Meet the Best Tourism Hosts

From a taxi driver who's got the perfect four-hour itinerary to a tour guide who handles tough journalists to a spa therapist who believes in the power of healing, the stars of Singapore tourism share their personal stories with P@SSPORT.

Working his way up the ladder, with a smile of course

Azhar Aris Bin Hamza Aris, Best Tourism Host - Hotel, entered the hotel industry by accident. When he was 16, a neighbour who was working at the Pan Pacific Hotel contacted him when her colleague failed to show up for work.

Having just finished school and "as I did not have much of a qualification", Azhar Aris, who is now Assistant Front Office Manager of the Grand Copthorne Waterfront, decided to give housekeeping a go.

From then on, he was hooked. The experience of meeting people from various cultures and "the thought of wearing a nice uniform with golden buttons" gave him the drive to pursue his interest.

While working in the laundry department, he decided to find out more about SHATEC, the hotel school run by the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA).

He used his earnings to enrol himself in a certificate course (NTC-2 Front Office Operations), and continued to work part-time in the hotel in various divisions.

In 1996, after his National Service, he was awarded a scholarship from MENDAKI/Hotel Properties Limited to pursue a Higher Diploma in Hotel Management.

Today, Azhar Aris says that the biggest satisfaction he gets from his job is seeing "the smile on the guest's face when you have done something for them".

"It may the simplest of task but it is important that we try our best and remain sincere and honest when providing service at all times," he says.

Winning the award, he adds, is "even sweeter because it places us ahead of other more prestigious hotels in Singapore".

To those aspiring to win the award, Azhar Aris says: "Be yourself, keep it simple and do not make service complicated. Many hotels have set up scripted greetings which may at times come across as "robotic" or "plastic", thus it is important for a service professional to listen carefully and remain truthful in whatever we do.

"I am a strong believer in real service, that is, sincere and friendly service; a simple greeting with a smile and giving your best at all times."

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Once is never enough

You could say Lee Xunzhong, Best Tourism Host - Leisure Attraction, has landed on his feet. The Sentosa Luge & Skyride, where he is currently Supervisor, is his first job after he left National Service.

The 22-year-old undergraduate for BSc Marketing at UniSIM, who counts photography as one of his hobbies, says what he loves most about the job is "delighting guests, exceeding expectations and ensuring memorable experiences".

On winning the award, he says: "Once is never enough! It is a great personal and company achievement winning an award within 18 months of operations in Singapore.

"The management's strong emphasis on consistently delivering exceptional customer service is definitely proving to be a key point in ensuring business growth and profitability."

To those who want to win the award, he has this simple advice: "Join the Luge Team and work hard."

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A showman at heart

Mohamad Yuzaini Bin Israil, Best Tourism Host - Nightspot, looks younger than his years, mixes mean cocktails, is a showman at the bar and once turned down a job offer from the owner of one of Europe's luxury hotels.

You can also tell the Assistant Operations Manager of one of Singapore's trendiest chill-out places, One Rochester, is in love with his job. He's been in food & beverage for 15 years and says, with a grin, "I look young but I'm actually 35 ++."

He started as a part-time waiter in a member's club in a fine dining restaurant. After two years, he switched to bartending and later, entered the hotel industry. He stayed with the hotel for 13 years after which he felt it was time to move on to a private establishment like One Rochester.

"In hotels there are rules to follow whereas in clubs or private restaurants, you're free to do whatever you like as long as you don't cause harm to the company.

"At One Rochester, my general manager encourages me to be as creative with my cocktails as I wish to be. He empowers me to do what I like. I love being a bartender because it's fun to create drinks, to entertain guests and to make them feel comfortable."

Yuzaini recalls an evening when he was "the main man" at the hotel bar he was working in. He was being a showman behind the bar, mixing his drinks, when out of the blue, a gentleman came up to the bar and offered him a job as a personal butler.

"He was the owner of a luxury hotel in Europe and he said he liked my performance as well as the way I treated my guests," he says.

Winning this award is down to teamwork, says Yuzaini. "Without my adopted family, my colleagues of One Rochester, I wouldn't have been able to bring the trophy home."

And what does it take to be good service staff? Yuzaini lists "attitude, character and common sense" as being key components.

"You have to like meeting and serving people, you should always be striving to learn and, most important of all, you have to smile and be accessible to guests."

And is the customer always right? No, says Yuzaini, but "what they want is just attention and care".

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Danny takes The Cliff to new heights

You can tell when someone's passion is in the service industry. He never leaves it, even when he does, and he always returns.

Take Danny Chee, Best Tourism Host - Restaurant, Supervisor of The Cliff at Sentosa Resort & Spa.

He joined the tourism industry in 1993 as a room service waiter in a city hotel. After a year, he returned to Malaysia to help out in his family's construction business. He moved up the ranks to Project Manager.

Then he realised his true calling was in the service industry and he returned to Singapore and joined the food & beverage team at The Sentosa Resort & Spa in 2003.

He says growing up in a traditional Chinese family has helped him get to where he is today. "Being courteous and considerate are qualities that run strong in my family. It comes naturally for me - the desire to provide dedicated service to guests."

What he loves most about what he does is "bringing joy to people around".

"In rendering great service, I delight my guests and their appreciation in turn spurs me on to provide even better service."

Winning the award has given him a sense of accomplishment, a sort of fulfillment of a personal goal.

"My efforts and dedication towards service excellence have been recognised. For me, it is a dream come true."

His advice to hopefuls: "Be sincere, enjoy the work and provide excellent service that comes from the bottom of the heart."

Mr Mark Griffiths, General Manager of The Sentosa Resort & Spa, meanwhile, said the thrust for The Cliff has always been to provide "discreet yet personalised service with good product knowledge".

"The F&B service team at The Cliff is trained to know what ingredients go into a dish and what cooking methods we use with the launch of every new menu. A good meal is never complete without complementing fine wines and we have organised Basic & Intermediate Wine training courses for all our F&B service staff.

"The key is continuous training to enhance the service standards and motivation of the staff. We provide opportunities for our staff to continually improve themselves through both internal & external customer service, sales and supervisory programmes. Danny was also involved in an exchange programme with Lotte Hotel Seoul, Korea.

"We feel very proud that Danny had received this recognition for his dedication and consistency in providing excellent service to our guests when he was at The Terrace and now at The Cliff. The award has also elevated service at The Cliff to another level."

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Putting the sparkle into service

Aaron Bek Suan Hao, Best Tourism Host - Retail, has a soft spot for high-end luxury products. Is it any wonder then he decided to venture into the jewellery industry?

To Aaron Bek, Aspial-Lee Hwa Jewellery was his desired employer for being "the only jeweler that constantly launches new product lines, with inspiration from the runway trends".

"It is very interesting for me to learn not only about the jewellery products but also about fashion trends and to be able to share such knowledge with my customers," he says.

Aaron is a natural for the job as well because he loves meeting and talking to people. "This job allows me to do that on a daily basis. I get to meet people from different walks of life and when they are pleased with my recommendations, I get a huge sense of satisfaction."

He sees the award as a form of recognition for Lee Hwa Jewellery and the industry at large.

Being recognised is of course also a thrill and Aaron says to hopefuls: "Enjoy your job! With effort, hard work and a passion for what you do, recognition will come."

Tourists account for about 20% of Lee Hwa Jewellery's customers, according to Ms Candy Koh, Retail Operations Manager. "We have seen a steady growth in the tourist market over the past few years and expect this growth to continue with Singapore's appeal as a global holiday destination. We are seeing more new customers from all over Asia," she says.

She adds: "Providing excellent customer service is one of the values in our mission statement. This value is emphasised and inculcated during our training programmes so that our staff have a strong commitment in providing warm, personable service.

"I feel honoured that we have won this award and very happy for Aaron that his efforts have been recognised. The award reaffirms our company's dedication to customer service and will motivate us to elevate our service standards to the next level."

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For love of wellness and therapy

Armed with a diploma in Spa and Wellness Management in 1993 and imbued with the desire to become a qualified therapist, Siti Khadijah bte Abdul Talip, Best Tourism Host - Spa, took up a further two-year part-time course in Spa and Aesthetic Therapy with the National Institute of Technical Education.

There the therapist at Spa Botanica, Sentosa Resort & Spa, learnt about treatment techniques and applications. "I was then working as a spa coordinator at another spa before I eventually joined Spa Botanica in 2005," she says.

"I love being a therapist as I am able to assess my well-being and that of my guests. In addition, I like to share the knowledge with them," she adds.

What she loves most about what she does is "gaining new knowledge and insights on different professions, cultures and countries whenever I communicate with guests, both local and overseas".

The award, she says, is a "recognition of the good treatment and service that I have rendered to my guests. I am also grateful to my supportive colleagues, management team and guests who nominated me for this award."

What's key, she says, is "delivering sincere and warm service that springs from the heart".

To Mark Griffiths, General Manager of The Sentosa Resort & Spa, the hallmarks of a good spa therapist are "warmth and sincerity along with technical competence and a strong desire to enrich the well-being of each guest".

Given the proliferation of spas worldwide, he notes that the challenge of finding good spa therapists has become a global challenge and is not confined to Singapore.

"The growth in popularity for spa has surpassed the supply of good therapists. Training institutions are coming on stream quickly and the standards of spa education is improving."

Spa Botanica has a total of 13 full-time therapists. "Having our own full-time trainer and a strong programme of continual development have helped tremendously in fortifying our training for the team," he said.

Last year, Spa Botanica was awarded SpaAsia Crystal Award for Best Spa Education.

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Journalists are tough bunch, but "it's how you handle them"

One could say Garry Koh, Best Tourism Host - Tour Guide, who's been guiding for 11 years, has one of the most challenging jobs of all. He specializes in taking journalists around Singapore.

Journalists, in particular, are after all tough and cynical and are known for asking tough questions. But says Garry, "Yes they are cynical and they do ask tough questions but it depends on how you handle it. Most of them want juicy stories and not the straightforward ones.

"I show them the true side of Singapore, what we have achieved since independence and honestly, there is nothing negative they can write about Singapore."

What about Singapore's reputation for tough laws and rules that the media has sometimes highlighted? Says Garry: "These are what makes Singapore tick. I explain that to them."

Garry, you could say, is a true patriot. Ask him why he does what he does and he says, "I love this country and I want to show it off."

According to Garry, the most-asked question by journalists is "how can we be so unique? They are puzzled. They say, we have no natural resources, yet we are one of the richest nations in the world. How did we achieve that?

"I give them two examples. The people, we work hard and our society is clean and efficient, everything works. Where else can you walk around safely at 2am and where the pubs and bars open till 6am?"

Then, of course, there's the food. Everyone of his guests love the food centres. There, he gets them to try "rojak" and at Maxwell food centre, he gets them to make their own "ondeh ondeh".

"I call these cannon balls. You pop them in your mouth and you bite it and the palm sugar just oozes out."

At the end of the day, Garry says, journalists are like every visitor. "They are here to enjoy themselves; it's just that they have to write a story."

This is not the first time Garry has won the Best Tourism Host - Tour Guide award. He won it in 2000. "It's an affirmation that I am on the right track."

Winning the award is not easy, he says. "Unlike other categories, we actually have to conduct a tour in front of the judges."

The key to being a good tour guide, he says, is to "work with your heart".

"You have to love the country. You also have to go out and see new places and attractions so you know what's out there. For example, the Zoo or the BirdPark, we've all been there but you have to ask, what else is there that I can show to my guests?"

You can tell Garry's got a lot of satisfied customers. His website contains letters and pictures of his clients who come back again and again to request his services.

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Four hours to spare in S'pore? Call Albert Tan

Before he was a taxi driver, Albert Tan Kian Min, Best Tourism Host - Transport (Taxi) was in the hotel industry for almost 10 years.

"I guess I must have grown quite bored about doing the same thing day in and day out trapped in a shift routine; although I must qualify that the challenges that faced me each day were unique," he said.

But Albert was sure about one thing - he wanted to stay in the service industry because "all my working life I've always enjoyed seeing people being delighted by good things that happen to them. Whenever I see that happen, it never fails to bring a smile to my face and a fuzzy warmth in my heart."

So in 1997, he took up the Taxi Vocational Licence course and qualified as a cab driver.

What he enjoys most about being a taxi driver is "delighting people, especially those who appreciate good service; they are the ones who provide the motivating factor to fuel me on to the next high".

He adds: "It is indeed a privilege to be able to serve, for in service to our fellow man, is the knowledge and understanding of humility."

To be a good taxi driver, sometimes all it takes is a good listening ear, he says. "Many people today just want someone to listen to what they have to say about how or what they feel and this is important to them.

"Even someone who is extremely angry will calm down sufficiently to listen to reason if you just listen to him long enough. Maybe that's why we are made with two ears and only a mouth."

As a Taxi Tourist Guide, Albert often finds himself showing Singapore to tourists visiting for the first time.

"As they are usually passengers on transit with only a few hours to spare, it is always a challenge to show them what Singapore has to offer, so that they would want to come back again. But I think I may have found the lethal combination (at least for my tourists!)."

He remembers an Australian couple who came by Singapore on their way to Vietnam for their holiday with a three-hour transit time.

"I discovered that they were actually horticulturists and they ran their own durian and mangosteen plantation back home in Darwin! As they took in the sights from the East Coast Parkway down to the Civic and Commercial District of Singapore, they were amazed at the numerous species of flora and fauna that we had just along the highway itself.

He said even in the heart of the Central Business District, they were still able to enjoy the lush greenery that so many of us just take for granted. When he next took them to a wet market in Chinatown they were surprised by the varieties of vegetables, fish, meat and other dried foods available.

"They asked a lot of questions about the spices and herbs that we use in our daily cooking and I bought them the mackerel and the normal "otah" for them to taste before bringing them to the hawker center for a meal of "nasi lemak" with fresh fruit juice. All in all their taste buds were pleasantly tantalised by the different flavours of food that were so easily available and did not rip a hole in their pockets!" said Albert.

A visit to the Chinese and Hindu temple and the Chulia mosque in Chinatown also spoke volumes about the racial harmony enjoyed in Singapore.

"An explanation about the racial riots in the past and the social integration that our government now encourages and supports helped them understand the importance of living together in harmony," said Albert.

"Lastly, since they were durian and mangosteen plantation owners, I thought it was appropriate to let them sample some of the different types of durians that we enjoy here. So, the last stop before the airport was - yes the durian stalls at Geylang Road.

"They thoroughly enjoyed their four hours (one hour added because they were so engrossed with what they were experiencing). They made a stop here again on their return trip and called me for a visit to the Botanic Gardens."

Winning this award, he says, is an honour. "Delighting my customers has always been a service standard I've set for myself and it'll continue to be my service philosophy in my quest for excellence."

As for what he would say to future hopefuls who want to win this award: "Cultivate a listening heart and learn to put others before self. Of course a good service mindset helps too."