do the job.
Onboard Notes
- Do not build a profile from gossip. If a preference is not observed or stated, it is not a preference.
- Never write anything in a profile you would not be comfortable with the guest reading. Assume they will.
- Preferences beat rules. If a principal wants shirts folded and stacked when every book says hang them, you fold them.
- Flag anything you genuinely cannot deliver (a fabric your laundry cannot handle, a press you cannot achieve) early, upward, and honestly.