Mondrian Duxton Singapore has assembled a group of unexpected talents to give a whole new meaning to hospitality as they prepare to launch something special from 1Q2023.
Led by Robert C. Hauck, general manager, maverick and all-round mischief-maker, who has taken a unique approach to hiring under Mondrian’s ‘unexpected talents’ mantra, he has built a career on breaking new ground and thinking outside the box.
“Any hotel is only as good as the people who bring it to life. Mondrian has given me the freedom to do something truly innovative and really cast the net wide in taking a new approach to assembling a team,” Hauck said.
“It’s all about creating a place for individuals and personalities with a lot to offer but who may not fit in to a conventional hotel. They might be misfits in a sense, but they’ll fit in here.”
“Here” is Duxton Hill, home to the latest addition to the Mondrian family of hotels, joining the brand’s properties in Los Angeles, New York, Miami, London, Cannes, Doha and Seoul.
Hauck has already assembled a core team of over 70 people, ensuring there’s a solid backbone of experienced industry operators to which he has added rebels, dreamers and outsiders, creating a fresh perspective for the hotel, a new energy and a collective entrepreneurial spirit.
The team members comprise a full body-tattooed restaurant manager who turned his life around after prison, an elderly public area supervisor who holds three marketing diplomas but was previously a cleaner, a bored retiree with a career background in strategic brand planning, fresh graduates, a former Olympian athlete, a luxury fashion expert and award-winning bartenders, and more – these are among the passionate and talented characters given another chance to find their calling.
Hauck opined: “My motto is chase talent, don’t wait. From tattoo conventions to alternative gigs, from art happenings to theatre and sport… and knowing true talent when you see it. This will be the essence of what we are bringing to the market at Mondrian Singapore Duxton.”
He joins JLL from CBRE, where he was recently head of research and consulting, Thailand.
