Tales from the General – Horace Siu – GM
Last month, we had the pleasure of having Usha Uthup, also known as the “Queen of Indian Pop” staying at Southside by Ovolo. Knowing that a global icon like Usha will be staying at our hotel; as GM I knew I had to make her experience extra special and leave her with an outstanding impression at my hotel.
Uncertain of the expectation of a global icon like Usha, who has probably stayed in hundreds of top tier hotels around the word; I did my best to research online in advance and find out some of her preferences. After a lot of consideration, I had prepared an extra special welcome amenity with several unique snacks and drinks which I handpicked personally around the neighbourhood which we had preset in her room.
The moment of truth: On a Saturday, I made sure I came into work on my day off to ensure Usha’s arrival went perfectly. Seeing her come out of the elevators and walking towards our reception along with her entourage, I truly felt an aura around her like a legend has just walked into the building. I did my best to stay composed and introduced myself as the GM. She nodded and the first thing she said was “Hello, I am very hungry, do you have any food available?”
Oh no, why did I not think of this?! I thought to myself, I should have prepared something for her arrival. I initially offered her something at our restaurant, but she only wanted to have a quick bite. She started looking around and spotted our Lobby Wonderbar display where we had an assortment of local snacks. “What about those chips?” as she pointed to one of our Hong Kong made chips we were selling at our hotel’s Wonderbar. “Of course, it would be my pleasure”. We then sat down at a table at our lounge as she started to chomp down on the bag of chips. The mood immediately became much more casual, and we started to have an amazing conversation over a shared bag of chips. Who knew that a simple bag of chips, which costs a few dollars, was all an iconic superstar was expecting.
I was very relieved that Usha had an amazing arrival experience, and she had an enjoyable stay at the end. Moral of the story is that we may overprepare and overthink through challenging situations as hoteliers. Sometimes, what a guest is truly looking for is actually very simple, which is genuine service with a personal touch (like a casual conversation over a bag of chips). This is what makes Ovolo so special and the most important lesson I learned during my 8-year journey with the hotel.
Stay calm and Rock on!
Horrace Siu,
General Manager at Southside By Ovolo in Hong Kong.