Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (2017–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Marina Bay Sands, Singapore - full transcript
Giles and Monica join the 9,500 staff working at one of the world's largest hotels. As well as viewing some of the facilities on offer they go behind the scenes to see the parts of the hotel guests never see.
All over the world,
there are remarkable hotels,
born of a bold vision and daring endeavor.
Oh, my goodness, look at that!
Whether it's an epic
structure housing a skypark,
the length of the Eiffel Tower…
This is definitely
the biggest space I've ever been inside.
…or a glass box
perched in the cloud forest.
Look at that view.
They're all products of innovation,
creativity and hard graft.
The people running these hotels strive
to create the perfect sanctuary.
But what does it take
to offer once in a lifetime experiences
in stunning locations?
To build a hotel in a place
like this, everybody thinks I'm crazy.
In total, we have
about 160,000 pieces of uniforms.
Oh, my word.
I'm a restaurant writer,
newspaper columnist and critic.
I have opinions on just about everything.
What a mad place to build a hotel.
It feels like Scott of the Antarctic.
And it did not end well for him.
And I'm a chef who has worked
at the top end of the hospitality industry
for well over 20 years.
How many opportunities do you get
to cook breakfast
with elephants and giraffes?
We'll travel to amazing hotels
in every corner of the world.
To spend time getting to know
the people working away behind the scenes.
When did you last
have a full night's sleep?
I don't remember.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Hooray!
-Yeah!
You're the engineer,
you're like Scotty in Star Trek.
Precisely, I've been called that.
Join us, as we venture inside…
…the world's most extraordinary hotels.
Singapore, a bustling city state
in the heart of South East Asia.
Located on a tiny island
just off the tip of Malaysia.
This place takes
urbanization to its extreme.
Ancient temples are dwarfed
by towering modern skyscrapers.
Singapore has long
been considered a stopover point,
rather than a destination,
But this might soon be about to change.
Thanks in part to one of the most
ambitious hotels in the world…
…Marina Bay Sands.
Wow, I mean that's really extraordinary.
It just looks like
the 22nd century Stonehenge
with a spaceship on the top.
Three towers soar to 200 meters,
supporting a futuristic garden in the sky.
all at a cost of over £3,5 billion.
It looks like Noah's Ark.
That has been stranded
by the subsiding of the flood waters
on top of three massive skyscrapers.
And it's inside this colossal structure
that we will be put to work.
You feel like you're in a modern cathedral
having to always look up and admire.
I think this is definitely
the biggest space I've ever been inside.
It's just extraordinary. It's like
a giant greenhouse for growing people.
This is architecture for giants.
The space is filled with the works
of famous sculptors like Antony Gormley,
as if this was
some Gargantuan art gallery.
And it's a little intimidating.
I have no sense of whether,
where the reception or how I check-in,
or how they'll know who I am?
Do I just go and say,
"Hello, it's Mr. Coren".
And they go,
"Ah, yes, or is it?", it's very.
Are these the rooms? Is that
the walkway? Is that how you get around?
So I've only been here
for 15 minutes, and I'm already lost.
This hotel aims to blow your mind.
And ensure that your
every consumer whim is catered for.
Under one roof
there are over 60 restaurants.
Yes, 60. Catering for up to
40 million visitors a year.
Which means you can eat cuisine
from pretty much anywhere
in the world at any time.
There are flashy boutiques
for shopping addicts.
And a museum showing exhibitions
on everything from the Titanic
to impressionist painters.
It's home to two theaters
with combined seating for nearly 4,000.
And for gambling junkies, there's one of
the biggest casinos in South East Asia.
But before we plunge into hotel life,
we've been told,
there's a spectacular showpiece.
That is as long as the Eiffel Tower
is tall, up in the sky.
Look at that view.
It's just extraordinary.
It looks as though
they're going to swim off the edge.
That's just weird. That's just so strange.
In Gulliver's Travels,
one of the less known travels was Laputa.
The floating island.
A thing that he imagined was the craziest
thing you could possibly have.
And here we are in Laputa.
This is the longest elevated
infinity pool in the world.
It's like the length of
three Olympic swimming pools.
Wow, how much does
that water weigh on top of this building?
Oh, my word.
There's a thing that I read.
I can't remember where.
About the jacks that they have
under the hotel to keep it level.
Because obviously,
it's so high that if it tilts
the teeniest bit off its axis,
all the water empties out into the city.
To be exact, over 500 jacks
precisely regulate the level of the pool.
Stabilizing over a thousand
tons of water on a windy day.
It's just a complete
reinvention of what a swimming pool is.
It used to be a place that you just
dunked into, to get cold on a hot holiday.
Now, it's a thing
that expands to infinity over
the edge of a 57 storey hotel.
With a view of a financial district,
of one of the giant Asian economic tigers
and it's just an extraordinary thing.
Giles and I are going to join the nine
and half a thousand people that work here.
But first I'm collecting my uniforms
for the various departments
we'll be working in.
-Hello Helen.
-Hi Monica.
-Hi, how are you?
-Good, welcome to the wardrobe.
-Oh, wardrobe? I like this wardrobe.
-Yes.
This wardrobe is one of the most
hi-tech uniform departments in the world.
The Singaporean, with the finger
on the technological pulse is Helen Tan.
Who's been the mistress of the wardrobe
since the hotel opened in 2010.
-Yes, Mr. Handsome.
-Yeah, I want to take a look.
-Yeah.
-Yeah, there is somebody in here.
It looks good.
They look professional with our uniform
and we want them to look nice.
If it's not okay, we will do
some alteration for you over this side.
-A little bit. It'll make you look nicer.
-Sexier.
Helen's devotion
to making sure all staffs look their best,
means she's rarely off duty.
If I see somebody wearing a uniform
that is not in good condition,
or doesn't fit well, I will tell them,
"Can you please come and get it changed?"
-So in total, we have 18 conveyors.
-Eighteen of these?
Yes, 18 of these with.
For every conveyor, we have 620 slots.
This means that we can accommodate
620 team members' uniform.
-And you've got 18 of them?
-Yes.
In total, we have about
160,000 pieces of uniform,
with approximately 600 different designs.
The math is making me dizzy.
160,000 items of uniform?
Yes.
And to keep track of all these pieces,
a cunning piece of kit.
We are actually using
these RFIB chips for all the uniforms.
-You put that in all the uniforms?
-Yes.
-And you can trace it anywhere?
-Exactly, yeah.
Can I get one of these
for my daughter's clothing?
With Helen's help, I'm putting together
housekeeping and butlers' outfits,
and of course, chefs' whites.
All clothing Giles and I will need,
as we get stuck into hotel life.
-I have the shirts for you.
-For me?
But how do the over 9,000 staffs
collect the uniforms every day
without it turning into a scrum?
Simple, computerized self-service.
So what you have to do
is just you scan this.
Tap this on here.
You can see "Processing request."
Logging in with your
unique code tells computers to transport
your personal bag to your door.
-"Please open door and retrieve items."
-Yes.
-Can I see?
-And it's there!
That is your bag.
-The grey one?
-Yes, so you can take out that uniform.
Can you imagine having a wardrobe
system like this at home?
It's a dream.
Right. Next stop for me is the kitchen.
The commander in chief
in charge of this army of staffs,
is President and CEO, George Tanasijevich.
He's been with Marina Bay Sands
from the beginning,
when the hotel was commissioned
as part of the government's drive.
To triple the income
from tourists over a ten year period.
George is affectionately
known as, "Employee Number One".
And he's very tall.
Do all these people around us have no idea
that you're Employee Number One?
I guess not.
They don't need to know that though.
I suppose they don't. But it must cross
their minds, "Who's behind all this?".
Probably, but I think,
they're more focused all
the exciting attractions and amenities
that we have here for them to enjoy.
Marina Bay Sands opened in 2010.
For George filling the two
and a half thousand hotel rooms every day
is the top priority
And the star attraction for visitors
seem to be the swimming pool in the sky.
Some people think it looks like a ship.
Some people think
it looks like a surfboard.
But, it's a great concept.
And it literally draws
millions of people a year.
Even if you're not staying in the hotel,
you can book a table
at the restaurants that are up there.
This may be a triumph
of architectural design,
but George knows it's the power
of social technology.
That's putting
the pool on the world stage.
People bring their cell phones
and they take their selfies.
It's not really for swimming.
It's for selfies, isn't it?
It just seems that
this was built round about the time
that Instagram was starting.
I'm sure it was a coincidence.
But it's amazing, free advertising.
-Yeah
-Everybody wants a selfie.
Most hotels have to pay bloggers
to take selfies.
You just get millions
of Instagram hits every day.
Well, that's true. We've been able
to attract a lot of media attention.
And get the word out throughout the globe,
that Singapore is a great place to travel.
The hotel accommodates
more than 1,000,000 guests a year.
And depending on your budget,
there's an array of rooms to choose from.
The cost of a basic room at the hotel
starts at around £300 a night.
And if you'd like to go presidential,
you're not getting
much change out of £10,000.
This gets you two lounges, three bedrooms,
a gym, a sauna, and even a karaoke room.
A feng shui master
was involved in the design
to help harness positive
energy flowing through the rooms.
Suites like this one, even come
with their own dedicated 24-hour butler
providing services ranging
from the delivery of gourmet food
to personal shopping.
I'm off to be suited up
for a butlering job.
But they've clearly got
some issues in the measuring department.
I know, I look amazing.
I mean, basically, I can wear anything.
It's just like a sort of giant schoolboy.
It's like Tom Hanks in Big.
I've just bloop overnight
and look at the cut of these trousers.
This the kind of thing
you get your mom to narrow.
So it's a quick stop off
with Helen for adjustments.
-Hi.
-So how do I look?
How does the uniform fits you?
Are you comfortable with this?
I think I'm comfortable.
Does this look right?
-Yes.
-Do I look smart?
-You look very handsome.
-Do I?
-Yes.
-Oh, thank you very much.
You look very nice too.
But we may need
to some a little adjustment on the sleeve.
-My tailor has arrived. Hello
-Yes, your tailor is here.
Helen refuses to let a single
item of clothing leave her domain,
without it being perfect.
Her tailoring team are constantly fixing
and adjusting the thousands of uniforms.
Is there anything you can?
The trouser's a bit bell-end, as it were.
I mean, the bell-bottom
is what I was trying to say.
We can do some alterations for you.
We'll take in a little bit.
-Does my bum look big?
-Oh, yeah. No, it's okay.
No? It's okay, is it good?
That's the main thing.
But how do you go about providing
an intimate VIP guest experience,
if your hotel is the size of a small city?
I'm about to find out
from the head butler Jeremy Chee.
So the day normally starts,
when a lot of our guests are still asleep.
We rush to set all the vacant rooms.
They're asleep because
they were up late on the tables?
Yeah, and they start
to probably be up at about 9:30.
Waking up with a hangover,
how much did I lose last night?
Oh my God,
10,000,000, I think I'll shoot the butler.
Jeremy leads a team of discreet,
resourceful butlers.
Like all Singaporeans,
he did national service.
And for Jeremy, this involved
becoming a Special Forces officer.
The uniform may have changed,
but he still demands total commitment
to the mission from his team.
Five, one eight, eight, my NDA guests.
I want them out ASAP, okay?
Check into one of the most
iconic hotels in the world,
you have a butler that is well trained.
And who is taking
care of you 24 hours a day.
And you're spending top dollar to,
to be staying in one of these suites.
Jeremy's dedication
to service is absolute,
ensuring that his guests want for nothing.
A lot of our guests
can be quite demanding at times,
so you have to just bite the bullet
and do the things
that they want you to do.
I think the most unique one
that I clearly remember was a gentleman
who wanted us to arrange
a wedding banquet in four hours.
Wow, he must have had a good night
on the tables the night before?
The suites that Jeremy's team
look after are often used
by the casino's high rollers.
And the casino generates
about 70% of Marina Bay Sands' revenue.
The ones who are here for gaming.
Gosh, mostly are here for gaming?
-That's right.
-And they don't pay for their rooms?
-Some of them do?
-Some of them do.
The ones who promise to lose
a lot don't have to pay for the room?
-It's funny because it's true.
-But I won't answer that.
The hotel tries to anticipate
the needs of all its guests,
whether big spenders
or those just keen to dodge paparazzi.
This is called the discreet corridor.
So, this is where
the VIPs come in, round the back, yeah?
That's right.
A big shot Chinese businessman is arriving
so attention to detail is paramount.
And the last thing
to be done is to arrange his flowers.
But Jeremy's service standards
mean I'm being kept on a short leash.
Shall I take these?
-I'll push it. No worries.
-I'll push it. It's fine.
She's reluctant to let me
wheel this flower trolley.
I mean, they keep trying to grab it.
They seem to think it's some
massive skill that I won't be able to do.
After delivering flowers to the rest
of the suites maybe,
just maybe I'll be trusted to fly solo.
-I'm alright, I can.
-I've got this, I can wheel it.
-Honestly. I'm fine.
-Alright.
The hotel aims to appeal
to guests from all over the globe.
If that's your ambition, you need to cater
for a vast range of culinary
tastes from Taiwanese to Brazilian,
and from European fine
dining to Asian street food.
The man overseeing all this,
is 54 years old Canadian, Chris Christy.
So there's 53 licensed kitchens
at Marina Sands, under my name
that I'm responsible for.
From there, we have about 400 chefs.
Obviously it's a bit daunting
when you look at it the first time,
and you take a look
at how big an operation is.
Chris has previously worked
with some of South East Asia's
most illustrious hotel.
such as The Langham in Hong Kong,
and The Portland Ritz Carlton in Shanghai.
He wants to show me
one of the huge dining areas,
where in a few days' time,
he'll be running an enormous VIP banquet.
for 1400 guests
of a major Singaporean bank.
For me, a big night
in the kitchen is 100 covers
so this sounds too good
an opportunity to miss.
Have you got a place for one more?
-I'd love to. That's great.
-Yeah?
I'll be here anyway,
so that'll be awesome.
Great, I'll look forward to that.
If I am going to help out, I need
to know some numbers.
How many courses are there?
-Eight.
-Eight courses?
Eight, courses, yeah.
You've got five different menus
and they've got eight courses on each menu
and they've all got
to go out simultaneously.
So you need the amount of staff
-to be able to do that?
-Absolutely.
So if I'm going to be involved
in such a large event,
I need to understand
how the kitchens work around here.
So this is our fish room.
I've never seen anyone
prepare a fish with a cleaver.
-So as you can smell, this is the pastry.
-Pastry.
It's a bit early
to start dessert. Isn't it?
Never too early.
Here we go!
My favorite room, the chocolate room.
-My favorite room too. Hi guys.
-Hi gentlemen.
Peanut butter and jam.
There's a bit
of saltiness in there as well.
Right? Yeah.
As well as the number of kitchens,
what's also mind-boggling
is the quantity
of the ingredients consumed here.
We average about 500 kilos
of flour a day for bread.
500 kilos?
500, on any given day, we'll cook
between 300 to 500 kilos of rice.
Deep fried cauliflower today.
If we deep fry it, we need 700 kilos.
-700 kilos of cauliflower?
-People love fried cauliflower.
With the banquet
coming up in a few days' time
I'm going to have to get used to working
on an epic scale the way Chris does.
In terms of numbers
of actual rolls or loaves of bread.
I would say, you we're probably preparing
around 8,000 to 10,000
individual rolls on a daily basis.
Is that all?
So it seems like an enormous amount,
but really, if you look
at how many restaurants we have.
Chris, it's an enormous amount.
Yes, it's a big amount. Absolutely, yeah.
As part of the butlering team.
I've headed up to the dizzying heights
of the 52nd floor.
Here we are.
Welcome to our Presidential Suite.
Head butler Jeremy
is finally allowing me to help.
We're making some
last minute tweaks to the suite
before the arrival of the VIP.
Just requested for 24 bottles of water.
Has he got a bit of a hydration problem?
And does he want them
all arranged like snooker balls?
No, this is just how we do it.
This is our massage room.
Oh lovely, are you going to sort me out?
Shall I just hop on?
Former Special Forces
officer Jeremy won't deviate
from his mission to provide perfection.
-Is the powder room through here?
-Yeah, around here.
It's all about feng shui with flowers.
I think it should be over there
to allow the chi to flow round the corner
while you're on the loo.
The flow of positive feng shui
is a great importance in this hotel.
And Jeremy picks up on every detail.
-Oh, you don't like my jaunty angle?
-Fair enough.
Clearly, as far as Jeremy's concerned
I have a lot to learn.
Preparation is one thing,
but it's when the VIPs actually arrive
that the service comes
under genuine pressure.
We've had an urgent food request
from a high roller in another suite.
The team of 50 butlers can deliver
in-room dining to any of the suites.
Across the hotel 800 meals
are delivered to rooms every day.
But never is the pressure
more intense than at breakfast time,
when around 150 meals
can be requested at once.
So what he's doing now
is going through all the orders
to make sure everything that
the guest has ordered is all here.
What else is the guest having?
He's got all these chilli sauces
and stuff, is he having noodles?
-Yeah, the dim sum,
-It is for the dim sum.
So the dim sum has
to be freshly steamed and really hot.
Do they complain, if it's not?
Yeah.
After he ordered the breakfast,
how long should it be?
Usually we take around 30 to 45 minutes.
It depends.
But now it's like a breakfast period,
it will take longer time,
so usually in 45 minutes.
When did he order breakfast?
Around 9:50. Yeah, around that.
Oh, so it's getting now,
it's been 35 minutes?
-Yeah, 35minutes.
-It's time to get him his breakfast right?
Yeah, almost.
Keeping a VIP waiting would mean
failure for Jeremy and his team.
-How many more items?
-One more item. Let me double check.
With only minutes
to go until we bring dishonor
upon the entire butlering department.
We still have to navigate 50 floors
and hundred of metres of corridor.
Let's go down with this.
-Okay, where are we going?
-This way.
Giles, this is where we'll leave Jungwon
to serve the guest
because this guest is very particular.
Are we going straight into the room?
I can't go out into the corridor?
We can. I'll just go
as far as the door, yeah?
Which way, right or left?
Okay, this is where I move out.
Made it, with 37 seconds to spare.
Back in the basement Chris has brought me
to one of his most important kitchens.
Hello.
Dim sum, steamed rice noodle parcels.
It's one of the most requested
breakfast dishes at the hotel.
Look at this.
If you're going to achieve success
in the hotel trade in South East Asia,
the skill of making
perfect dim sum is essential.
How many years
have you been doing dim sum?
-It's about ten year.
-Ten years?
Okay, go easy on me.
-You can see the skill.
-Yeah.
Dim sum, meaning touch the heart,
are traditional Chinese dishes
dating back thousands of years.
They're delicate,
often filled with prawn or chicken.
And are designed to not sate the appetite.
The more you can teach one guy
to be a master at one specific skill,
it just keeps the wheel
working much more efficient.
With his grand event
only a couple of days away
iI's an opportunity for Chris
to see what I'm made of.
Jesus.
My first one!
And he's going
to throw it in the bin now isn't he?
This is my favourite dim sum. Prawn.
We could be here all day.
Maybe you want to go do your rounds
and come back tonight.
Come back tomorrow morning,
is that too much?
Is it okay?
Chris' experts can make up
to 5,000 of these a day.
And I'm beginning to see
why it takes so long to master the skill.
Get into a pocket, right?
-Let it hang?
-Yeah.
Press. I should wear my glasses for this.
It looks like
you're getting the hang of it.
Alright.
Whether it's the labyrinth
of kitchens or vast atriums,
this hotel is an audacious building.
And whenever he's in town,
the man responsible for the design
is to be found
staying in his own creation.
Moshe Safdie
is an award-winning architect.
With airports, museums and skyscrapers
to his name around the world.
But he's particularly
proud of the groundbreaking
technological achievement
of Marina Bay Sands and the Skypark.
We always work with models.
There was this thick chunk of balsa wood
just the right size
and I placed it on the roof.
And said,
"Why don't we try doing it up there?".
Instantly, it just seemed to make sense.
Away from the pool,
the Skypark is a lush landscaped garden,
that is home
to hundreds of trees and plants.
But its design
was one of the most technically
demanding parts of the three year build.
There were endless meetings
with the engineers.
I wanted to have one body of water,
so we had to devise
a way of an expansion joint.
That won't leak so there were a lot
of technical issues to resolve.
Plans for the building
were initially controversial with concerns
that it would block the view of the bay.
As we started coming up physically,
people in town started getting curious.
Then as soon as
we put the park on top of it,
the magic started happening in town,
people kind of woke up.
The hotel is hoping it will be seen
as a future symbol of Singapore,
with aspirations of becoming
an iconic landmark,
like the Sydney Opera House
of the Empire State Building.
It's all very well making
an impression on the skyline.
But when you build
in the heart of a city like this,
there's a challenge
at ground level that cannot be ignored,
The parking of thousands of cars.
The man tasked with keeping
the huge volume of traffic
flowing at the hotel's
capacious front entrance
is 32 year old American, George Rowe.
We can be parking 200 cars in one hour.
I mean, that's what a normal
hotel does in a day.
And for us to do that in one hour,
it's really impressive.
George is responsible for over 120 valets
and is often found in the basement
patrolling the 2,500 parking spaces
in his diddy little electric Hummer.
It's phenomenal that on big nights
we can fill up all those spaces
to where we wish
we just had one more space.
And when a guest asks for their car,
George will be judged
on how soon it's delivered.
Once we get over seven minutes,
we know that we're not
doing something right.
With thousands of guests arriving
for the big banquet in a few days,
there'll be extra
pressure on valet parking.
So I've volunteered to be part
of George's team to see how they cope.
But first I have to find him.
I was told that his office is easily found
because you follow the sign to the loo.
-Giles, how are you?
-Hi, very well.
Do you know who else's office
was in the little boy's room?
In the little boy's room?
Well, you know how there's a sign
to the gents on the thing?
-The Fonz.
-The Fonz?
The Fonz, do you remember
The Fonz from Happy Days?
Yeah, at your age you remember it.
I don't remember it.
I'm sorry. He's a very cool guy.
His office was in the toilet.
You're basically everything with wheels?
That's what we try and say we are.
All the trolleys and then all of the cars
that come in and out the property.
-Am I going to get to drive something?
-Sure, you have your license?
-No.
-That's alright.
I'm an Englishman, they know I can drive.
George's domain is
a 20km warren of tunnels and roads
filled with row upon row
of expensive cars.
All this, despite Singapore's efforts
to control the growth of car ownership.
So just to purchase a vehicle,
you receive a certificate.
And it's valid for ten years.
Right now it's about 55,000 dollars.
55,000 dollars for permission
to own per vehicle?
Permission to own a car.
Per vehicle, to own it for ten years.
-55,000 dollars?
-Yeah, that's before you even buy the car.
-Singapore dollars?
-Singapore dollars.
Cause this is quite a dream job for you.
I'm not sure your dream
is to own the entire universe
but the workers here,
let's face it, are never going
to have 55,000 dollars for vehicle?
No, I mean they're getting to drive.
They're driving your Aston Martin.
They're driving all of the cars.
Yeah. I mean,
there's no question in Singapore
that owning a car is a rich man's thing.
If I'm going to be one of George's valets,
first there's the small matter
of a driving test to pass.
And my test vehicle?
A typical everyday Singapore runaround.
A brand new Italian super car.
Now, do you know where the seatbelts are?
-Have you driven one of these before?
-No.
-So put your foot on the brake.
-Okay, cool.
You know how much horsepower we have?
This is more powerful than a horse?
No, this new technology
will never catch on. What is it?
So you're doing 510 horsepower,
you can do zero to 100mph in 3,7sec.
-Is that before I get to that wall?
-Yeah, I think just before the wall.
That's fine, because when we hit 86 mph,
the flux capacitor will kick in and go.
Well, if you see here. there's actually
the launch, so we can launch.
-What is the launch button for?
-It's literally a launch.
Hold on.
I just wanted to make you squeak.
Singapore has one of the highest densities
of millionaire households on the planet.
So I could end up cruising around in lots
of these beasts at the imminent event.
If I pass the test.
-Where is your blinker?
-What blinker? You mean my indicator?
-Yes, the blinker.
-Don't think it has them.
Where are you going?
I don't know, I thought I'd try
and get in the direction of the arrows.
-So then, go this way, go left.
-Yeah, here we go.
-Am I going the wrong way?
-Yeah, you're going down the wrong way.
Why don't I go there,
what happens in there?
I'd say George has seen all he needs to.
I'm a shoe-in for the job.
-Shall we just park here?
-Try and park here.
Yes, shall I just whip it in like that?
And go, yeah, boom, handbrake on, done.
Job's a mighty fine one.
Okay, boom, that's really
good parking surely?
Parked like a true Brit.
Look at that, it's perfect. Boom!
There, what, and then I'm just going
to go and play on the tables?
Yes, throw me your keys and that's it.
And then when it's time
to get back in you just run and slide?
Don't. Don't.
-Don't what?
-Alright, let's go.
-I was going to--
-You're done.
The job of an exclusive valet parking
luxury cars are prized in the hotel.
And native Singaporeans,
one of the most educated workforces
on the planet, are usually
after those and other plum roles
across various departments.
But that leaves a host of manual jobs
that many of them don't want to do.
And without question the biggest
example of this is housekeeping.
Housekeeping has got
to be one of the busiest
considering there are over two
and a half thousand rooms to take care of
and I'm going to find out how it's done.
Finding sufficient
numbers of quality staff,
is a constant challenge
for housekeeping manager, Michael Shu.
Michael, where's the majority
of your staff come from?
Singapore or where are they coming from?
95% to 98% are from PRC.
I mean China, China.
So, we do only have 2% or 3%
from Malaysia or local Singaporeans.
For over a century Singapore has relied
on China's large pool
of blue-collar labor.
One of Michael's star
recruits is Hong Wae.
Hong arrived from China five years ago
and like many others working at the hotel,
he's come in search
of a more lucrative future.
There you go.
This thing is heavy.
Oh, take the door out.
But how does Marina Bay Sands
ensure that Hong
and the other 360 housekeepers
keep on top of their huge workload?
-Housekeeping.
-This room's a mess!
Simple. Using handy
state of the art technology.
This app tracks the readiness of each room
ensuring not only
their high standards are met,
but their over 1,000,000
guests a year are never left waiting.
So, he took a picture, sent it off
in his app, he's got the picture,
and he can see
what's missing in the minibar.
Which is great!
But the reason Hong
is the star housekeeper
is because he likes
to add his own personal touch to a room.
It turns out, Hong's specialty
is towel art.
That's so cool.
Oh, we've got eyes as well.
Dedication like this
hasn't gone unnoticed by the hotel.
Well done you.
A hotel with thousands of rooms
produces tens of thousands of dirty items,
that require washing.
But Singapore's water
supply is under pressure.
The country needs
over 400 million gallons a day,
and has to import around
half of its water.
So the hotel has been engineered
to help conserve what little water
there is through architecture
that collects rain for recycling.
But however good your intentions,
large scale sustainability
can be a constant headache when dealing
with thousands of demanding guests.
Hi Michael, how are you, Are you well?
-I'm fine. How are you?
-Yeah, good thank you. Nice day.
Nice day, sunny day.
It turns out pool towels
are a great example
of the environmental problems
faced at Marina Bay Sands.
We're joining Michael Teo
for the morning to see first hand
how the mammoth challenge
of providing for guests' needs
can be aligned with ecological sense.
How many towels do you hand out every day?
More than a thousand per day.
That's ridiculous, I mean imagine
the laundry to, to get all that done.
To get a real sense
of the scale of the task
we split up to cover more ground,
I'm going to be handing out the towels.
How many would you like?
Three. Three towels?
So I get to drive the towel cart,
it's all about vehicles for me.
And I'm with Michael on collection duty.
-Look at all these towels.
-Yeah, the towels.
Just I've never seen
so many towels in my life.
It's towel-mageddon,
they're just everywhere.
Put it in the towel bin.
The towel bin?
No, wait, I'll open it for you.
-You put it in. Teamwork.
-Thank you.
That's how you deal
with the towel problem.
My issue is that there's no limit
on the number of towels guests can ask for
so they don't stop flying off the shelves.
Excuse me.
-Hello. Two towels?
-Yes, please.
There we go. Just charge it to your room.
Thank you.
-Hello.
-One towel.
-One Towel?
-Thank you.
Have a nice day.
-How many towels would you like?
-Two, please. Two, have a nice day.
I've been here less than
ten minutes and you can see
that the numbers of towels
have really halved.
With supplies running low already,
we have to pick up replacements.
So we need the lever.
Crack out just a hundredweight
of new towels, beautiful.
This total of 150 towels will be in here.
Wow, and they go back
into these things, do they?
-And then they go off to the laundry?
-Yes.
Okay, shall we stand on the back
and ride it down the slope then?
No? Why is he laughing?
That's what I intend to do.
The thousands of dirty pool towels
are collected
and sent to a very innovative
cleaning department.
On a daily basis, we wash
about 25,000 room linens
and about 4,000 pool towels.
-So that's in a day?
-Yeah, on a daily basis.
35,000 pieces of linen?
What's that, bed linen?
Bed linen, room linen,
yeah, the pillowcase
the duvet cover, the bed sheets
Under the watchful eye of Stephanie Chan
this huge laundry site
has turned to technology
to become highly water efficient.
The company has invested
in eco friendly washer equipment
to the tune of over ten million pounds.
The old extractor that we had actually
using about 16 liters of water
per kg of soiled linen.
By using the tunnel, we only uses
about 4,5 liters of water for 1kg
of soiled linen,
so that's about 70% of water reduction.
Once the pool towels are clean, they need
to be pressed. Looks easy enough.
Okay, can I have a go, can I try?
Is that right?
I've got to do it again? Alright.
No, come back, sorry.
I'll do it. Okay, fine.
I've broken it again, I think I'm
just doing the same towel over and over.
They keep bringing it back.
I can't even, ah. That one's crease.
Okay, you didn't tell me that it's about,
yeah. You kept that little secret back.
Get in.Did it.
This massive plant,
this incredibly mechanized place
just shows the steps that can be made,
if a hotel really gets behind
the idea of sustainability.
And I know that I can drop
my towel on the floor
and it will be dealt
with in the most sensible way possible.
Back at the hotel,
the big event is finally here,
1400 people are about
to arrive for the VIP banquet
involving eight intricate courses.
It's important for the hotel
to showcase their service and style.
And as part of Chris' epic
banqueting team,
it's time for me to crack on
with plating up row upon row of starters.
Nice prawns.
To cope with the extra volume
of VIP traffic that will be arriving
any minute now, I've been taken
on by George's valet department.
We have two dinner dances
so we should see a fair bit,
along with our normal Friday crowd.
Although there seems
to be a bit of confusion
regarding my actual role around here.
Just so you guys know we have
a new valet driver, Mr. Giles.
He will be helping us. He drove
a Ferrari earlier, I was in the car.
He will not be driving
any cars because of his experience,
so we don't trust him
with any of our guest cars.
But he'll be driving a buggy,
so please, hang on.
Tell him to make sure
to go in the right direction.
And your grooming standards,
let's zip up your shirt a little bit.
We don't wanna see your chest hair.
-It looks better when it's down.
-Yeah? Alright, perfect.
Okay, alright, have a good shift guys.
Thank you.
It turns out my job
is to shuttle the valets around,
So, with Ferraris now off-limits,
it's a less powerful machine for me.
not that it's any easier to master,
Luckily, senior valet Henry
is here to help.
-No, turn.
-No.
-Okay, stop.
-Five, three, nine, one.
-Alright. Go this way.
-No dramas, it's fine. Don't panic.
Oh no, it's the plod,
quick, duck, et's go.
-Let's go.
-Get away from the police.
I'm meant to transport
drivers to car drop off
and collection points across the hotel.
-Okay. Hi, there.
-Hi.
I charge five dollars a ride.
You've brought a car from the car park,
given it back to the customer.
-Given it back and now.
-Did you get a tip?
-No, I didn't get a tip.
-Oh, what a bastard.
To maintain
the hotel's high levels of service
and deal with the predicted spike
in car volumes this evening
George is being rigid with his targets,
deliver all cars to clients
in under seven minutes.
Now we go back down?
And he's not afraid to crack the whip.
-Go, get the guys down there!
-Okay.
Shall I listen to him or listen to you?
How do we get through the barrier?
-Okay.
-Less talk, more action!
-Let's go.
-I resign.
It's not just the valets
who are under pressure,
down in the hotel's kitchens
dozens of chefs are working flat out
to be ready, and the clock is ticking.
Next up for me one of the kitchen's
signature dishes, barbecued chicken.
So, there's a total of 140 chicken
that they've gotta chop.
They have got
about an hour to get it all done.
Sam over here. He's our superstar
barbecue chef from Hong Kong
with over 40 years of experience.
Chicken master Sam and his team
have got preparing
the chicken down to a fine art.
They're gonna fry it,
while it's hot chop it up,
put it onto the plate
and then into the warming box.
It really is the warming box,
make sure it's not too hot
otherwise, the chicken will dry out.
The Chinese are
very concerned about the chicken.
I find it really frightening how fast
they can work with the cleaver.
Although, they use it all the time.
Yeah. Quite frightening to watch them chop
with a cleaver and keep all their fingers.
Yeah, absolutely.
But they don't even blink.
The finished result is delicious,
but will I be the weak link in the chain?
-You cut or no?
-Yeah, cut.
-Here?
-Yeah.
So sharp, yeah, and then here? No?
Turns out it's not as easy as it looks.
Okay. Oh, shit!
I'm sorry, I'm making a mess of it.
It may take me 40 years
to portion a chicken with a cleaver.
I like this.
It means finished.
With the cars now coming thick and fast,
my level of responsibility
jumps up a notch.
Right, I'm now going it alone.
Henry's getting out.
I'm gonna do it all
on my own, not get lost.
It's all quite busy
and maybe it's a bit stressful and scary.
But George is still keeping
a tight rein on me,
locking me into the valets' comms system.
Which way is it? And the talking is?
Although to be honest
it's not exactly helping.
Oh, shit, whoops.
I think, I did not hit them.
OK, we're loaded.
Got a full load. Hold onto your hats.
I'm a little bit faster
than the average scooter driver.
Oh, it's faster down the hill
with all these people on board.
Is it possible to flip one of these?
Do they roll or not? Are they quite safe?
Giles, have you dropped off your drivers?
Where's my button? Not yet, just about to.
-George to Giles.
-I don't know which button it is.
I'm here, I can't find the button George,
but I'm here and it's all fine,
just watch the show and you'll find out.
-Giles, answer your walkie.
-I'm trying, I can't find the button.
-If you can't handle it.
-Where's the button?
Which button is it on?
It's all a bit of a head screw.
Right, see you later,
look Giles to George, it's all fine.
I just couldn't find the button
on my walkie talkie, I've found it.
I've dropped them off,
they've had the time of their life, over.
Back at the banquet
a thousand prawn dishes must be made.
and as it's the main event each
and everyone must be spot on.
This is so awesome, look at that, yum!
It is not easy, huh?
These guys are tough.
They're strong. This is heavy.
The end result, not bad,
if I do say so myself.
The dishes reach the exacting
but appreciative room of VIPs
without a minute to spare.
At last I'm getting the hang of it
and fast becoming
a vital member of the team.
Come on. They're all in my way.
Only Muppets use the barrier.
Only Muppets use the barrier. Good gap.
Nice one, okay.
We're gonna cut seconds off,
red light on, green light on. Go!
Another victorious mission.
They say this would be stressful,
frankly, I've got the wind in my hair.
I can go wherever I like.
But I'm taking this baby into the lift
up to the 57th floor
and straight into the infinity pool.
The guests have been well fed
and the drivers reunited
with their cars. We nailed it.
-You survived?
-I survived. Oh, how was your evening?
Really good,
it looks like organized chaos.
Really does, but it runs
a very smooth operation.
It's funny, I mean valet parking.
I guess it's like a big meal
and you take it for granted.
But when it's, these kinds of numbers,
it's mind-blowing.
-Stressful. Let's go.
-Stressful. Beer stressful.
-Or in your case wine stressful.
-Wine stressful.
It seems that to cope
with the numbers it attracts,
this hotel has to run
like a military operation.
Back in civvies by the pool
there's a chance to recover
from the hotel's front line.
This place is nuts,
but the operations that make it work
and run smoothly like a machine
is pretty impressive.
The old image of the duck
paddling serenely on the surface
and the feet moving underneath.
I think if you wanted to set out to make
one of the biggest hotels in the world
with one of the biggest casinos
with two and a half thousand bedrooms.
If you want to do that,
this is the way to do it, isn't it?
It is that. You can't help but admire it,
and it sort of scares me,
if the whole world starts turning
into massive complexes like this.
As great as it is,
this is almost another planet.
You say that "great as it is",
but you could not say
that this place does not reflect
at least one side of Singapore.
A country that's growing
incredibly fast, incredibly high
but built on a lot of foreign investment.
This is in some ways
a microcosmic version of Singapore
over the last 25 years.
And as the government's plan to increase
tourist revenue seems to be working,
with growing numbers
of people flocking here,
it looks like the charming,
hard-working staff
we've met at Marina Bay Sands
are going to have to keep on paddling,
possibly even faster,
for many years to come
there are remarkable hotels,
born of a bold vision and daring endeavor.
Oh, my goodness, look at that!
Whether it's an epic
structure housing a skypark,
the length of the Eiffel Tower…
This is definitely
the biggest space I've ever been inside.
…or a glass box
perched in the cloud forest.
Look at that view.
They're all products of innovation,
creativity and hard graft.
The people running these hotels strive
to create the perfect sanctuary.
But what does it take
to offer once in a lifetime experiences
in stunning locations?
To build a hotel in a place
like this, everybody thinks I'm crazy.
In total, we have
about 160,000 pieces of uniforms.
Oh, my word.
I'm a restaurant writer,
newspaper columnist and critic.
I have opinions on just about everything.
What a mad place to build a hotel.
It feels like Scott of the Antarctic.
And it did not end well for him.
And I'm a chef who has worked
at the top end of the hospitality industry
for well over 20 years.
How many opportunities do you get
to cook breakfast
with elephants and giraffes?
We'll travel to amazing hotels
in every corner of the world.
To spend time getting to know
the people working away behind the scenes.
When did you last
have a full night's sleep?
I don't remember.
-Really?
-Yes.
-Hooray!
-Yeah!
You're the engineer,
you're like Scotty in Star Trek.
Precisely, I've been called that.
Join us, as we venture inside…
…the world's most extraordinary hotels.
Singapore, a bustling city state
in the heart of South East Asia.
Located on a tiny island
just off the tip of Malaysia.
This place takes
urbanization to its extreme.
Ancient temples are dwarfed
by towering modern skyscrapers.
Singapore has long
been considered a stopover point,
rather than a destination,
But this might soon be about to change.
Thanks in part to one of the most
ambitious hotels in the world…
…Marina Bay Sands.
Wow, I mean that's really extraordinary.
It just looks like
the 22nd century Stonehenge
with a spaceship on the top.
Three towers soar to 200 meters,
supporting a futuristic garden in the sky.
all at a cost of over £3,5 billion.
It looks like Noah's Ark.
That has been stranded
by the subsiding of the flood waters
on top of three massive skyscrapers.
And it's inside this colossal structure
that we will be put to work.
You feel like you're in a modern cathedral
having to always look up and admire.
I think this is definitely
the biggest space I've ever been inside.
It's just extraordinary. It's like
a giant greenhouse for growing people.
This is architecture for giants.
The space is filled with the works
of famous sculptors like Antony Gormley,
as if this was
some Gargantuan art gallery.
And it's a little intimidating.
I have no sense of whether,
where the reception or how I check-in,
or how they'll know who I am?
Do I just go and say,
"Hello, it's Mr. Coren".
And they go,
"Ah, yes, or is it?", it's very.
Are these the rooms? Is that
the walkway? Is that how you get around?
So I've only been here
for 15 minutes, and I'm already lost.
This hotel aims to blow your mind.
And ensure that your
every consumer whim is catered for.
Under one roof
there are over 60 restaurants.
Yes, 60. Catering for up to
40 million visitors a year.
Which means you can eat cuisine
from pretty much anywhere
in the world at any time.
There are flashy boutiques
for shopping addicts.
And a museum showing exhibitions
on everything from the Titanic
to impressionist painters.
It's home to two theaters
with combined seating for nearly 4,000.
And for gambling junkies, there's one of
the biggest casinos in South East Asia.
But before we plunge into hotel life,
we've been told,
there's a spectacular showpiece.
That is as long as the Eiffel Tower
is tall, up in the sky.
Look at that view.
It's just extraordinary.
It looks as though
they're going to swim off the edge.
That's just weird. That's just so strange.
In Gulliver's Travels,
one of the less known travels was Laputa.
The floating island.
A thing that he imagined was the craziest
thing you could possibly have.
And here we are in Laputa.
This is the longest elevated
infinity pool in the world.
It's like the length of
three Olympic swimming pools.
Wow, how much does
that water weigh on top of this building?
Oh, my word.
There's a thing that I read.
I can't remember where.
About the jacks that they have
under the hotel to keep it level.
Because obviously,
it's so high that if it tilts
the teeniest bit off its axis,
all the water empties out into the city.
To be exact, over 500 jacks
precisely regulate the level of the pool.
Stabilizing over a thousand
tons of water on a windy day.
It's just a complete
reinvention of what a swimming pool is.
It used to be a place that you just
dunked into, to get cold on a hot holiday.
Now, it's a thing
that expands to infinity over
the edge of a 57 storey hotel.
With a view of a financial district,
of one of the giant Asian economic tigers
and it's just an extraordinary thing.
Giles and I are going to join the nine
and half a thousand people that work here.
But first I'm collecting my uniforms
for the various departments
we'll be working in.
-Hello Helen.
-Hi Monica.
-Hi, how are you?
-Good, welcome to the wardrobe.
-Oh, wardrobe? I like this wardrobe.
-Yes.
This wardrobe is one of the most
hi-tech uniform departments in the world.
The Singaporean, with the finger
on the technological pulse is Helen Tan.
Who's been the mistress of the wardrobe
since the hotel opened in 2010.
-Yes, Mr. Handsome.
-Yeah, I want to take a look.
-Yeah.
-Yeah, there is somebody in here.
It looks good.
They look professional with our uniform
and we want them to look nice.
If it's not okay, we will do
some alteration for you over this side.
-A little bit. It'll make you look nicer.
-Sexier.
Helen's devotion
to making sure all staffs look their best,
means she's rarely off duty.
If I see somebody wearing a uniform
that is not in good condition,
or doesn't fit well, I will tell them,
"Can you please come and get it changed?"
-So in total, we have 18 conveyors.
-Eighteen of these?
Yes, 18 of these with.
For every conveyor, we have 620 slots.
This means that we can accommodate
620 team members' uniform.
-And you've got 18 of them?
-Yes.
In total, we have about
160,000 pieces of uniform,
with approximately 600 different designs.
The math is making me dizzy.
160,000 items of uniform?
Yes.
And to keep track of all these pieces,
a cunning piece of kit.
We are actually using
these RFIB chips for all the uniforms.
-You put that in all the uniforms?
-Yes.
-And you can trace it anywhere?
-Exactly, yeah.
Can I get one of these
for my daughter's clothing?
With Helen's help, I'm putting together
housekeeping and butlers' outfits,
and of course, chefs' whites.
All clothing Giles and I will need,
as we get stuck into hotel life.
-I have the shirts for you.
-For me?
But how do the over 9,000 staffs
collect the uniforms every day
without it turning into a scrum?
Simple, computerized self-service.
So what you have to do
is just you scan this.
Tap this on here.
You can see "Processing request."
Logging in with your
unique code tells computers to transport
your personal bag to your door.
-"Please open door and retrieve items."
-Yes.
-Can I see?
-And it's there!
That is your bag.
-The grey one?
-Yes, so you can take out that uniform.
Can you imagine having a wardrobe
system like this at home?
It's a dream.
Right. Next stop for me is the kitchen.
The commander in chief
in charge of this army of staffs,
is President and CEO, George Tanasijevich.
He's been with Marina Bay Sands
from the beginning,
when the hotel was commissioned
as part of the government's drive.
To triple the income
from tourists over a ten year period.
George is affectionately
known as, "Employee Number One".
And he's very tall.
Do all these people around us have no idea
that you're Employee Number One?
I guess not.
They don't need to know that though.
I suppose they don't. But it must cross
their minds, "Who's behind all this?".
Probably, but I think,
they're more focused all
the exciting attractions and amenities
that we have here for them to enjoy.
Marina Bay Sands opened in 2010.
For George filling the two
and a half thousand hotel rooms every day
is the top priority
And the star attraction for visitors
seem to be the swimming pool in the sky.
Some people think it looks like a ship.
Some people think
it looks like a surfboard.
But, it's a great concept.
And it literally draws
millions of people a year.
Even if you're not staying in the hotel,
you can book a table
at the restaurants that are up there.
This may be a triumph
of architectural design,
but George knows it's the power
of social technology.
That's putting
the pool on the world stage.
People bring their cell phones
and they take their selfies.
It's not really for swimming.
It's for selfies, isn't it?
It just seems that
this was built round about the time
that Instagram was starting.
I'm sure it was a coincidence.
But it's amazing, free advertising.
-Yeah
-Everybody wants a selfie.
Most hotels have to pay bloggers
to take selfies.
You just get millions
of Instagram hits every day.
Well, that's true. We've been able
to attract a lot of media attention.
And get the word out throughout the globe,
that Singapore is a great place to travel.
The hotel accommodates
more than 1,000,000 guests a year.
And depending on your budget,
there's an array of rooms to choose from.
The cost of a basic room at the hotel
starts at around £300 a night.
And if you'd like to go presidential,
you're not getting
much change out of £10,000.
This gets you two lounges, three bedrooms,
a gym, a sauna, and even a karaoke room.
A feng shui master
was involved in the design
to help harness positive
energy flowing through the rooms.
Suites like this one, even come
with their own dedicated 24-hour butler
providing services ranging
from the delivery of gourmet food
to personal shopping.
I'm off to be suited up
for a butlering job.
But they've clearly got
some issues in the measuring department.
I know, I look amazing.
I mean, basically, I can wear anything.
It's just like a sort of giant schoolboy.
It's like Tom Hanks in Big.
I've just bloop overnight
and look at the cut of these trousers.
This the kind of thing
you get your mom to narrow.
So it's a quick stop off
with Helen for adjustments.
-Hi.
-So how do I look?
How does the uniform fits you?
Are you comfortable with this?
I think I'm comfortable.
Does this look right?
-Yes.
-Do I look smart?
-You look very handsome.
-Do I?
-Yes.
-Oh, thank you very much.
You look very nice too.
But we may need
to some a little adjustment on the sleeve.
-My tailor has arrived. Hello
-Yes, your tailor is here.
Helen refuses to let a single
item of clothing leave her domain,
without it being perfect.
Her tailoring team are constantly fixing
and adjusting the thousands of uniforms.
Is there anything you can?
The trouser's a bit bell-end, as it were.
I mean, the bell-bottom
is what I was trying to say.
We can do some alterations for you.
We'll take in a little bit.
-Does my bum look big?
-Oh, yeah. No, it's okay.
No? It's okay, is it good?
That's the main thing.
But how do you go about providing
an intimate VIP guest experience,
if your hotel is the size of a small city?
I'm about to find out
from the head butler Jeremy Chee.
So the day normally starts,
when a lot of our guests are still asleep.
We rush to set all the vacant rooms.
They're asleep because
they were up late on the tables?
Yeah, and they start
to probably be up at about 9:30.
Waking up with a hangover,
how much did I lose last night?
Oh my God,
10,000,000, I think I'll shoot the butler.
Jeremy leads a team of discreet,
resourceful butlers.
Like all Singaporeans,
he did national service.
And for Jeremy, this involved
becoming a Special Forces officer.
The uniform may have changed,
but he still demands total commitment
to the mission from his team.
Five, one eight, eight, my NDA guests.
I want them out ASAP, okay?
Check into one of the most
iconic hotels in the world,
you have a butler that is well trained.
And who is taking
care of you 24 hours a day.
And you're spending top dollar to,
to be staying in one of these suites.
Jeremy's dedication
to service is absolute,
ensuring that his guests want for nothing.
A lot of our guests
can be quite demanding at times,
so you have to just bite the bullet
and do the things
that they want you to do.
I think the most unique one
that I clearly remember was a gentleman
who wanted us to arrange
a wedding banquet in four hours.
Wow, he must have had a good night
on the tables the night before?
The suites that Jeremy's team
look after are often used
by the casino's high rollers.
And the casino generates
about 70% of Marina Bay Sands' revenue.
The ones who are here for gaming.
Gosh, mostly are here for gaming?
-That's right.
-And they don't pay for their rooms?
-Some of them do?
-Some of them do.
The ones who promise to lose
a lot don't have to pay for the room?
-It's funny because it's true.
-But I won't answer that.
The hotel tries to anticipate
the needs of all its guests,
whether big spenders
or those just keen to dodge paparazzi.
This is called the discreet corridor.
So, this is where
the VIPs come in, round the back, yeah?
That's right.
A big shot Chinese businessman is arriving
so attention to detail is paramount.
And the last thing
to be done is to arrange his flowers.
But Jeremy's service standards
mean I'm being kept on a short leash.
Shall I take these?
-I'll push it. No worries.
-I'll push it. It's fine.
She's reluctant to let me
wheel this flower trolley.
I mean, they keep trying to grab it.
They seem to think it's some
massive skill that I won't be able to do.
After delivering flowers to the rest
of the suites maybe,
just maybe I'll be trusted to fly solo.
-I'm alright, I can.
-I've got this, I can wheel it.
-Honestly. I'm fine.
-Alright.
The hotel aims to appeal
to guests from all over the globe.
If that's your ambition, you need to cater
for a vast range of culinary
tastes from Taiwanese to Brazilian,
and from European fine
dining to Asian street food.
The man overseeing all this,
is 54 years old Canadian, Chris Christy.
So there's 53 licensed kitchens
at Marina Sands, under my name
that I'm responsible for.
From there, we have about 400 chefs.
Obviously it's a bit daunting
when you look at it the first time,
and you take a look
at how big an operation is.
Chris has previously worked
with some of South East Asia's
most illustrious hotel.
such as The Langham in Hong Kong,
and The Portland Ritz Carlton in Shanghai.
He wants to show me
one of the huge dining areas,
where in a few days' time,
he'll be running an enormous VIP banquet.
for 1400 guests
of a major Singaporean bank.
For me, a big night
in the kitchen is 100 covers
so this sounds too good
an opportunity to miss.
Have you got a place for one more?
-I'd love to. That's great.
-Yeah?
I'll be here anyway,
so that'll be awesome.
Great, I'll look forward to that.
If I am going to help out, I need
to know some numbers.
How many courses are there?
-Eight.
-Eight courses?
Eight, courses, yeah.
You've got five different menus
and they've got eight courses on each menu
and they've all got
to go out simultaneously.
So you need the amount of staff
-to be able to do that?
-Absolutely.
So if I'm going to be involved
in such a large event,
I need to understand
how the kitchens work around here.
So this is our fish room.
I've never seen anyone
prepare a fish with a cleaver.
-So as you can smell, this is the pastry.
-Pastry.
It's a bit early
to start dessert. Isn't it?
Never too early.
Here we go!
My favorite room, the chocolate room.
-My favorite room too. Hi guys.
-Hi gentlemen.
Peanut butter and jam.
There's a bit
of saltiness in there as well.
Right? Yeah.
As well as the number of kitchens,
what's also mind-boggling
is the quantity
of the ingredients consumed here.
We average about 500 kilos
of flour a day for bread.
500 kilos?
500, on any given day, we'll cook
between 300 to 500 kilos of rice.
Deep fried cauliflower today.
If we deep fry it, we need 700 kilos.
-700 kilos of cauliflower?
-People love fried cauliflower.
With the banquet
coming up in a few days' time
I'm going to have to get used to working
on an epic scale the way Chris does.
In terms of numbers
of actual rolls or loaves of bread.
I would say, you we're probably preparing
around 8,000 to 10,000
individual rolls on a daily basis.
Is that all?
So it seems like an enormous amount,
but really, if you look
at how many restaurants we have.
Chris, it's an enormous amount.
Yes, it's a big amount. Absolutely, yeah.
As part of the butlering team.
I've headed up to the dizzying heights
of the 52nd floor.
Here we are.
Welcome to our Presidential Suite.
Head butler Jeremy
is finally allowing me to help.
We're making some
last minute tweaks to the suite
before the arrival of the VIP.
Just requested for 24 bottles of water.
Has he got a bit of a hydration problem?
And does he want them
all arranged like snooker balls?
No, this is just how we do it.
This is our massage room.
Oh lovely, are you going to sort me out?
Shall I just hop on?
Former Special Forces
officer Jeremy won't deviate
from his mission to provide perfection.
-Is the powder room through here?
-Yeah, around here.
It's all about feng shui with flowers.
I think it should be over there
to allow the chi to flow round the corner
while you're on the loo.
The flow of positive feng shui
is a great importance in this hotel.
And Jeremy picks up on every detail.
-Oh, you don't like my jaunty angle?
-Fair enough.
Clearly, as far as Jeremy's concerned
I have a lot to learn.
Preparation is one thing,
but it's when the VIPs actually arrive
that the service comes
under genuine pressure.
We've had an urgent food request
from a high roller in another suite.
The team of 50 butlers can deliver
in-room dining to any of the suites.
Across the hotel 800 meals
are delivered to rooms every day.
But never is the pressure
more intense than at breakfast time,
when around 150 meals
can be requested at once.
So what he's doing now
is going through all the orders
to make sure everything that
the guest has ordered is all here.
What else is the guest having?
He's got all these chilli sauces
and stuff, is he having noodles?
-Yeah, the dim sum,
-It is for the dim sum.
So the dim sum has
to be freshly steamed and really hot.
Do they complain, if it's not?
Yeah.
After he ordered the breakfast,
how long should it be?
Usually we take around 30 to 45 minutes.
It depends.
But now it's like a breakfast period,
it will take longer time,
so usually in 45 minutes.
When did he order breakfast?
Around 9:50. Yeah, around that.
Oh, so it's getting now,
it's been 35 minutes?
-Yeah, 35minutes.
-It's time to get him his breakfast right?
Yeah, almost.
Keeping a VIP waiting would mean
failure for Jeremy and his team.
-How many more items?
-One more item. Let me double check.
With only minutes
to go until we bring dishonor
upon the entire butlering department.
We still have to navigate 50 floors
and hundred of metres of corridor.
Let's go down with this.
-Okay, where are we going?
-This way.
Giles, this is where we'll leave Jungwon
to serve the guest
because this guest is very particular.
Are we going straight into the room?
I can't go out into the corridor?
We can. I'll just go
as far as the door, yeah?
Which way, right or left?
Okay, this is where I move out.
Made it, with 37 seconds to spare.
Back in the basement Chris has brought me
to one of his most important kitchens.
Hello.
Dim sum, steamed rice noodle parcels.
It's one of the most requested
breakfast dishes at the hotel.
Look at this.
If you're going to achieve success
in the hotel trade in South East Asia,
the skill of making
perfect dim sum is essential.
How many years
have you been doing dim sum?
-It's about ten year.
-Ten years?
Okay, go easy on me.
-You can see the skill.
-Yeah.
Dim sum, meaning touch the heart,
are traditional Chinese dishes
dating back thousands of years.
They're delicate,
often filled with prawn or chicken.
And are designed to not sate the appetite.
The more you can teach one guy
to be a master at one specific skill,
it just keeps the wheel
working much more efficient.
With his grand event
only a couple of days away
iI's an opportunity for Chris
to see what I'm made of.
Jesus.
My first one!
And he's going
to throw it in the bin now isn't he?
This is my favourite dim sum. Prawn.
We could be here all day.
Maybe you want to go do your rounds
and come back tonight.
Come back tomorrow morning,
is that too much?
Is it okay?
Chris' experts can make up
to 5,000 of these a day.
And I'm beginning to see
why it takes so long to master the skill.
Get into a pocket, right?
-Let it hang?
-Yeah.
Press. I should wear my glasses for this.
It looks like
you're getting the hang of it.
Alright.
Whether it's the labyrinth
of kitchens or vast atriums,
this hotel is an audacious building.
And whenever he's in town,
the man responsible for the design
is to be found
staying in his own creation.
Moshe Safdie
is an award-winning architect.
With airports, museums and skyscrapers
to his name around the world.
But he's particularly
proud of the groundbreaking
technological achievement
of Marina Bay Sands and the Skypark.
We always work with models.
There was this thick chunk of balsa wood
just the right size
and I placed it on the roof.
And said,
"Why don't we try doing it up there?".
Instantly, it just seemed to make sense.
Away from the pool,
the Skypark is a lush landscaped garden,
that is home
to hundreds of trees and plants.
But its design
was one of the most technically
demanding parts of the three year build.
There were endless meetings
with the engineers.
I wanted to have one body of water,
so we had to devise
a way of an expansion joint.
That won't leak so there were a lot
of technical issues to resolve.
Plans for the building
were initially controversial with concerns
that it would block the view of the bay.
As we started coming up physically,
people in town started getting curious.
Then as soon as
we put the park on top of it,
the magic started happening in town,
people kind of woke up.
The hotel is hoping it will be seen
as a future symbol of Singapore,
with aspirations of becoming
an iconic landmark,
like the Sydney Opera House
of the Empire State Building.
It's all very well making
an impression on the skyline.
But when you build
in the heart of a city like this,
there's a challenge
at ground level that cannot be ignored,
The parking of thousands of cars.
The man tasked with keeping
the huge volume of traffic
flowing at the hotel's
capacious front entrance
is 32 year old American, George Rowe.
We can be parking 200 cars in one hour.
I mean, that's what a normal
hotel does in a day.
And for us to do that in one hour,
it's really impressive.
George is responsible for over 120 valets
and is often found in the basement
patrolling the 2,500 parking spaces
in his diddy little electric Hummer.
It's phenomenal that on big nights
we can fill up all those spaces
to where we wish
we just had one more space.
And when a guest asks for their car,
George will be judged
on how soon it's delivered.
Once we get over seven minutes,
we know that we're not
doing something right.
With thousands of guests arriving
for the big banquet in a few days,
there'll be extra
pressure on valet parking.
So I've volunteered to be part
of George's team to see how they cope.
But first I have to find him.
I was told that his office is easily found
because you follow the sign to the loo.
-Giles, how are you?
-Hi, very well.
Do you know who else's office
was in the little boy's room?
In the little boy's room?
Well, you know how there's a sign
to the gents on the thing?
-The Fonz.
-The Fonz?
The Fonz, do you remember
The Fonz from Happy Days?
Yeah, at your age you remember it.
I don't remember it.
I'm sorry. He's a very cool guy.
His office was in the toilet.
You're basically everything with wheels?
That's what we try and say we are.
All the trolleys and then all of the cars
that come in and out the property.
-Am I going to get to drive something?
-Sure, you have your license?
-No.
-That's alright.
I'm an Englishman, they know I can drive.
George's domain is
a 20km warren of tunnels and roads
filled with row upon row
of expensive cars.
All this, despite Singapore's efforts
to control the growth of car ownership.
So just to purchase a vehicle,
you receive a certificate.
And it's valid for ten years.
Right now it's about 55,000 dollars.
55,000 dollars for permission
to own per vehicle?
Permission to own a car.
Per vehicle, to own it for ten years.
-55,000 dollars?
-Yeah, that's before you even buy the car.
-Singapore dollars?
-Singapore dollars.
Cause this is quite a dream job for you.
I'm not sure your dream
is to own the entire universe
but the workers here,
let's face it, are never going
to have 55,000 dollars for vehicle?
No, I mean they're getting to drive.
They're driving your Aston Martin.
They're driving all of the cars.
Yeah. I mean,
there's no question in Singapore
that owning a car is a rich man's thing.
If I'm going to be one of George's valets,
first there's the small matter
of a driving test to pass.
And my test vehicle?
A typical everyday Singapore runaround.
A brand new Italian super car.
Now, do you know where the seatbelts are?
-Have you driven one of these before?
-No.
-So put your foot on the brake.
-Okay, cool.
You know how much horsepower we have?
This is more powerful than a horse?
No, this new technology
will never catch on. What is it?
So you're doing 510 horsepower,
you can do zero to 100mph in 3,7sec.
-Is that before I get to that wall?
-Yeah, I think just before the wall.
That's fine, because when we hit 86 mph,
the flux capacitor will kick in and go.
Well, if you see here. there's actually
the launch, so we can launch.
-What is the launch button for?
-It's literally a launch.
Hold on.
I just wanted to make you squeak.
Singapore has one of the highest densities
of millionaire households on the planet.
So I could end up cruising around in lots
of these beasts at the imminent event.
If I pass the test.
-Where is your blinker?
-What blinker? You mean my indicator?
-Yes, the blinker.
-Don't think it has them.
Where are you going?
I don't know, I thought I'd try
and get in the direction of the arrows.
-So then, go this way, go left.
-Yeah, here we go.
-Am I going the wrong way?
-Yeah, you're going down the wrong way.
Why don't I go there,
what happens in there?
I'd say George has seen all he needs to.
I'm a shoe-in for the job.
-Shall we just park here?
-Try and park here.
Yes, shall I just whip it in like that?
And go, yeah, boom, handbrake on, done.
Job's a mighty fine one.
Okay, boom, that's really
good parking surely?
Parked like a true Brit.
Look at that, it's perfect. Boom!
There, what, and then I'm just going
to go and play on the tables?
Yes, throw me your keys and that's it.
And then when it's time
to get back in you just run and slide?
Don't. Don't.
-Don't what?
-Alright, let's go.
-I was going to--
-You're done.
The job of an exclusive valet parking
luxury cars are prized in the hotel.
And native Singaporeans,
one of the most educated workforces
on the planet, are usually
after those and other plum roles
across various departments.
But that leaves a host of manual jobs
that many of them don't want to do.
And without question the biggest
example of this is housekeeping.
Housekeeping has got
to be one of the busiest
considering there are over two
and a half thousand rooms to take care of
and I'm going to find out how it's done.
Finding sufficient
numbers of quality staff,
is a constant challenge
for housekeeping manager, Michael Shu.
Michael, where's the majority
of your staff come from?
Singapore or where are they coming from?
95% to 98% are from PRC.
I mean China, China.
So, we do only have 2% or 3%
from Malaysia or local Singaporeans.
For over a century Singapore has relied
on China's large pool
of blue-collar labor.
One of Michael's star
recruits is Hong Wae.
Hong arrived from China five years ago
and like many others working at the hotel,
he's come in search
of a more lucrative future.
There you go.
This thing is heavy.
Oh, take the door out.
But how does Marina Bay Sands
ensure that Hong
and the other 360 housekeepers
keep on top of their huge workload?
-Housekeeping.
-This room's a mess!
Simple. Using handy
state of the art technology.
This app tracks the readiness of each room
ensuring not only
their high standards are met,
but their over 1,000,000
guests a year are never left waiting.
So, he took a picture, sent it off
in his app, he's got the picture,
and he can see
what's missing in the minibar.
Which is great!
But the reason Hong
is the star housekeeper
is because he likes
to add his own personal touch to a room.
It turns out, Hong's specialty
is towel art.
That's so cool.
Oh, we've got eyes as well.
Dedication like this
hasn't gone unnoticed by the hotel.
Well done you.
A hotel with thousands of rooms
produces tens of thousands of dirty items,
that require washing.
But Singapore's water
supply is under pressure.
The country needs
over 400 million gallons a day,
and has to import around
half of its water.
So the hotel has been engineered
to help conserve what little water
there is through architecture
that collects rain for recycling.
But however good your intentions,
large scale sustainability
can be a constant headache when dealing
with thousands of demanding guests.
Hi Michael, how are you, Are you well?
-I'm fine. How are you?
-Yeah, good thank you. Nice day.
Nice day, sunny day.
It turns out pool towels
are a great example
of the environmental problems
faced at Marina Bay Sands.
We're joining Michael Teo
for the morning to see first hand
how the mammoth challenge
of providing for guests' needs
can be aligned with ecological sense.
How many towels do you hand out every day?
More than a thousand per day.
That's ridiculous, I mean imagine
the laundry to, to get all that done.
To get a real sense
of the scale of the task
we split up to cover more ground,
I'm going to be handing out the towels.
How many would you like?
Three. Three towels?
So I get to drive the towel cart,
it's all about vehicles for me.
And I'm with Michael on collection duty.
-Look at all these towels.
-Yeah, the towels.
Just I've never seen
so many towels in my life.
It's towel-mageddon,
they're just everywhere.
Put it in the towel bin.
The towel bin?
No, wait, I'll open it for you.
-You put it in. Teamwork.
-Thank you.
That's how you deal
with the towel problem.
My issue is that there's no limit
on the number of towels guests can ask for
so they don't stop flying off the shelves.
Excuse me.
-Hello. Two towels?
-Yes, please.
There we go. Just charge it to your room.
Thank you.
-Hello.
-One towel.
-One Towel?
-Thank you.
Have a nice day.
-How many towels would you like?
-Two, please. Two, have a nice day.
I've been here less than
ten minutes and you can see
that the numbers of towels
have really halved.
With supplies running low already,
we have to pick up replacements.
So we need the lever.
Crack out just a hundredweight
of new towels, beautiful.
This total of 150 towels will be in here.
Wow, and they go back
into these things, do they?
-And then they go off to the laundry?
-Yes.
Okay, shall we stand on the back
and ride it down the slope then?
No? Why is he laughing?
That's what I intend to do.
The thousands of dirty pool towels
are collected
and sent to a very innovative
cleaning department.
On a daily basis, we wash
about 25,000 room linens
and about 4,000 pool towels.
-So that's in a day?
-Yeah, on a daily basis.
35,000 pieces of linen?
What's that, bed linen?
Bed linen, room linen,
yeah, the pillowcase
the duvet cover, the bed sheets
Under the watchful eye of Stephanie Chan
this huge laundry site
has turned to technology
to become highly water efficient.
The company has invested
in eco friendly washer equipment
to the tune of over ten million pounds.
The old extractor that we had actually
using about 16 liters of water
per kg of soiled linen.
By using the tunnel, we only uses
about 4,5 liters of water for 1kg
of soiled linen,
so that's about 70% of water reduction.
Once the pool towels are clean, they need
to be pressed. Looks easy enough.
Okay, can I have a go, can I try?
Is that right?
I've got to do it again? Alright.
No, come back, sorry.
I'll do it. Okay, fine.
I've broken it again, I think I'm
just doing the same towel over and over.
They keep bringing it back.
I can't even, ah. That one's crease.
Okay, you didn't tell me that it's about,
yeah. You kept that little secret back.
Get in.Did it.
This massive plant,
this incredibly mechanized place
just shows the steps that can be made,
if a hotel really gets behind
the idea of sustainability.
And I know that I can drop
my towel on the floor
and it will be dealt
with in the most sensible way possible.
Back at the hotel,
the big event is finally here,
1400 people are about
to arrive for the VIP banquet
involving eight intricate courses.
It's important for the hotel
to showcase their service and style.
And as part of Chris' epic
banqueting team,
it's time for me to crack on
with plating up row upon row of starters.
Nice prawns.
To cope with the extra volume
of VIP traffic that will be arriving
any minute now, I've been taken
on by George's valet department.
We have two dinner dances
so we should see a fair bit,
along with our normal Friday crowd.
Although there seems
to be a bit of confusion
regarding my actual role around here.
Just so you guys know we have
a new valet driver, Mr. Giles.
He will be helping us. He drove
a Ferrari earlier, I was in the car.
He will not be driving
any cars because of his experience,
so we don't trust him
with any of our guest cars.
But he'll be driving a buggy,
so please, hang on.
Tell him to make sure
to go in the right direction.
And your grooming standards,
let's zip up your shirt a little bit.
We don't wanna see your chest hair.
-It looks better when it's down.
-Yeah? Alright, perfect.
Okay, alright, have a good shift guys.
Thank you.
It turns out my job
is to shuttle the valets around,
So, with Ferraris now off-limits,
it's a less powerful machine for me.
not that it's any easier to master,
Luckily, senior valet Henry
is here to help.
-No, turn.
-No.
-Okay, stop.
-Five, three, nine, one.
-Alright. Go this way.
-No dramas, it's fine. Don't panic.
Oh no, it's the plod,
quick, duck, et's go.
-Let's go.
-Get away from the police.
I'm meant to transport
drivers to car drop off
and collection points across the hotel.
-Okay. Hi, there.
-Hi.
I charge five dollars a ride.
You've brought a car from the car park,
given it back to the customer.
-Given it back and now.
-Did you get a tip?
-No, I didn't get a tip.
-Oh, what a bastard.
To maintain
the hotel's high levels of service
and deal with the predicted spike
in car volumes this evening
George is being rigid with his targets,
deliver all cars to clients
in under seven minutes.
Now we go back down?
And he's not afraid to crack the whip.
-Go, get the guys down there!
-Okay.
Shall I listen to him or listen to you?
How do we get through the barrier?
-Okay.
-Less talk, more action!
-Let's go.
-I resign.
It's not just the valets
who are under pressure,
down in the hotel's kitchens
dozens of chefs are working flat out
to be ready, and the clock is ticking.
Next up for me one of the kitchen's
signature dishes, barbecued chicken.
So, there's a total of 140 chicken
that they've gotta chop.
They have got
about an hour to get it all done.
Sam over here. He's our superstar
barbecue chef from Hong Kong
with over 40 years of experience.
Chicken master Sam and his team
have got preparing
the chicken down to a fine art.
They're gonna fry it,
while it's hot chop it up,
put it onto the plate
and then into the warming box.
It really is the warming box,
make sure it's not too hot
otherwise, the chicken will dry out.
The Chinese are
very concerned about the chicken.
I find it really frightening how fast
they can work with the cleaver.
Although, they use it all the time.
Yeah. Quite frightening to watch them chop
with a cleaver and keep all their fingers.
Yeah, absolutely.
But they don't even blink.
The finished result is delicious,
but will I be the weak link in the chain?
-You cut or no?
-Yeah, cut.
-Here?
-Yeah.
So sharp, yeah, and then here? No?
Turns out it's not as easy as it looks.
Okay. Oh, shit!
I'm sorry, I'm making a mess of it.
It may take me 40 years
to portion a chicken with a cleaver.
I like this.
It means finished.
With the cars now coming thick and fast,
my level of responsibility
jumps up a notch.
Right, I'm now going it alone.
Henry's getting out.
I'm gonna do it all
on my own, not get lost.
It's all quite busy
and maybe it's a bit stressful and scary.
But George is still keeping
a tight rein on me,
locking me into the valets' comms system.
Which way is it? And the talking is?
Although to be honest
it's not exactly helping.
Oh, shit, whoops.
I think, I did not hit them.
OK, we're loaded.
Got a full load. Hold onto your hats.
I'm a little bit faster
than the average scooter driver.
Oh, it's faster down the hill
with all these people on board.
Is it possible to flip one of these?
Do they roll or not? Are they quite safe?
Giles, have you dropped off your drivers?
Where's my button? Not yet, just about to.
-George to Giles.
-I don't know which button it is.
I'm here, I can't find the button George,
but I'm here and it's all fine,
just watch the show and you'll find out.
-Giles, answer your walkie.
-I'm trying, I can't find the button.
-If you can't handle it.
-Where's the button?
Which button is it on?
It's all a bit of a head screw.
Right, see you later,
look Giles to George, it's all fine.
I just couldn't find the button
on my walkie talkie, I've found it.
I've dropped them off,
they've had the time of their life, over.
Back at the banquet
a thousand prawn dishes must be made.
and as it's the main event each
and everyone must be spot on.
This is so awesome, look at that, yum!
It is not easy, huh?
These guys are tough.
They're strong. This is heavy.
The end result, not bad,
if I do say so myself.
The dishes reach the exacting
but appreciative room of VIPs
without a minute to spare.
At last I'm getting the hang of it
and fast becoming
a vital member of the team.
Come on. They're all in my way.
Only Muppets use the barrier.
Only Muppets use the barrier. Good gap.
Nice one, okay.
We're gonna cut seconds off,
red light on, green light on. Go!
Another victorious mission.
They say this would be stressful,
frankly, I've got the wind in my hair.
I can go wherever I like.
But I'm taking this baby into the lift
up to the 57th floor
and straight into the infinity pool.
The guests have been well fed
and the drivers reunited
with their cars. We nailed it.
-You survived?
-I survived. Oh, how was your evening?
Really good,
it looks like organized chaos.
Really does, but it runs
a very smooth operation.
It's funny, I mean valet parking.
I guess it's like a big meal
and you take it for granted.
But when it's, these kinds of numbers,
it's mind-blowing.
-Stressful. Let's go.
-Stressful. Beer stressful.
-Or in your case wine stressful.
-Wine stressful.
It seems that to cope
with the numbers it attracts,
this hotel has to run
like a military operation.
Back in civvies by the pool
there's a chance to recover
from the hotel's front line.
This place is nuts,
but the operations that make it work
and run smoothly like a machine
is pretty impressive.
The old image of the duck
paddling serenely on the surface
and the feet moving underneath.
I think if you wanted to set out to make
one of the biggest hotels in the world
with one of the biggest casinos
with two and a half thousand bedrooms.
If you want to do that,
this is the way to do it, isn't it?
It is that. You can't help but admire it,
and it sort of scares me,
if the whole world starts turning
into massive complexes like this.
As great as it is,
this is almost another planet.
You say that "great as it is",
but you could not say
that this place does not reflect
at least one side of Singapore.
A country that's growing
incredibly fast, incredibly high
but built on a lot of foreign investment.
This is in some ways
a microcosmic version of Singapore
over the last 25 years.
And as the government's plan to increase
tourist revenue seems to be working,
with growing numbers
of people flocking here,
it looks like the charming,
hard-working staff
we've met at Marina Bay Sands
are going to have to keep on paddling,
possibly even faster,
for many years to come