Journey To Magnificence

Why must I visit Marina Bay Sands again? Well, who wouldn’t visit one of the world’s most majestic and magnificent pieces of architecture again and again?

Three hourglass-shape towers curving upward, each 57 stories tall, connected at the top by an ocean liner looking structure that is host to a lush park 57 stories into the sky. High above the city, the 3,900-person capacity Sands SkyPark has restaurants, lounges, overlook posts, and an infinity swimming pool whose water meets the Singapore sky. It is there for one’s pleasure, surprise and delight.

Consider the Petronas Twin Towers. Think about the Roman Coliseum, the London’s Shard, the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House or even Johor’s Legoland. All of these structures were built to serve a purpose. And, when they were finished, they became global icons.

Now consider the global icons of service. How were they built? What purpose did building a service culture serve? And at what point does an iconic service culture take a life of its own?

What does it take to build an icon? How do you create a miracle out of cement, glass, and steel? These questions run through my mind each time I pass by the building sites of our new hospital facilities. The answers that come to me are positive visions of these facilities being enduring icons of uplifting service culture, while being an architecture showpiece in the community.

My first experience at the Marina Bay Sands was attending the JCI Practicum held at its massive multilevel Convention Centre which has as its foundation, an enormous shopping mall lined with 300 designer stores, more than 60 F&B outlets, a casino, an ice-skating rink, a world-class museum and two spectacular theatres.

I had to visit Marina Bay Sands again – on my wedding anniversary. I wanted my wife to be in awe. The unique architecture can impress just about anyone.

So my wife and I made the journey from KLIA to Changi Ariport. The experience at Changi Airport was amazing. Along the way to Marina Bay Sands, I wondered what would happen if we don’t receive magnificent service at one of the most magnificent resorts in the world. Imagine how quickly the romance of the trip could be squashed if the check-in line took too long? Or, if the bellman wasn’t friendly when delivering our bags? Or, if upon entering our room, we didn’t find it impeccable, with every amenity in place?

On the day of our arrival, we had dinner at one of the many fine restaurants at Marina Bay Sands. The food was awesome! The view of the Esplanade was spectacular! The waiter went out of his way to make recommendations for cocktails to pair with our dinner selections. All perfect, right?

I asked the waiter a few questions: What time does the museum open in the morning? And can you tell us how to get tickets for The Lion King theatre show? What if the waiter had replied, “I’m sorry, I don’t know anything about those things. I only work here in the restaurant.”?

Magnificent service? Well, it’s not horrible for the waiter at a restaurant not to know the operating hours of the museum or the ticketing details for a famous show.

But that waiter made our evening even more delightful. He responded with a smile, “The museum is fabulous. And there is an amazing Salvador Dali exhibit on display there right now. It opens at 10.00am till 10.00pm every night, even on holidays. And the tickets for the Lion King? I saw it myself. It’s great!. The show starts at 8.00 every night, except Mondays and on weekends there’s a matinee at 2.00pm. I can contact the concierge if you would like tickets.”

I could imagine what is required to have such waiters: a common service vision that spans the property, the wide range of product knowledge a waiter must master, and the active cooperation of people and systems across so many departments.

I wondered if the CEO of Marina Bay Sands simply sent out a memo that said, “TREAT THE CUSTOMER WELL.” How does the organization build an iconic service culture when new staff members join the company in hordes every day?

Winning service cultures that we hear about could have been formed by the organization’s struggle to compete, or to solve persistent problem. Some could have been motivated by ambitious goals to achieve, mergers to complete or new markets to penetrate and conquer.

And some could have been simply inspired by people who saw the world through a wider lens – who believed in creating the greatest service culture as a purpose greater than themselves.