FOR five days, supervisor Annie Faridah Abdullah played personal butler to a wheelchair-bound hotel guest.
The visitor, in her 40s, was on a diet that forbade her from eating vegetables such as garlic and onions.
Ms Faridah ensured that the woman's meals not only met her doctor's orders but were also delicious.
'I found out she liked our fried noodles, so I asked our chef to prepare a special plate just for her,'' said Ms Faridah.
Her willingness to go the extra mile last year did not go unnoticed by her bosses at the Copthorne Orchid Hotel in Dunearn Road.
On Tuesday, the 53-year-old was among 41 workers in the hotel, restaurant and tourism sector who were given a public pat on the back for their exemplary work.
They were nominated by their companies for the Employee of the Year award, organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC); Food, Drinks and Allied Workers' Union; and Singapore Hotel Association.
A beaming Ms Faridah, who has been in the hotel industry for 32 years, said: 'I'm very proud to win this award. But what is more satisfying is that I made a guest feel at home during her stay with us.'
Speaking at the awards presentation ceremony, NTUC deputy secretary-general Halimah Yacob said Singapore had done 'quite well' in the area of service.
She cited a survey on service standards here, done by the Singapore Management University's Institute of Service Excellence.
When matched against identical surveys done in South Korea and the United States, it showed Singapore was not far behind.
But Madam Halimah wants the sector to do better. She urged employers, such as hotels, to strengthen their staff recruitment and development to keep improving standards.
This article was first published in The Straits Times on May 22, 2008
