Butler on board

Providing personalised service to billionaires on a round the world cruise ship, Nalin Ratnayake from Deniyaya also delights in being an unofficial ambassador for Sri Lanka

When the cruise liner ‘Silver Shadow’ called at Colombo on Saturday March 22, during its round the world cruise, there was a Sri Lankan on board in a unique and very important position. Nalin Ratnayake, 30, from Deniyaya, is butler to the billionaires on the cruise.

“They have paid more than a quarter of a million US dollars, per person, for the 110-day voyage from Fort Lauderdale,” he said. “By May 6, when the ship returns to Fort Lauderdale, we would have visited 52 ports and 26 countries.” As one of only two butlers on board the 382-passenger ship, Ratnayake looks after the billionaire guests in the ship’s four premium suites. He provides what the ship’s brochure calls “an elevated level of personalised pampering. From unpacking and packing, arranging a private car at the next port, drawing a bubble bath or orchestrating an elegant in-suite cocktail party, Silversea’s impeccable butlers are experts at providing unobtrusive, attentive service.”

How did a boy from the southern village of Deniyaya who attended school there only up to Grade 11, become butler to super rich Americans and Europeans on a luxury cruise liner?

“When I left Deniyaya,” he said, “I did a three month course at a hotel school. My first job was at a small, private hotel in Beruwela and then I worked at Triton (now Heritance, Ahungalla) as a receptionist.”

In December 1996, Ratnayake decided to switch to Food & Beverage and joined the Taj Samudra Hotel. He worked there for five years before going to the famous Jumeirah Beach Hotel in Dubai. “I was trained as a butler and enjoyed the work. Then last year I was asked by someone from Silversea Cruises if I would like to work on a ship. I gave them my details, then forgot about it. Eight months later I was given just a few days to fly from Dubai and report to the company’s office in Miami for the round the world voyage of ‘Silver Shadow’. Silversea Cruises arranged everything.”

This is Ratnayake’s first experience of working on a cruise liner. “I like it,” he said, “although it can be hard because we are always on call. And as the only Sri Lankan on board there is no one to whom I can speak Sinhala. However, the guests are so interesting.”

As one of 295 crew members on the 28,258-ton ship, Ratnayake is part of a multi-national team dedicated to looking after the passengers. The officers are Italian. He is modest about the trust placed in him, which gives him access to the private quarters and even to the conversations and reminiscences of his billionaire guests. “I have learned there is no good balance between money and life,” he said philosophically.

Not all the passengers are dollar billionaires, although the minimum fare is about US$1,000 a day per person, for a 10 to 15-day cruise segment. The fare includes all meals, all drinks and entertainment as well as lectures by famous personalities.

Asked to name the famous and wealthy he has served, Ratnayake was the soul of discretion. He merely smiled politely before saying that he has looked after many different people. “Guests are on holiday. I don’t know what they do unless they talk about it. There have been film stars and famous authors. Some guests are elderly and need special attention and others are very particular about service being on time. I do the best I can to keep my guests happy.”

As a butler, Nalin Ratnayake has become an unofficial ambassador for Sri Lanka. “When people know I am from Sri Lanka, they ask lots of questions. It’s amazing that everyone seems interested in Sri Lanka and I am happy to tell them about this country.”

While in Colombo, Ratnayake met up with his family for a few hours before embarking on ‘Silver Shadow’ for its voyage to India, the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean and Florida. He said he is looking forward to the rest of the cruise attending to his guests, as well as to returning on leave to Sri Lanka in May. (RE) Pix by Gemunu Amerasinghe.