For Alfred, being a butler means keeping the Bat Cave and Wayne Manor tidy. He gets Bruce Wayne up in the morning, prepares Batman for night and generally serves as a sage to the billionaire superhero.
For Vincent Saunders, Sandals Royal Bahamian employee of the year 2010/11, being a butler also requires some special abilities.
Championing his country, his guests and his children's future, Saunders describes his career as dynamic, with each day presenting a new set of challenges.
"Don't knock it until you've tried it," Saunders said.  "It is the most rewarding job ever...once you try it you will realize that it is rewarding mentally, physically and financially."
Saunders started in hospitality at the front desk of the Atlantis Paradise Resort, spending about eight years there.  Eventually, he said, he grew to crave a bigger role in the guest experience, beyond the check-in's and check-outs that typify front-desk work, and moved on to become a butler.
He got what he was looking for.  Saunders said he's now a part of his guests' entire vacation experience.  When Saunders isn't greeting a new arrival, he's busy walking guests to dinner, following up with housekeeping or food and beverage to ensure his guests' expectation are met or exceeded, booking tours and excursions, or sharing information about the property or The Bahamas.
Saunders has been at Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau for the last six years, distinguishing himself through service.  This year he was nominated for Sandal's International Resorts International's "Ultimate Team Member of the Year Award", scheduled to be held in Jamaica this month.
The transition to the new career brought one particular challenge, Saunders recalled.  The nature of the job, which involves anticipating guests' needs and managing their vacation experience, demanded that he knew the resort and its various departments intimately, particularly those with a direct impact on the guest experience.
But Saunders said it was one of those challenges that, once licked, has proven an invaluable experience.
"The challenge for me was having to know the entire hotel and now I have turned that challenge into something that has really worked well for me.  I know everything about the hotel.  Now, I have that - wherever I go," the butler said.
When it comes to his guests' satisfaction, the buck stops with him.
Saunders says he leverages that knowledge of the hotel to his guests' advantage.  Fortunately, the buck often starts with him too - increasing the impact he can have on their Bahamian experience.  The initial contact he has with guests is the favorite part of his day.
"Vacation begins when they see Vincent, and Vincent is there to greet them.  I love to be the first person that guests meet when coming to Sandals.  This is my time with them now, and I get to mold their thoughts and ideas about their trip.
"First impressions are the most powerful, and I get to be there the minute they get out of that Mercedes Benz or Rolls Royce," Saunders said.
The luxury car service is a part of the Sandals experience.
The close interaction with guests at Sandals - a couples resort - means Saunders often finds himself not only at the start of a love affair with The Bahamas, but at the heart of unforgettable moments for his guests, too.
For example, a few weeks ago, a guest wanted some help proposing to his girlfriend.
"Leave it to me," Saunders told him.  He went on to set up an evening complete with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, roses, and of course a Bahamian sunset at the beach.  The proposal was made, there were some tears, and a very happy lady became a bride-to-be.
For this super butler, it's all in a day's work.

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