When Carson the butler returned to British television screens last weekend in the third series of Downton Abbey , the Crawley family’s dour and resolute servant might not have seemed the most obvious arbiter of fashion. Yet in his neatly pressed tailcoat and carefully slicked hair, he embodies a trend creeping with utmost decorum through hotels across Britain.

In June, the 21-room Plas Rhianfa boutique hotel in Anglesey opened offering a ￡300 per day butler service, while Brides Manor at Stanbrook Abbey in Worcestershire did likewise, charging ￡250 per day with a minimum two-day booking.

Meanwhile, Cameron House, a baronial mansion on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland, has hired George Telford, a butler with 30 years experience of serving wealthy families and royalty. Guests staying in the ￡1,025 per night Whisky Suite can now enjoy a “luxury butler experience” – Telford will unpack their bags, serve afternoon tea, iron their clothes, run a bath and even arrange cocktails on an island in the loch. If you mention Downton when booking, they’ll even throw in a complimentary chauffeur service from Glasgow station or airport.