Hailing from small town Kluang, Malaysia, Jill Goh, GM of Mandarin Oriental Singapore, is passionate about fashion

Jill Goh walks into a private room in Mandarin Oriental, Singapore’s club lounge with a bright, cheery smile. You can’t help but notice that she’s impeccably dressed – wearing a red-and-white embroidered dress, accessorised with hexagonal-shaped glasses and a red choker. “I was told to wear something with a story to tell!” she chirped.

Goh, 58, is the newly appointed general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, assuming the role in January 2024. The veteran hotelier is the property’s first female general manager.

Despite having been in the industry for more than three decades, hospitality wasn’t Goh’s first love, she shared as we settled in for a chat. Goh was born in the small town of Kluang, Malaysia, into an artistic family. “My father is a calligrapher, my brothers were artists,” shared Goh, the youngest of eight children. “From young, I was always very active in school activities like public speaking and singing contests. I also play the piano."

After graduating high school, Goh harboured ambitions to study music. But when she sat down with her father, he expressed his concerns. “He asked if I was very sure about pursuing music,” Goh recalled. “He said, ‘I know you are genetically gifted in music, but for you to pursue music, you better take it seriously. It can’t be just a hobby, you better be very good’”.

Goh’s father also admitted that he “didn’t have the financial means to support me, especially if I was going to be overseas for very long”.

FROM KLUANG TO EUROPE

It was a trip to Singapore to visit her cousin that the idea to venture into hospitality came about. Flipping through a local newspaper, Goh chanced upon an advert for Cesar Ritz College, a hospitality school in Switzerland. “I still remember the advert. It was advertising a two-year diploma, where students would study for half a year, then work the other half of the year. It detailed exactly the financial commitment for those two years,” shared Goh.

She cut out the advertisement from the paper and took it home to her father. “He said he could support me and that the hospitality industry suited me more, which was a turning point for me. I’m always good with people and I’m able to connect with them easily.”

Goh was “the first Kluang girl” to leave her hometown for Switzerland in order to study hospitality. “In a small town like Kluang, nobody ever heard of hospitality,” she said.

And so began Goh’s illustrious career as a hotelier. After graduating from college, Goh’s first job in a hotel was, in fact, at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, in 1993 where she first started out as executive club floor manager, before taking up the role of resident manager. After spending 18 years with the property, she moved to London to join the Mandarin Oriental, Hyde Park, where she once came face to face with the late Queen Elizabeth II. “When I arrived in London, it was a very colourful time in UK history as it was Prince William’s wedding,” Goh cheerily recalled. “The Queen held a pre-wedding cocktail in the hotel, with over 50 Commonwealth Heads of State attending. It was a memorable evening. When everyone was leaving, I stayed behind and I came very close to the Queen. She looked at me curiously because I wasn’t dressed for the occasion, I was just dressed in my work clothes!” Goh laughed.

BAPTISM OF FIRE

After London, Goh moved to Hong Kong for a short stint in Mandarin Oriental’s corporate office, before moving on to Mandarin Oriental, Macau, to take up the general manager role. Her most recent appointment before returning to Mandarin Oriental, Singapore was with The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, where she steered the property through various crises.

A month after she joined The Landmark in 2019, the Hong Kong protests began. Not long after, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. “Twice, I went through a baptism of fire. But now when I look back, it was a challenging time, but it forced us to be unprecedented,” said Goh. “The hotel industry was the first to be impacted during the pandemic. Suddenly, we were hit with single digit arrivals, single digit occupancies. What do we do with our people?”

Under Goh’s leadership, The Landmark was converted into a quarantine hotel. Back then, the decision to convert a five-star hotel with several Michelin-starred restaurants was unheard of. “Everyone raised their eyebrows at the time, because The Landmark is a super luxurious hotel,” Goh recalled. “On hindsight, it was a daring decision, but it ended up being the right one.”

Goh describes going through the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong as “the most challenging, yet fulfilling” period of her career so far. “It was a period that showed us that in today’s business environment, not just in hospitality, one needs to be very agile. Agility is the recipe for survival.”

RETURN TO SINGAPORE

Goh returned to Singapore in 2024 to take up the role of general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, the very place where she first started her career. It’s a full circle moment for Goh, who describes Singapore as “half home, as my husband is Singaporean”.

She now leads the property in its new chapter. In September 2023, Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, re-opened to the public after undergoing an extensive, six-month renovation at a cost of over US$100 million. The hotel’s 510 rooms and suites have been refreshed, drawing inspiration from the views outside their windows. The Marina Bay view rooms feature dappled batik patterns and a cooler colour palette, while city-facing rooms are infused with botanical prints.

The hotel also expanded its suite offerings with the debut of a new Presidential Suite and four-bedroom Royal Marina Bay Penthouse. Public spaces were also given a facelift – the Lobby Lounge features magnificent crystal spheres of Vanda Joaquim orchids as a tribute to Singapore’s national flower, while the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant was reimagined as Embu, a refreshed garden-style space with a kids’ buffet corner.

Goh’s plans for the property in its new phase include showcasing it as “the choice venue for international and local guests”. “Singapore over the last few years, especially after COVID, has really established itself as the first line city for international conventions and events. Running a hospitality entity in a city like Singapore is not just about us, it’s about how we deliver the credibility, efficiency, convenience, and friendliness of the country.”

A LOVE FOR FASHION

As the face of the hotel, Goh is always dressed to perfection. She equates her love for fashion as a form of self-expression and enjoys building a wardrobe that’s timeless. “I’m not someone that follows trends or goes for brand,” she divulged.

Goh is fond of supporting local designers, wherever she may be. The outfit she wore for this interview, a white linen dress with oriental floral embroidery in red, is by a Hong Kong designer. The dress caught her eye when she chanced upon it through a window display while strolling in Hong Kong’s Mid-Levels, where she used to live. The designer turned out to be the sister of one of Goh’s regular hotel guests. Goh enjoys injecting “an interesting dose of colour palettes tailored for a specific day or occasion, which is the key to bring forth the energy and inspiration of the day,” she said.

She also owns a variety of funky accessories, which she picks up on her travels. The choker she wore for this interview was a souvenir from a recent trip to Chengdu, designed and handcrafted by a young Chinese couple. “It’s actually a bracelet, but I much prefer to wear it as a choker,” shared Goh. “Many people have complimented me on how special it is.”

Her unique, hexagonal-shaped glasses is one of four pairs that she owns and rotates daily. “This is one of my more ‘normal’ ones. I have a pair that is asymmetrical but it’s hard to tell the difference. That pair is good for testing how observant people are,” she laughed.

CULINARY PASSIONS AND BEYOND

Some of Goh’s other hobbies include yoga, hiking and brisk-walking. “I am very disciplined in allowing myself time to recharge. That’s something I won’t compromise,” she shared. One of her favourite spots for her morning and evening walks is the Marina Bay area. “I left Singapore for 13 years and now that I’m back, I find this area so beautifully developed. It really captures the image of Singapore, it’s such a small city but so beautiful.”

Naturally, Goh hasn’t given up her love for music. “I don’t have a piano with me now because I travel so much, but I bought an electronic piano. I play that to destress.” 

Goh is also an avid cook. Being homesick after working overseas for a long period of time led her on a mission to rediscover her Hakka roots through cooking. “My mum used to cook traditional Hakka dishes for us, and my eldest sister is a good cook too. These dishes evoke very special memories,” shared Goh.

Some of the dishes she has mastered include Hakka Yong Tau Foo (“from scratch!” she quipped) and thunder tea rice. She also learnt how to make Nyonya dumplings for her Peranakan husband during their time living in Hong Kong. At times, she presents these dishes as cakes. “I can’t bake, so I always innovate my dishes for my guests,” she said.

What does she enjoy the most about working in the hospitality industry? “It comes back to the people. I just enjoy meeting and talking with people. Human interaction is what brings us all these beautiful memories in our lives,” Goh said. Indeed, her adventures in the industry has brought her to meet all kinds of people. Once, she even met singer Lady Gaga. “But I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know who Lady Gaga was back then!” she chuckled.

“I always say I can write a book,” Goh added with a smile. “One day, I will write a book about all the beautiful experiences I had in this industry.”