A hotel employee smiling and welcoming customers

Hotel driveway ambassador Mr Lai Bo Cheng once impressed a guest at the Mandarin Orchard so much that he posted a comment on the travel website, Trip Advisor, declaring that he had decided to have a remarkable day because of a doorman he had met.

Bo Cheng has honed the skill of greeting guests down to a fine art. Everyday, he greets guests with phrases like – “Have a remarkable day”, or “Have a fantastic day”.

Despite his intellectual disability, his determination has motivated him to think of new greetings and practise them everyday until he gets the words and mannerisms right.

“I feel very happy doing my job, and I love greeting guests,”he said. “Everyday, I practise in front of the mirror 10 or 12 times, until I get it right. I will use the new words until I am familiar, then I will try to learn more new words,” said the 19-year-old.

A happy employee is clearly an effective one, going by what his supervisor, Assistant Chef Concierge Rafiuddin Bin Kamal, expressed.

“He’s very good and he never fails to greet anyone who’s passing by. He definitely makes their day. He’s also a good worker who always comes in on time or even earlier!” In view of this, the management has promoted him from a Doorman to a Driveway Ambassador since he joined in 2011.

In fact, Bo Cheng has even progressed to mentoring other students from his school, Metta School, many of whom have seemingly adopted his chirpy style of customer service, says Mr Rafiuddin.

“I teach them how to greet guests and how to interact with them,” said Bo Cheng, who was the first graduate from his school to take on a front line role at a hotel. Usually, the school recommends them for housekeeping roles.

Mr Rafiuddin added, “He has become a real success story for students in his school, who now say they want to become like Bo Cheng.”