Meaning & use
white glove treatment
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountableinformal
Extremely attentive, careful and respectful service, as given to very important or valued customers.
Grammar: Used with get or give and no article: guests get white glove treatment.
Patterns
- get white glove treatment
- give someone white glove treatment
- offer white glove treatment
The hotel gave us white glove treatment from the moment we arrived.
Premium members get white glove treatment, including a personal assistant.
The moving company handled every antique with white glove treatment.
Common combinations
- get white glove treatment
- Every guest gets white glove treatment at the resort.
- give white glove treatment
- The firm gives its biggest clients white glove treatment.
- offer white glove treatment
- The clinic offers white glove treatment for its patients.
- white glove service
- They promised white glove service for the delivery.
- the white glove treatment
- We expected the white glove treatment, but got long waits.
Synonyms and how they differ
- red-carpet treatment
- Red-carpet treatment stresses being welcomed like a celebrity, while white glove treatment stresses careful handling.
- VIP treatment
- VIP treatment is plainer and highlights special status, whereas white glove suggests extreme care and polish.
- special treatment
- Special treatment can be unfair favoritism, while white glove treatment is positive service quality.
- personalized service
- Personalized service means tailored to you, but white glove treatment adds the idea of luxury.
Opposites
Word family
- white glove adjective
- describing very careful, high-end service
- treatment noun
- the way someone or something is handled
- glove noun
- a hand covering
Commonly confused: white glove treatment or kid-glove?
white glove treatment vs kid-glove
Kid-glove means handling someone very gently or tactfully, while white glove treatment is about high-quality service.
Practice
The art shipper offers ___, wrapping and delivering each painting by hand.
Choose one answer.
White glove treatment means extremely careful, high-end service. Red tape is bureaucracy, the cold shoulder is unfriendliness, and short shrift is quick dismissal.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “white glove treatment”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.