"It makes my day when the guests are happy."

As Chef Concierge for over 20 years, Sam Osman takes pride helping guests to enjoy their time in Singapore when they stay in the hotel. Often seen offering guests Singapore itinerary suggestions at the hotel lobby, Sam is frequently called upon by for help by regular guests who need a favour during their stay at PARKROYAL Beach Road.

As a past president of Les Clefs d'Or Singapore—the society of concierges in Singapore recognised by the crossed golden key symbols on their uniform lapels—Sam offers this nugget for those interested in working in a hotel: “You must know what you want to do and put in your heart and soul. Only by achieving that will you enjoy what you are doing in the hotel.”

Serving 11 years at PARKROYAL Beach Road’s concierge desk, Sam handled strange requests and even broken up fights. However, his proudest achievement probably came when he fulfilled a request at the unearthly hour of 3:00am in the morning.

A guest wanted 300 roses to make up for an earlier spat with his lover. “I did it, by calling my contacts,” Sam recalls with amusement. “We activated four florists who were sleeping at home comfortably. And we managed to get 280 roses."

"Now their children call me Uncle Sam."

Introduced to work at PARKROYAL Beach Road by a friend 20 years ago, Liza Wong related how her 20 years at Ginger have had their ups and downs.

Once, Liza endured a two-hour scolding from a guest who claimed to have found a fly in the soup. Liza says, "We don’t take it to heart. The guest is always right."

Relating happier incidents with a glint in her eye, Liza shares, "We are happy when our guests remember us. We are close to many regular guests who patronised the restaurant for years. One guest, whose business is based in China, visits without fail every Chinese New Year to give our staff angbaos!"

To young people who wish to work in the hospitality trade, Liza offers these words of advice: "You must be serious about the job; it takes time to learn."

Indeed, there is little that can faze Liza, who started out as a waitress and rose to the position of captain in the last 15 years.

So what made Liza stay on at PARKROYAL all these years?

"I am able to do my job well. I look forward to going to work because of all the close friends I have made; many of my colleagues and I have worked together for years," replies Liza with a grin.

Although Yin Wen Ming has only worked a short two and a half years at PARKROYAL Beach Road, the bashful Anhui native is already excited about passing his housekeeping knowledge to new staff.

"I am grateful for the work, and not even thinking of going back [home to China]," Wen Ming remarks, even though he has no family here.

Replenishing room amenities and restoring rooms to pristine conditions, Wen Ming says, "I enjoy meeting our hotel guests, and I always look forward to develop myself and learn new things."

Long-staying guests have come to recognise Wen Ming and treat him as a close friend. He notes, "Some regular guests have become a lot friendlier to me; they no longer feel like strangers unlike before."

To people keen to work in the hotel industry, Wen Ming has this to say: "Work hard, strive for excellence, and be an outstanding associate."

"This used to be a car park," reminisces Dorothy as she steps into the call room at the back of the house. A veteran of the hotline, Dorothy has worked a remarkable 45 years at PARKROYAL Beach Road, hailing back to the early days of the hotel when it just opened.

While most of her calls these days are general enquiries on room rates, places of interest, and marketing promotions, quite a handful of her guests became firm friends after many telephone conversations. Once, a returning guest even called the hotline just to say hello and wish her well.

Despite being out of the limelight, Dorothy never thought of changing jobs. She relishes the opportunity to train and mentor new staff, and now considers the hotel a home away from home.

Dorothy remarks, "When we started out, we had nothing. Not even pen and paper. I don’t want to start over, and everyone here is like family."

Stay at PARKROYAL on Beach Road, and let us be your trusted local companion in Singapore’s cultural district of Kampong Glam and the PARKROYAL family.