stylish dining - Spa Botanica

PEOPLE
Man At The Helm
16 THE BEAUFORT QUARTERLY
Ask The Sentosa Singapore’s brand new General Manager
Nigel Grocock where he comes from and you are met with
an enigmatic smile followed by, “I’m not sure”. The affable
Mr Grocock is pulling your leg of course but the statement is
partly true. His Geordie father met and married his English
mother in Egypt and the young Nigel spent his childhood up
till the age of 14 in Iraq, Lebanon and Libya.
When we met on March 17, Mr Grocock was a mere five
days into his job at The Sentosa and admitted he is still in
“look-see” mode. “It’s too early to tell what my plans for the
hotel are,” he says. “My objectives have to be in conjunction
with that of the owners and the team. I am trying to assess
where we are, where we want to be and how to get there.”
The 56-year-old should have no problem steering The
Sentosa in the right direction. His work, which has taken
him to Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines and most recently
China will enjoy the benefit of a man having to adapt to more
cultures in the first half of his life than most people have had
to in their lifetimes. Besides, he opened two hotels in Beijing
in the years running up to the Olympics so he has plenty of
experience leading multicultural teams.
Despite the imminent opening of the integrated resorts and
other hotels springing up on Sentosa, Mr Grocock thinks the
Sentosa Resort & Spa will hold its own.
“The mixing of the historical and the modern from an
architectural point of view is what makes it so special. It is
a quiet oasis, which is close enough to the hustle and bustle
of Orchard Road yet worlds apart. The panoramic vistas of
Sentosa island from the hotel will no doubt continue to be a
big draw. People will enjoy the peaceful environment and the
fact that Spa Botanica is so close by.”
Already, Mr Grocock is a firm fan of The Garden, The
Sentosa’s latest restaurant that highlights Conscious Dining.
He recommends that guests visit it because of its successful
blending-in with the spa and the creative menus, which boast
organic ingredients.
Mr Grocock and his wife Sarah are the proud parents of
two aspiring journalists, Nicole and Adrian, who live in New
York and London respectively. Both he and Mrs Grocock are
looking forward to his posting in Singapore. “It means we have
easy access to our favourite foods,” he says. “I like fried kway
teow but am not a particular fan of durian.”
Still, he once arranged a durian fiesta for some overseas
guests who requested to try this prickly fruit with taste and
texture you either love or hate. He was working in a top hotel in
Malaysia then. “I persuaded the guests that they should have
it in the courtyard,” says this man who is ever conscious of the
needs of his hotel guests. Welcome aboard, Mr Grocock!
inTERviEW: viviEnnE KHOO
PHOTOGRAPHY: MUnSHi AHMED