Guy Simpson

Keeping busy

I'm happy to report the Hyatt has been keeping me very busy over the last few weeks, and I've been getting involved with a variety of different projects across the hotel. My first task was to rebuild a concierge database which is essentially an A-Z of all things on offer in Singapore from restaurants and shopping to museums and landmarks. The resource hadn't been updated since 2004, so needless to say, most of the material needed updating badly. It took me a few days to bring the database up to date, but the the research process greatly increased my local knowledge, and by the end of the week I left the concierge service armed with lots of insider information about the city!

The following week, Alastair and I were assigned to the sales and marketing department, where we observed first hand how the hotel positions it's products to remain competitive in the cutthroat Singapore marketplace. We also had a crash course on the complex yield management system which ensures that the hotel always sets the room rate at the optimum level to maximise revenue. Sales and marketing is definitely an area that interested me greatly, and I'm eager to learn more about this aspect of the business before my internship comes to an end.

Most recently, I have joined the spa team which is currently involved in a huge redevelopment of the entire spa and fitness complex. The existing leisure facilities are nearing the end of an extensive renovation and will be relaunched as an entirely new concept. It is a particularly exciting time to get involved with the team as the project is entering the crucial final stages of development and there is a huge effort to get the facility ready for its grand opening next month. I have been busy assisting the management team, and have had the opportunity to take on real responsibility and get heavily involved with the rebranding process.

Cultural observation: There's only one way to get stoned in Singapore...

It's no surprise that Singapore's drug laws are notoriously strict. The country takes law and order extremely seriously and all regulations no matter how trifling are stringently enforced. The same zero tolerance applies be you guilty of high level corruption or chewing gum on the street. It may seem surprising then, that I can confidently count the number of policemen I have seen on the fingers of one hand - and I've been living here over four weeks! Crime simply isn't an issue in Singapore.

A recent Straits Times article I came across was particularly revealing: according to the paper, conditions in the country's prisons are spartan at best, and a number of crimes still carry the death penalty. Last weekend I glimpsed the imposing Changi jail through barbed wire and high security fences on our way to the prison museum. It really isn't hard to see how effective these deterrents are to would-be criminals! Whilst Singapore has adopted a very hard stance, the results speak for themselves. In contrast to many western cities I have visited, wherever I am in Singapore I always feel safe. I am completely free to explore the whole city at my leisure without fear of mugging or straying into the wrong neighbourhood.

At work today I volunteered as a model (read: guinea pig) for the Hyatt's new trainee masseurs; and bagged myself a free massage. Lying on my front for two hours whilst the masseur rubbed hot stones over my back gave me a chance to ponder Singapore's law enforcement policies, and I came to the conclusion that the traditional burning basalt therapy really is the only practical way of getting stoned in Singapore...

Out with the old, in with the new!

Looking back at my last entry, this is my first update in over three weeks! Whilst I'll be making sure to post more regularly from now on, it's fair to say that Alastair and I have been working pretty hard over the last few weeks and the going has not always been smooth.. Although the internship program didn't match our expectations initially, I feel we addressed our concerns appropriately and learned much in the process of resolving them; which is the most important thing! I'm really looking forward to the increased responsibility of the new schedule I was given on Monday, and am eager to get stuck into the projects we now have the opportunity to get involved in. Earlier this week Mark Hallan invited Alastair and I to meet with some of Singapore's other Scottish expats - of which there seems to be quite a few! Listening to stories of success out east and witnessing lively debate on the merits of Donald Trump's proposed golf course over (quite) a few Tigers has definitely been one of the highlights of the week so far!