The General Manager of Scarlet Hotel, which bagged the Best Accommodation Experience - Superior award at the Singapore Tourism Awards 2008, is a man who believes in continuous learning and education. Recently, Mr Fong Kah Seng became the first Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) Scholarship recipient to study at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) Singapore's William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration. The scholarship is worth S$20,000. P@SSPORT speaks to Mr Fong.

Q: How does it feel to be the first SHA Scholarship student at UNLV? 

I'm very honoured to be the first recipient of the SHA Scholarship as UNLV is recognised as the leader in hospitality studies.

Q: How have you found the experience?

It has been both vigorous and exciting to be in a course that gives me the opportunity to interact with like-minded individuals from all around the globe, including Korea, Indonesia, US, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Hong Kong.

Q: Why do you think continuous education is important? Isn't experience enough? After all, you have been in the industry 24 years and must have learnt and seen a lot? 

Continuous education is pivotal as it helps to open my mind to new perspectives. I would want to keep challenging my mindset, to learn to analyse situations from different strategic and tactical viewpoints. Experience may not be entirely sufficient with the relenting pace of technology, plus the learning curve is expected to become even steeper in the future.

Q: Do you think new skills are needed in the hotel industry in Singapore? How do you think it will change with the entry of the two Integrated Resorts and what new skills will be needed by general managers such as yourself?

The war for good talent is intensifying in the hotel industry. Selecting, training, rewarding and retaining staff will be major concerns for hoteliers. Also, we would need to handle strategic human resource management issues such as managing different staffing expectations - ranging from fresh school leavers to Gen Y'ers, to retirees and housewives returning to the workforce - as well as the intercultural diversities of employees. The skill sets and mindsets of the general managers will be provoked to thinking outside the box; from continuously exceeding guests' expectations, invoking incentives, training and development, to retaining of good staff.

Q: How is business faring? There's been a slight slowdown given the tough economic climate. Has Scarlet been affected? 

Business has been positive and we are currently performing well amidst concerns of the current economic slowdown. We have built a niche market of well-travelled individuals who prefer us over others, as they have come to realize that their choice in hotels reflects their unique style and personality. This has given us an advantage in today's market and we are motivated to retaining this position.

Q: How do you see The Scarlet faring against the competition in what is increasingly a more competitive market?

As innovators and pioneers of the hotel industry - The Scarlet was the first luxury boutique hotel in Singapore - we have grown from strength to strength since our establishment in December 2004. We have garnered not only recognition from our guests, but also respect within the hotel industry; past achievements over the year include being certified as an on-the-job training centre, achieving bizSAFE Level 2 and winning STB's Tourism Awards Best Accomodation Experience - Superior Hotel. We are committed to training and developing our staff; refining and innovating our service and product delivery and delivering the promise of a personalised experience at The Scarlet.