Source:
https://scmp.com/article/247910/parellel-lives

Parellel Lives

Scott Mawhinney, chief concierge at the Island Shangri-La Age: 34.

Career path: I was born and raised in Toronto. As a teenager, I spent weekends and summer holidays working in a French restaurant. My father was the director of Swissair for Canada, so I was exposed to the hospitality industry and often travelled overseas. After school, I went to the University of Western Ontario in London, Canada, and did a Political Science degree. I got a job in a bank, but I didn't like it. I decided I really wanted to be in the hotel industry, so I enrolled on a four-year course at the Lausanne Hotel School in Switzerland. After that I worked in Europe for a year and then decided to travel and look for a job at the same time. I got this job as chief concierge five years ago. I am married and have no children.

Mawhinney's day: I live in Laguna City and take the MTR to work. I get here at 8 am and start with administrative duties. I check that the staff are here - I am in charge of 80 people - and that things are running smoothly. Then I go over the day's activities and make sure I know what functions are being held, if there are any VIPs in the hotel, who is coming, who is leaving, and so on. A concierge is expected to know everything, which is why I read the South China Morning Post, The Hong Kong Standard, The International Herald Tribune and The Wall Street Journal every morning.

We have a hotel staff meeting at 8.30 am and then one for executive staff at 9.15 am. These meetings are important because good communication is what makes a hotel run. I spend about 90 per cent of my time interacting with hotel guests. A lot of businessmen stay here, so I see myself as a business facilitator: I help them in any way I can, providing it is legal and moral. I advise them on where to eat, where to shop, book their limousines, make dinner reservations, check airline tickets ... you name it.

The most exciting time in my career was during the handover when we were so busy I had to stay at the hotel.

This is a challenging job because you need to be able to find solutions and think on your feet. During the Lunar New Year fireworks I was summoned to the executive suite because the window was fogged and they couldn't see a thing. I got a broom, tied a towel around the end and hung out of the window to clear it. I get Sundays off and am doing an MBA so I study then.

Salary: $24,000 a month.

Ambition: Become a hotel manager some day with an equity interest in the property.

Sam Chan, chief concierge at the Furama Hotel Age: 50.

Career path: I was born in Hong Kong and went to school here. After school, I had no idea what I wanted to do so I started work in an import-export company. I enjoyed interacting with people so after about a year I saw a hotel job advertised and applied. I started at The Ambassador in Tsim Sha Tsui, which is no longer in existence. I worked there for nine years, starting as a bell attendant, then I would go to the airport to collect guests. I worked in various positions in the front office and became a concierge after about five years. In 1984 I moved to the Kowloon Shangri-La and stayed there until about seven years ago, when I moved with my wife and two children to Canada. I went into a trading business there, but the economy was so bad that I came back in 1996 and joined the Furama Hotel as chief concierge.

Chan's day: Even after all this time my job is still a challenge - no two days are the same. I start at 8 am and when I finish depends on what functions are going on, if VIPs are checking in or out, and so on. I usually get Sundays off, but again this varies. Long hours are the nature of the job.

A concierge is the bridge between the guest and the hotel, so it is very important that I am able to meet guests' needs: there is no such thing as not being able to help. I get asked where to shop, what gifts to buy, matters of etiquette ... One of the strangest requests I had was from a hotel guest - a Hong Kong expat who was leaving town - who had to fly out before the furniture in his apartment had been packed. He handed me his keys and asked me to organise the packing and shipment of his furniture.

Obviously I did it.

Most of my time is taken up dealing with guests, but there is also an element of administration because I am responsible for 30 members of staff and I need to make sure they are doing their jobs correctly and that day-to-day matters are running smoothly. I also train new members of staff, door attendants, for example. I live in Kowloon and take the MTR to work every day.

Salary: $20,000 a month.

Ambition: I would love to own or manage a small hotel.