A weekend in Hong Kong

Taking the short 2-hour flight to Hong Kong at the beginning of March in the hope of doing a

spot of sightseeing proved to be somewhat optimistic to put it mildly.

After returning to Manila feeling a little disappointed, (as well as cold and wet after a 17 degree drop in the daytime temperature), a friend who used to live in Hong Kong confirmed that it's just about the worst time of year to go. The weather is miserable and the view is pretty much non-existent. I guess this is one time I should have done my research a little more thoroughly.

One of the most interesting experiences of the weekend for me was staying at the T Hotel on Hong Kong Island. The T Hotel is a government run facility where trainee staff receive official on the job training in the true sense of the word. Consequently, from the moment you enter the main door, you are continually lavished with an unbelievable level of service, enthusiasm and goodwill. At times it's almost a little too overwhelming, but it's nevetheless fascinating to spend a day there.

Taking an afternoon meal in the restaurant was almost surreal, as one trainee was put through his paces in front of our very eyes. We watched engrossed as under close scrutiny, he demonstrated how to wait on the guests. Openly observed by four fellow trainees making mental notes while standing right behind him, as well as an on-looking manager ever-ready to give advice, he laid the cutlery at a neighbouring table, before being sent back to move it just a few millimetres to the right. Ironically, the guest who was eating there hadn't even noticed that anything was amiss, and the entire scene had something distinctly Pythonesque about it. When I took a break from watching the action to go to the toilet, after returning I found that my serviette had been folded up and replaced as new on my table. The moment I sat down, a waiter appeared from nowhere again to unravel it and place it back on my lap. This happened every time I got up, even when crossing the room to get a glass of orange juice.

Upon check-in, a very young Mandarin-speaking trainee spent what felt like 15 minutes proudly explaining every single gadget in our hotel room in his pre-learned English. I really felt for him constantly stumbling over the Ls and Rs throughout his long explanation, but he managed to keep a smile on his face throughout this entire session of what must have felt like linguistic torture.

I can't ever remember staying anywhere even remotely similar where the entire staff endeavoured so much to create a lasting and favourable impression, and if I ever go back to Hong Kong, the T Hotel is unquestionably the place I'll stay. The staff are so helpful and eager to please, and the experience there is quite simply priceless.