Sentosa’s WAVE ensures that guest centric values are instilled in all employees (courtesy of Sentosa)
What distinguishes service stars from other establishments? Is there a magic formula?
Well, the answer is less to do with rocket science than with investing in people.
Last night, my family and I decided to venture on the new and improved Jewel Cable Car ride from Mount Faber to Sentosa. Living just a stone’s throw away from the Jewel Box (with the view of Mount Faber from our window), we were really looking forward to going on our latest aerial adventures, suspended on a cable.
Revamped at a cost of some $36 million, the new cable car rides boasted of 67 sparkling new cabins done in a modern metallic black and chrone design which boasted of large panoramic view windows. The flip-up seats were more comfortable, and the internal ambient lighting helped to make it less pitch black at night. Having experienced the old cable cars before, I must say that this recent upgrade is a major improvement to the overall experience.
We recently brought Ethan to Sentosa’s Siloso Beach to have fun frolicking in the water while building sand castles. By now, you probably would have guessed that we prefer the great outdoors to spending time shopping in artificially controlled environments. Here’s a short clip of Ethan with Tina building a sand castle.
When was the last time you built sand castles? Or castles in the sky for that matter?
View of coconut trees at Siloso Beach
After dinner on Friday, I drove my family over to Sentosa just to check out its night vibes. As usual, there were the tour groups who were just leaving after attending the island’s new night attraction Songs of the Sea. We decided to check out the beaches and along the way, decided to hop by the Cafe del Mar, the happening new beach club just outside Siloso Beach Resort.
Last Sunday morning, I took my family to Sentosa and spent a couple of hours there.
We visited Sentosa’s Merlion, which is a 10-storeyed attraction on the island and also spent some time walking around the island. Despite being very regular visitors to Sentosa (which is pretty close to my home near Mount Faber), I always found it refreshing to go there. The mix of sun, sand, sea and smiles (by service oriented staff) never fail to make my day.
The island attraction has certainly improved by leaps and bounds over the years, and everybody is waiting with bated breath for the Resorts World Integrated Resort to open there in 3 years time. In fact, this has led Sentosa to be one of the eminent stars at the recent Tourism Awards organised by the Singapore Tourism Board.
Aerial view of Genting’s winning bid Resort World, courtesy of Channelnewsasia
By now, the news would already have been out. Genting International and Star Cruises, the widely-anticipated front runner in the $5 billion plus Sentosa Integrated Resorts stakes, had won the bid.
While the design of their Resorts World may not match the architectural statement and drama of Frank Gehry’s light and glass creation for Kerzner International, it had most of the right ingredients. This included the combination of Universal Studios theme park, Dreamworks Studio, record breaking aquarium, water theme park, and maritime museum. Add to that Genting’s expertise in the Asian tourism market (with 20 million annual visitors to their Genting Highlands Resort) and ability to keep to the nature focus of Sentosa (70% green cover) and it is clear why they won.