As a part of the whole Villa Holiday experience, staff are provided at all of our holiday homes - from a weekly maid service at some of our Essential apartments and smaller homes to a fully staffed household of butler, chef, housekeeper and maid at our Flagship villas. In addition, there are also staff providing pool maintenance and gardening services who may be on property during your stay from time to time.
Our Staff
As you might have noticed if you have read some of our Guest Reviews our staff are often mentioned as one of the highlights of the holiday. Details of the staffing and hours worked by the staff at your rental property can be found on the specific web page of your holiday home and we recommend you familiarize yourself with this information. If you have any further questions please feel free to ask your Reservations or Concierge Specialist.
Staffing Levels
Specific details of the staffing for your holiday home are provided on the property web page. If you require additional staffing please let our Reservations or Concierge team know so we can advise you of the options and the cost.
Hours of Work
These vary according to the size and style of the property.
- Most Housekeeping staff work from 9.00 to 17.00
- Maid Service only - This is usually a 4 hour shift to change linens and towels and undertake some minor cleaning tasks. Timing will be advised by your Property Manager and duration will depend on the size of the property.
- Cook- Breakfast and Lunch 9.00 to 17.00 -may also include some preparation of dinner items if you are dining in.
- Cook- Lunch and Dinner 12.00 to 20.00
- Cook- if breakfast and dinner are being catered the cook will work from 09.00 to 14.00 and from 17.00 to 20.00
- Chef- depending on the meals required hours are typically 09.00 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 20.00
We recommend you discuss your plans for meals with the house staff so they can make the necessary arrangements to facilitate your plans.
Overtime can be arranged in many cases but please note this will be charged to your account at an additional cost. In some cases (usually after 20.00) you may also be required to pay for transport home as public transport is not very frequent in the later part of the evening and some of our properties are a little 'off the beaten track'. Staff will endeavour to fit their breaks for meals around your own plans.
Grocery Shopping- Some staff will shop for you if required although some guests prefer to shop for themselves and enjoy visiting both our Supermarkets and Farmers markets -transport costs may need to be covered if the staff are required to do this. Our Concierge team can also arrange for groceries, wine or other supplies to be delivered to your holiday home in time for your arrival and during your stay.
Entertaining Additional Guests- Staff are provided to accommodate and cater for the maximum number of guests permitted at the property. If you plan to entertain additional visitors be advised that numbers are limited to 50% of the maximum occupancy -for example, if your holiday home sleeps four, the maximum party size that can be accommodated/catered will be six. Any additional guests or catering requirements are subject to the approval of the Owner or Property Manager and additional charges may apply.
Your Property Manager or Guest Relations Representative will inform you of the staff and working hours at your holiday home on your arrival. Please remember that these vary from house to house so if you have previously stayed at another Blue Sky Property the staffing may not necessarily be the same. Below is an outline of the tasks and responsibilities typically undertaken by the staff who work in our villas and apartments.
Roles
- Housekeeper - Prepares the home for your arrival and manages the cleaning during your stay. Some housekeepers will launder the towels and linens as well as guest laundry (where this service is offered -but not undergarments). A Housekeeper will also oversee any junior staff -such as in a larger household- and in some cases they may assist with table setting, serving a meal or drinks and help tidy up the kitchen when a cook or chef is provided.
- Maid - Prepares and sets up the property for your arrival. Makes the beds and replaces linens and towels and may also undertake laundry duties -but do not launder guests personal effects.
- Laundress - Strips beds, removes towels, sorts and launders these items. Irons, folds and stores all soft furnishing items.
- Cook - Prepares basic, tasty island cuisine using local ingredients and will develop a menu for each day of your stay in consultation with your preferences. They will recommend a list of items required to prepare the meals -items can be ordered through Concierge, bought by the staff or Butler (if this service is offered at your property) or self-purchased.
- Chef - Able to prepare a variety of international dishes and will develop a menu for each day of your stay in consultation with your preferences. They will recommend a list of items required to prepare the meals -items can be ordered through Concierge, bought by the staff or Butler (if this service is offered at your property) or self-purchased. A chef has received formal training through a recognized culinary institute.
- Butler - In charge of the household staff. Our Butlers will meet with you to ensure your requests can be accommodated and implemented by the household team. They will take responsibility for ordering or purchasing food and beverages including wines and liquors for the household as per guest requests. They oversee the serving of meals and refreshments and are responsible for liaising with the guest in respect of billing for the household purchases during the stay. Note that in some homes a staff member may perform a combination of roles.
Tipping
Knowing who and how much to tip can be a difficult thing to determine. We think that while tipping is meant to be a sign of appreciation for a particular service, it should be given against a background of having received appropriate and respectful treatment. There is no service charge added to accommodation costs and a gratuity is completely at your discretion but is always greatly appreciated. If you would like some specific recommendations please ask your Property Manager or Guest Services Representative.
Here in Barbados we use the term villa to describe a large single family home, normally with landscaped gardens and quality amenities and some level of domestic staffing. Very different from the definition in Australia where a Villa is something much more modest! The term Villa actually originated in Roman times to indicate an upscale country house, in modern times however Villa has come to mean several different things from Barbados villa vacations to luxury villa real estate.
Payment by the visitor (rental guest) to Blue Sky Luxury of a deposit equal to 25% of the total rental fee is required to confirm a booking and payment of the remaining 75% is required 45 days prior to the Client’s arrival. Blue Sky Luxury reserves the right to request a deposit of 50% of the total rental fee before accepting any booking. For bookings in excess of 28 days special terms apply. Payment may be made by Wire transfer, International money order or Credit Card. Where a booking is requested 45 days or less before the Client’s arrival date, full payment must be made within 5 days of the booking being confirmed to secure the booking. If the booking is made within 5 days prior to arrival then full payment must be received before being granted access to the property. If full payment is not made 45 days or more prior to the arrival of the visitor, Blue Sky Luxury reserves the right to cancel the booking and the full balance may be forfeited.