By SGN | 8 Jul 2024
The most unlikely of inspirations led Robert to Singapore.
Home in Munich for a few months in 2022, he chanced upon a Singaporean documentary on TV. It featured Ah Seng, an ex-convict tattooed from head to toe who had been in and out of prison for over three decades.
His story struck a chord. “I was so moved by how he wanted to do something different but never got a chance because of his reputation,” Robert recalls.
Having concluded a stint at The Langham in Shanghai, the hospitality veteran was contemplating his next role, including an offer to lead the new Mondrian in Singapore. Developed by an affiliate of billionaire Sukanto Tanoto’s RGE group, it is the brand’s first outpost in Southeast Asia and ninth in the world.
“I thought: If I go to Singapore, I will hire Ah Seng as my doorman,” he says. “A few weeks later, I signed the contract. And the first thing I did in Singapore was look for Ah Seng.”
Venturing across the globe
“I was always a little adventurous,” Robert says of his youth. “I wanted to see the world.”
Dropping out of law school, he took up a kitchen apprenticeship, then enrolled at the Hotel Institute Montreux, a leading hospitality academy in Switzerland. “That’s where I made many Singaporean friends. We still meet up regularly, though none of them are in the hotel business anymore,” he shares. “Those friendships were one of the reasons why I came to Singapore.”
As his career took off, Robert worked in nearly every corner of the world, from Portugal to Bermuda to the Maldives. In Guayaquil, Ecuador, he had to train with firearms and carry a gun at all times for safety. In Cambodia, he rode in a 1953 Willys Jeep as general manager of the Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor, the historic institution that had welcomed luminaries like Charlie Chaplin and Jackie Onassis.
Compared with most of his former employers, Mondrian is a younger, more contemporary brand that originated in Los Angeles in the 1990s. Since 2020, the boutique chain has joined the fold of the Accor group, under its lifestyle subsidiary Ennismore.
Robert first came across the Singapore project in 2021 and was intrigued by the 3D rendering of a modern tower rising behind a row of heritage shophouses. “Wow, this is pretty cool,” he thought.
Arriving in Singapore in July 2022, he was eager to explore the exciting possibilities that lay ahead.
Mondrian Singapore Duxton was designed by Singapore’s DP Architects and Studio Carter of Los Angeles. It has 302 rooms, including 5 shophouse suites.
A neighbourhood full of character(s)
Very quickly, Robert realised the challenges he was up against. For one, the Duxton neighbourhood wasn’t the most ideal for a hotel. Footfall was uneven throughout the week, with crowds tending to swell around the weekend.
“Mondrian is a simple hotel, and we were punching above our weight. There were really brilliant new hotels coming up, so how do we compete with them?” he says, referring to properties such as Artyzen, Edition, Pan Pacific Orchard and Como Metropolitan that have recently sprung up.
Exploring the vicinity on foot – always with a Leica in hand – Robert found his answer. “I knew that the strength of the hotel had to be the coolness of the neighbourhood,” he says.
He marvelled at the eclectic mix of businesses: tattoo shops, art studios, local eateries and Michelin-starred restaurants. At the wine bar Rebel Rebel, he met then manager Gerald Goh, a charismatic individual with a background in photography and aspirations to become a sommelier in Berlin. “If I could find five or ten guys like Gerald, I’m good,” Robert thought.
While hotel general managers typically focus on revenue targets and operational efficiency, Robert is also a big believer in the power of branding and marketing. As such, he played a central role in shaping the image and storytelling of the Mondrian in Singapore.
Though the hotel’s own design and F&B lineup are nothing to sneeze at, the 90-second promo video Robert and his team put together focuses squarely on the vibrant culture and compelling characters of the neighbourhood.
“It doesn’t show the hotel even once,” Robert points out proudly.
Breaking the mould of convention
Along with the promo video came the tagline “Provocateurs Welcome”, embodying the renegade spirit and the energy of Duxton that Robert hoped to inject into the guest experience.
Fronting the campaign was a freshly hired squad of “mavericks, mavens and misfits”, starting with Ah Seng, who took Robert’s director of talent three months to track down. Once on board, he was appointed to manage the hotel’s staff restaurant.
Ah Seng’s colleagues were no less colourful. Uncle Kang, a cleaning supervisor, is a former butcher with three diplomas in marketing. Bar manager Adrian Besa is a drag racer on the weekend. Another restaurant manager, Jacqui Chan, is a former synchronised swimmer who competed in the Olympic Qualifiers.
“When we opened, over 50% of the staff did not work in a hotel prior,” Robert shares. “Everyone from retirees to fresh graduates, from the ex-convict to the fancy lady who worked for luxury brands for 15 years. It’s not about the age, it’s about the mentality.”
Assembling this motley crew was seen as a risky move. Rather than poach experienced professionals to ensure the smoothest operations, Robert was treading new territory and exploring potential that nobody else had identified. “The more somebody tells me, ‘You cannot do this,’ the more I like to do it,” he reveals.
While most employers frown upon workers that stay no longer than a couple of years, Robert considers this an unrealistic expectation in this day and age. “Give your best for six or eight months, get some cool experience, and then do something else,” he tells his hires.
In the end, Robert’s big risk made a big splash. “People wrote to me from all over the world saying, ‘Nobody has done this. This is really inspirational,’” he recalls.
Though many, including Ah Seng, no longer work at the Mondrian, Robert knows he has made a difference in their lives, and that’s the greatest reward he could ask for.
Creativity in unexpected places
Upon arriving in Singapore, Robert chose to reside in Tiong Bahru, where he could live in an apartment from the 1930s and experience local culture up close.
“I love the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood, because it’s like a village. People talk to each other,” he says. “You can eat extremely well at the hawker centre. There are some incredible eateries there.”
At Caffe Pralet, he got to know head chef Timothy Chia, whose mother Judy Koh is principal of Creative Culinaire Academy next door and the designer of the grand wedding cake in Crazy Rich Asians.
“Tim is super creative and makes incredible breads and pastries. And so I got him to supply the bread for the hotel,” he says.
Robert has enjoyed capturing Singapore’s various facets through photography.
Moving beyond his usual circle and talking to people in Singapore’s neighbourhoods has led Robert to discover the city’s hidden charms.
“Many people say that Singapore has no creativity, but I’ve found it to be one of the most creative places I have been,” he says. “When I want to get creative, I just walk around the many HDB estates. I take pictures of people and of their unique culture. This gives me a lot of creative inspiration.”
Recently, he stumbled on the local movie Tiong Bahru Social Club and was struck by its bold vision. “It deals in a very comedic way with many stereotypes of Singapore,” he remarks.
This creative side of the city doesn’t get as much attention, he notices. “Singapore has a lot to offer. At the moment, it feels like the centre of the world in terms of business, hospitality, and many other sectors. And you make incredible contacts here.
“It’s an easy place to live, especially for first-timers to Asia. I always say – and I mean this in a positive way – it’s Asia for dummies,” he jokes. “But there’s more to Singapore than just the efficiency and competitiveness. There’s so much character.”
Never settle for mediocrity
It has been a great source of pride for Robert to see Mondrian Singapore Duxton win plaudits from global publications. Recently, the property made Afar magazine’s list of Best New Hotels, while its Jungle Ballroom was named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s Best New Hotel Bars.
Now that his role in Singapore has concluded, he is on the lookout for his next adventure. “It’s always difficult to top the last one. It has to be something special, not just a regular hotel or GM position,” he says. “I would like to apply some of the things I learned here in terms of branding, human resources, and working with the local community. What we did is not the norm.”
Wherever he lands up, Robert will surely be putting his unique spin to help a brand find its niche and character.
“Character will bring desire for your brand and for your business. Just don’t try to please everyone. If you please everyone, you get mediocrity.”
Meet Robert
Robert is a hospitality veteran with more than 30 years of experience at hotels, clubs and mixed-use projects across 15 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean. He was the pre-opening general manager of Mondrian Singapore Duxton.
Connect with him here.
