How this foreigner saved the most iconic hotel in Singapore 🇸🇬
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2024
- Meet Roberto Pregarz, an Italian who came to Singapore almost 60 years ago and served as the general manager of the legendary Raffles Hotel for 17 years. Roberto told me how he turned the stagnating hotel profitable again, the story of a real tiger roaming around one of the Raffles rooms, and why he still hasn't obtained Singaporean citizenship despite being a relative of Lee Kuan Yew. Enjoy!
Roberto on LinkedIn: / pregarz-roberto-4a502434
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 INTRO
00:27 Near Raffles Hotel
00:42 Why did he come to Singapore?
01:50 Singaporean wife
02:36 Ghosts in Raffles Hotel
04:01 Raffles reputation earlier
04:18 Indian doormen
04:54 Working in Raffles Hotel
06:19 Poisoning of the minister's wife
08:09 Inside Raffles Hotel
09:08 Hotels in Singapore
10:03 Hotel rescue
11:29 Tiger came to Raffles
14:25 Special drink
16:08 Getting PR in Singapore
17:36 Life principle
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Thank you very much for your contribution, I have always like Raffles Hotel. Somehow the other new hotels can never have the kind of vibes. Bless you in abundance.
I have been very surprised to receive so many nice comments! I am most grateful and thank you all from the bottom of my heart.
Roberto you’re the legend! ♥️
Thank you Roberto for your motto in life and making the island's history with a splash of Italian flair. Now the hotel was being purchased many times not for the physical structure but for it's brand name. Keep well.
Hello Roberto ! This is Kerr Sun great to hear your stories online again!
Would be nice to have an extended interview. So enjoyable hearing about the early history of the hotel. Bravo Sir
Thank you for sharing Sir. I love the historical context you provided. Great Interview Max.
I am happy that Max viewers have enjoyed the video of my interview about Raffles. Some years ago I wrote the Book “Raffles Legends and Stories” which was sold at Raffles. Now is sold out. I may try to do a reprint if I can find a sponsor and a buyer.
I would be happy to preorder at least two copies
Mrs Pregarz was my form teacher when i was in P6 in Telok Ayer area in 1976. After the PSLE, she brought the whole class to this hotel for set lunch. Mr Pregarz was the manager and came out to receive us, a bunch of poor kids growing up in Amoy St and Chinatown area. I still remember that day. THANK YOU BOTH, MR AND MRS PREGARZ. I now bring my family there for meals and staycation. 😊😊
What a beautiful connection and heart-warming story. Especially when the barriers between rich and poor melted away and that you're doing amazing now.
God bless you both, Mr and Mrs Pregarz.
Dayum
I can listen to this man for hours. What a story. And can we say, before any brand agency, he has done the brand story right. Great video. Wow, what a story well told.
thank you for making Raffles Hotel a well-known Singapore icon, and in-turn contributions to the country
What a genuine and kind-hearted man.I have always associated Raffles Hotel very closely with Singapore itself. That's a tribute to this gentleman's life's work. Good job on this, Max.
This is wonderful history story for all Singaporeans. Thank you Max for interviewing Mr Pregarz. I am very grateful to you both!
*This video draws the attention to someone missing from the scene to many people in SG about the iconic Raffles and the man that made it what it is. In a way a sort of unsung hero*
thank you so much Max for working so hard to document our history
Thank you for this video. It's really wonderful to hear stories from someone who has been in the country for a very long, long time.
what a character!! So enterprising and you can see the staff still hold him in high esteem..
There is so much history in everything. Thank you for giving us this amazing interview 🙏
wow this episode is so interesting. A legend.
Classy hotel and a very classy gentleman as their former GM. But I’m more amazed about the guy who talent spotted Roberto from among the staff of the passenger ship
Happy Birthday.
Roberto, wish you all the best.
Regards
Shìrin n Russi
Wish you the best always..Mr.Roberto..keep happy
I loved every moment of this video. Absolutely fascinating person. So glad to have learned about Roberto!
What a great history and stories! Its the real encounters and the colonial stories that makes this hotel so iconic. Great interview with the GM of the yesteryears, thank you for sharing your down to earth dedication to this legendary place Roberto !
I can feel that Mr. Roberto is from most likely Friuli/Istria, his accent is still there.
Hard working and such wonderful people.
Thanks Max for this.
BTW Roberto saw our interview, Andrea :)
The GM said he is 25% Italian and 75% Singaporean. I think he is 100% Singaporean. Such a nice and humble gentleman. Thank you for your contribution to Singapore. You are awesome.
Super cool to know all the advertising efforts and history! Thanks for interviewing him!
Very nice interview.Thank you 🎉🎉
White colour hotel so beautiful in tropical island.
Brilliant interview,a lot of history and life's message 👍
Wonderful thank you
So interesting listening to him bringing us through history. Hes so sharp in his recollection. 👍
A BRILLIANT AND ELOQUENT REPORT OF A SINGAPORE ICON. So interesting, you almost feel you are there, for a private viewing.
Very enlightening and intriguing to hear so much tge history about Raffles hotel. Great video!
This man sure knows how to run a hotel. I used to work as a receptionist in the seventies in Malacca, Shah's Beach Motel. It was a learning curve to manage a business, we don't have managers but the receptionist that was on duty is in charge of the motel. Lovely motel with 50 rooms at that time and occupancy rate was more than 90%.
Respect to Mr. Roberto..
Great video. 💯👍
What an amazing man! So positive and creative! No wonder we were so attracted to the Raffles when we first arrived in Singapore. It is the beautiful architecture, gardens, history and the stories that make it so attractive. It's good to have a purpose. Ikigai...
Thank you for an amazing video . Enjoyed watching you all enthusiastically trying out the street food. Jonkers Street is indeed worth visiting.
Thanks for this video! My favourite spot in Singapore. Historical oasis in modern city. Interesting story for GM of hotel❤
thank you for this very informative video..and wow..Raffles stands for the exotic East..agree..so grand Raffles look..
As a Singaporean, I love these stories! Thank you.
Thanks, Max, this is one of the best videos I have watched, so very interesting. Keep up your good work. Cheers from Australia
Thanks so much! Sending love to Australia!
Lee Kuan Yew do not give any preferential treatment ...... Warms my heart
😊
Kindly thank he great work in little island.
It is ok, he is Singaporean at heart
You can tell this man lived a good life
My husband and I had a wonderful stay at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Like a step back into another time but with beautiful hospitality, food and stunning decor. Beats the Plastic, chrome and meaningless neverending boxes of corridors, lift spaces. Oh to go back ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Lovely man 😊 Love The Raffles & Singapore Sl😮ngs
I had a Yard of Ale at the Long Bar back in the early 90s while in Sing for business. Grateful for the experience.
Excellent guest, thanks very much to created this excellent content
loved it
Such an honest interview. Loved his anecdotes and stories.
Thank You Mr Roberto! Your story is so amazing & enlightening. 👍👍👍👏👏👏🇸🇬🇸🇬🇸🇬🤝🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹
You deserve so much more support. I watchwd your all 3 videos about Foreigners living in Mumbai, and that was very well summarised. I subscribed
thanks so mcuh!
Amazing story. Amazing purpose. And so apt hat you carried out part of the interview at Raffles hotel itself :)
One of the most amazing videos done by Max. Thank you.
🙏
Excellent interview/profile - what a wonderful job Mr. Pregarz has done with the Raffles (not least the Sunday Brunch there),
YES! This is the best video you have made. Thanks for doing this.
You are so welcome!
Thank you, love this video, love the hotel n your interviewee
Our pleasure!
Thank you Max for sharing such history of an iconic hotel. We recalled her famous Sunday "Curry Tiffin" and its famous Hainanese chefs ...Terrific...and the S'pore Sling
Super interesting
Great content about Roberto and the little known history of Raffles Hotel.
Very enjoyable episode! This man is undoubtably a pioneer of singapore
Great content and nice to see Roberto sharing his amazing experiences !
3rd Italian on my channel! :)
@@MaxChernov yeah thats cool ! Maybe u should organize an annual in person event and we can have an italian table 😂😁
Haha with pleasure!
I once stay at raffle's hotel very rare and beautiful hotels in Singapore thanks to pregartz for maintaining everything
Excellent interview with a very interesting person.
The amazing stories Mr Roberto has and many more i suppose. Thank you.
Very touching video. I can see how this high quality gentleman was asked to come into such a prominent and key position at Raffles Hotel. SG is lucky he said yes.
I’m 50 yo and I’m ashamed to hv knew so little about my country. Thank you
I would not have know much about Raffles Hotel if not in this video. A Thousand thanks for your endless effort and keep up the good work. Cheers
Our pleasure!
Very interesting!
Hey Max just a tip. If you want to truly understand Singapore, interview people from different income groups, including the hawker centre stall owners. Even though we are a small country, we have diverse groups of people from different 'classes' (largely depending on income too); we are hardly homogeneous as 'singaporeans'. e.g. many of us have never stayed in raffles hotel all our lives - it's mainly for the wealthy and tourists
Interesting fact about this hotel is that in it's current form it has been built by "immigrant entrepreneurs" Sarkies brothers, who were Armenians and founded several other luxury hotels in South-East Asia
Correct
Raffles is a Singapore icon!!😊Love it! I always stay in Bugis so i can visit and walk past!! Especially The Long Bar!🍻🥂🍹Thanks must go to Roberto!!✅👏
Wow. What a rich tapestry of history narrated by a key person who lived through it all. Just wow.
Dam history from your channel interviewing these people are so much more interesting then the history books taught in schools XD
Lol 😍
It is quite sad that I've only been in the Raffles twice even though it's the most iconic hotel in Singapore , that all Singaporeans should be proud to show off to - their foreign friends/guests. Unfortunately, during Jennie and Helfer time, they made Raffles so attas that we don't even try to go. I personally did not find Raffles welcoming at all, therefore, we used other hotels to house our guests.
Raffles Hotel only recently regained their magic with French-Qatari ownership.
Amazing stories about the history of Singapore from such a nice old man! 😍
My very kind regards to my old friend Roberto. Long time no see,❤
Raffles is blessed to have such a good manager!
Job well done!
He's like a living diary
Nice story! I think the national archives may be keen to capture his story about David Marshall and raffles hotel.
Wow, what an interview! Interesting that you didn’t put pictures of the Hotel prior its redevelopment in the early 90’s, would give a better understanding! Hmmmmm…..
Raffles Hotel remains elite level exclusive. I have not stepped into their lobby for many years as they only only allow guests of the hotel to enter.
General Manager was basically what we call CEO today
Only now I know Mr. Pregarz was the general manager of the white colonial hotel across the Beach Road, to the left of the headquarter of 1st Singapore Infantry Brigade(1SIB), which is now situated elsewhere. The hotel was very safe, having an army camp nearby. Mr Pregarz did an excellent job indeed.
I will make a point of visiting the hotel-a pilgrimage-when I visit Singapore in a few weeks.
👍👍👍👏👏👏
How is he related to mr Lee?
❤
Respect legend who built sg😊
Chao Roberto, you’ve done a great job for racial harmony! During that period, I’ve visited The American Club and Cricket Club and the (local) staffs had treated the “non Ang Mo visiting guest” with a discrimination way of service! I was disappointed deeply
👍👏💪🇸🇬
Wow...a real tiger..amazing 'dangerous' advertising..
Thanks Max! This will never appear in any of our history books😂
guess 1/2 correctly, know about old raffles hotel but didn’t know the “relative “ part
He didn’t say anything about Michael Jackson staying there 😂
It was after Roberto left
@@MaxChernov
Ok 😅thank you 👍
Wonder if he is really a good boss
In most countries if you are not related to leadership you get prosecuted in Singapore if you are related you get prosecuted cause LKY didnt want even the appearance of favoritism
Keep Raffles Hotel Alive
❤ max
全世界的人民都要團结一起.加油加油加油加油加油新加坡人加油加油🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
x1 singapore sling , please, mon ami 1:05
Honesty hard working & caring..
Hmm.. Did he pay his workers correctly & fairly?
Anybody who knows anything about the hotel industry anywhere in the world knows that hotel workers are often overworked & underpaid.
I note that a proper history and formation of Raffles Hotel was left out, probably on purpose.
Sloppy work from the interviewer I'd say..