1. Your Favourite Country and hotel you’ve stayed in?
Taipei and Bali are both destinations I like to return to regularly. Firstly, as a foodie, good food experiences are very important and both cities have great hipster cafes, awesome restaurants and lovely street food. Secondly, there are great local makers and little boutiques in Zhongshan (Taipei) or Canggu (Bali) so you can get lost in a street and just spend a day discovering.
When you ask a hotelier to name a favourite hotel stay – the answer will be a long one! The most stunning hotel I’ve stayed in was the Villa Treville in Positano – the owners actually funded the Crazy Rich Asians movie so the staff all thought every Singaporean staying with them is a CRA, which was highly untrue in our case. The hotel had a stunning view from every corner, even the gym is set in a garden setting overlooking the cliff. You could also take a complimentary speedboat to the main city of Positano and take in the stunning views. The most rejuvenating stay and best service was recently at the Capella Shanghai – every detail about that hotel was so thoughtful. The architecture is an old style Shanghai villa and so unique, but what stood out is the service from the staff – from check-in to breakfast to departure – everything about the experience really rejuvenated me. Good service makes you feel seen and there is something both revitalizing and life-giving about that.
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The Eden Reserve, an Airbnb in Perth by Limin
2. What do you enjoy most about your job?
I enjoy the people (my teams) the most! To deliver on a great hotel stay requires relentless and intimate teamwork amongst many different people (housekeeping to clean your rooms, reservations to get your details right, service at breakfast) and seeing it all come together behind-the-scenes is beautiful.
3. Any interesting stories from working in the hotel industry?
I’ve been reflecting a lot recently about what it means to be a woman leader in the hotel industry and the path I’ve taken to walk this road. Back then when I started in hotels, it was perceived as an industry with no glory and one of servitude. It still is perceived that way, but a little more glamourous since we had Marina Bay Sands and Resorts World opening. I had a bit of a full circle moment recently on why I love this industry so much and my contribution to it that I thought is worth sharing.
When I first started out in hotels, I used to work at a head office and had the opportunity to train a revenue manager from Cambodia. 15 years ago, training this manager was a very new experience for me. We had to overcome the language barrier. But more importantly, as I read deeper into the history of Cambodia and the trauma they faced with genocide and Pol Pot’s reign, I understood that our communication barrier isn’t merely one of language. I remember communication on strategies was challenging, but I persisted gently in working with her and to build trust. Today, 15 years later, we just met up recently, she is a Director of Revenue and a very accomplished one within Cambodia. She is confident enough to debate and present in English and she persisted in the industry during COVID to ensure her 2 children can continue going to international schools. When I met her in 2009, her daughter was just born. Now her daughter is 16, speaks fluent English and aspiring to be a lawyer so that she can help people. This full circle moment was important for me.
It really reminded me of why I love the hotel industry – it is an industry where entry and promotion within is unstructured. It isn’t driven necessarily by academics, qualifications or passing many tests. Your success is built on your ability to make people feel good, to provide them with great memories and to lead teams to accomplish that. And it is precisely this unique character in this industry that it is a place for anyone who is willing to work. In developing countries like Cambodia, it is a catalyst for generational transformation, not just in terms of economic prosperity, but in terms of social and spiritual change. As a woman, I love supporting other women – and when I see this friend who I first met through a training/professional context… Today, she has bloomed into a strong and respected professional, a wise and strategic mother supporting her daughter who will become an amazing lawyer. I feel gratified. I can continue on this path.
I want to share this story because many of us travel, stay in hotels – and if you stay in a hotel and look at your expenditure in a multiplier effect like how I see it, I believe you will be a nicer customer (don’t be that rude human that everyone is waiting to check-out) and you will find a deeper meaning to your travel and interactions with the people who serve you.
Sorry if this is not the funny story you expected!
4. Why you wear Hadasity Phoswear, your favourite piece and what you like about the collection?
Personally, I’ve always wanted to be one of those pretentious people that says ‘Oh I wear a local maker from Singapore’ rather than ‘I’m wearing Chanel or Hermes’ cos I sound more cool. Finding a local maker that had something that suited me isn’t necessarily easy as I want to look professional and put-together, but still approachable and youthful. (I just turned 40 this year, I’m all about looking youthful now after spending years trying to look older in the boardroom).
My favourite piece is the Suited Up jacket – I’ve received many compliments and most importantly, compliments from women. We all know men have no sense of style, so when a fellow lady compliments you, that’s when you know you are looking good. It’s got a unique cut that is Asian and flattering, yet it goes with everything.
Limin wears Wrapped In Light outer jacket
- You read a lot! Who is your favourite author and do you have a quote from any of the books you have read that you love?
Very difficult to pick just one. One author I always recommend as a must read is Anthony Doerr – All the Light you cannot see and Cloud Cuckoo Land. Everyone that I’ve recommended to read ‘All the light you cannot see’ will feel greatly for the story. His writing is beautiful and captures details and feelings that you don’t know how to describe.
Limin wears a bespoke necklace by Hadasity
- You and your dog – how would you describe your relationship?
We have a very unequal relationship. She’s the princess boss who lives rent free, eats high quality food and scares away people who dare to walk in the common public corridor downstairs. I’m the human handler who pays the bills and ferries her around to meet her adoring fans.
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| Phoswear - Vested Peace Outerwear Top | Phoswear one of a kind Jacket |