• A total of 138 winners were recognised for service excellence in the hospitality industry.
• Minister of State Alvin Tan highlighted thanked the winners and highlighted that the kind acts of services will serve as examples that will inspire many and delight guests in the same way
• Dr William Wan, General Secretary of Singapore Kindness Movement, shared his vision of a kind and hospitable Singapore through adapting kindness and service excellence in the new normal

SINGAPORE – 5 Nov 2021 ━ 138 winners were recognised today at the 27th edition of the National Kindness Awards – Service Gold 2021 ceremony. Held at Orchard Hotel Singapore today, 138 service staff and ‘gracious guests’ from 73 hotels attended the hybrid ceremony.

Jointly organised by Singapore Kindness Movement (SKM) and the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), the Awards honour service professionals who go above and beyond to provide exceptional service to their guests, as well as hotel guests who reciprocate service staff with kindness.

All winners were presented the awards by the Guest of Honour, Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry and Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth, Mr Alvin Tan. Due to Safe Management Measures, the rest of the winners observed the ceremony remotely via video conference. As Singapore gears up for gradual reopening with various Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs) set up, it is imperative to acknowledge the service staff who held their heads high despite the slowdown for the past year.

The Service Gold Award recipients were nominated by their fellow colleagues, supervisors and guests, and carefully selected by a panel consisting of representatives from the local hotel industry and SKM. Hotel staff have also recommended the winners of the Gracious Guest award, as appreciation for their kindness and thoughtfulness towards the crew, even though they are hotel guests. Their selfless actions have helped in motivating the hotel staff in providing better service.

Among this year’s award recipients is Myra Balagtas, a Room Attendant at Fairmont Singapore. A stalwart of the hotel, having worked there for 11 years, Myra has consistently made guests feel at home with her exemplary service. A hotel guest who had a minor car accident, injuring her legs as a result. Myra stepped up to check on the guest’s well-being daily, even though it was past her working hours. She even offered to massage the guest’s legs to alleviate the pain. The guest was moved by Myra’s impeccable service, and thanked her for her thoughtfulness.

Another award recipient is Jimmy Lee, who is the Front Office Manager at Mercure Singapore Bugis. Jimmy displays genuine care and concern towards his guests, and it was evident when he took care of a guest who was feeling unwell. The guest has just patronised the hotel’s restaurant and felt faint due to the sudden change of temperature. Jimmy immediately guided him to rest and got him a glass of water to drink. Jimmy stayed with the guest until he felt better, and accompanied him to the bus stop to ensure that he got on the right bus.

Among this year’s Gracious Guest recipients is Keegan Tan, aged 8. Keegan and his family were staying at The Clan Hotel on two different occasions. During their first stay, Keegan made a drawing of Sam, the Guest Experience Manager, while at the tea master station preparing for the welcome tea ceremony. He graciously gave his artwork to Sam who was really surprised with the unexpected gesture. Deeply touched, Sam personally purchased Keegan a sketch pad to show his and the team’s appreciation and to tell him to continue honing his talent in drawing. When Keegan and his family returned for another staycation, he gave Sam two of his artworks. One is a drawing of the tea set-up for turndown service and another drawing of the in-room welcome tea packet. Sam and the rest of the team were very appreciative of Keegan’s thoughtfulness. At such a young age, he has shown generosity and kindness towards others. He is a reminder to the staff of the very reason why they are in the business of happiness.

 

Ms Junie Foo, Chairperson of SKM said, “Kindness is a two-way street and with the society that we live in today, this now includes the service industry. Performing acts of kindness is not limited to the people working in the industry. Hotel guests too, are an important part of the kindness equation.”

 

“All these examples remind us that kindness is not only fundamental to the growth of our society but also important in building a cohesive Singapore as we tackle the challenges of the pandemic together. Small acts of kindness can make a huge difference to someone whose life or livelihood may have been upended as a result of the surrounding uncertainty and volatility,” said Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry and Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth, Mr Alvin Tan.

Dr. William Wan, General Secretary of the SKM, said, “The key to achieving our vision of a kind and hospitable Singapore starts with kindness. Customer experience will never be sufficient without kindness.”

He added, “When you demonstrate kindness in service excellence, it leaves a lasting impression on your guests and colleagues.”

Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, President of the SHA commented, “The pulse of the hospitality industry is our employees – you are truly our gems who bring smiles to our guests and your colleagues. Building a culture of kindness at the workplace is therefore a powerful approach to uplift our employees in terms of happiness which in turn can better help them to co-create wonderful experiences with their guests. I would like to thank our gracious guests for inspiring our employees to continue to champion kindness in their service delivery.”

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Click here for the speeches of the Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry and Ministry of Community, Culture and Youth, Mr Alvin Tan, Chairperson of SKM, Ms Junie Foo, Dr. William Wan, President, Singapore Hotel Association, Ms Kwee Wei-Lin and Fact Sheet.