- 20/07/2025
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FunTranscript
00:00Oh, thank you so much for asking. I'm always wonderful.
00:11London's Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park is one of the world's most exclusive hotels.
00:23Our royal suite goes for 15,000 pounds a night.
00:26If you want to have this kind of hotel, you need the money.
00:30If not, how do you pay?
00:33You cannot pay with love.
00:35Offering elite clientele a flavour of traditional Britain.
00:39I'm always a sucker for cucumber sandwiches.
00:41I think it's the double cream that gets me going.
00:45Now, for the first time in its history,
00:49the hotel has agreed to open its doors.
00:52Good evening.
00:53Good evening.
00:54Both upstairs.
00:55I'm in the royal suite.
00:58Good dear.
00:59Good dear.
01:01And downstairs.
01:02Five-star hotel, so they expect top-notch.
01:04Chop-chop.
01:05They're paying money and they need it now.
01:07Check on scallop meat fruit between two pork and a sea bass, please.
01:11And reveal to the world the secrets of its success.
01:15I wish you the most pleasant afternoon ever.
01:18Goodbye.
01:19Goodbye.
01:35Welcome, sir.
01:36How are you?
01:37Very good, very good.
01:38Checking in I'm guessing?
01:39Yes.
01:40It's the start of the busy summer season.
01:42Hello, madame.
01:43Good afternoon.
01:44And the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel is fully booked.
01:49Very good afternoon, concierge.
01:51François Xavier speaking.
01:53I'm assist you.
01:55Veteran concierge François Xavier has been catering to the needs
01:59of the world's most discriminating guests for over 17 years.
02:05Well, Battersea Park is approximately a ten-minute chauffeur drive from here.
02:14But it's a beautiful park.
02:15It's not my favourite park, though.
02:17If you wanted to do something like a beautiful park,
02:20I would go to Regent's Park,
02:22where you have, as well, the London Zoo
02:26with all the tigers and the monkeys down there, yes.
02:29Mm-hm.
02:31Thank you, madame.
02:32Bye.
02:36It's the job of François Xavier and all the hotel staff
02:39to make sure that the mostly foreign guests
02:41get everything they could possibly want from a stay in London.
02:48Good afternoon, Mr Rush.
02:49Very good afternoon, Mr Rush.
02:50How are you?
02:51Very well, thank you.
02:52And yourself?
02:53A friend of mine suggested a restaurant.
02:56They're booked out for 9.30,
02:58so I said to him,
02:59well, let me go and see the wand waivers.
03:04When people come and stay with us,
03:06I think they have the quintessential British experience.
03:10The building itself is very British.
03:12The atmosphere is very British.
03:14And what is very interesting about all this,
03:19it's foreigners or foreign citizens
03:22who provide this service.
03:24This hotel is run by people from all over the world.
03:32What you find in the Mandarin Oriental is modern London.
03:35modern London.
03:48Of the 610 staff here to serve the demanding clientele,
03:5380% are from overseas.
03:55Oh, a lot of dirty baby items.
04:0126-year-old Maxim, a valet assistant, is from Lithuania.
04:06Laundry never closes.
04:07It works in all year, bank holiday, doesn't matter.
04:09It's non-stop.
04:10Guests are coming every day, night, morning, evening, whatever.
04:15Working two floors below street level,
04:17Max and his colleagues keep staff uniforms looking smart
04:20and cater to the guests every laundry need.
04:24Five-star hotel, so we expect top-notch.
04:27Chop-chop, they're paying money and I need it now.
04:30Say, like, eh, we'll do our best.
04:32Usually our best is at least half an hour
04:33because, you know, there's other guests who wants also a chop-chop.
04:38You can take the apron.
04:41Maxime's boss is laundry manager Erica.
04:44What do you want me to do with this?
04:45Jacqueline.
04:47But it is brand new.
04:48It's irrelevant.
04:49We put dry-clean in the chair.
04:50Maybe he likes the smell of dry-clean.
04:52So...
04:54They are brand new from the shop.
04:57It's good for us.
04:58It's more money.
05:00We have colleagues from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania,
05:05and Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, and I'm from Slovakia.
05:12The job is hard, quite hard.
05:14The place is hot.
05:16You are working three shifts, 24-7 operation.
05:21But they appreciate the job.
05:24When we first arrived to England, me and my mum were sharing a room.
05:28It was like the landlord was living downstairs or the other people were living upstairs.
05:32And we lived in there for like what?
05:34Like two or three years we lived in there.
05:37This job means to me a lot because that's the best job I got since I came from Lithuania.
05:41So I get to meet a lot of new people and plus working in a five-star hotel I learned so many new skills.
05:48Since he started at the hotel, Maxime has been on a temporary contract which finishes in under four weeks.
05:54At the end of the month, he could be out of a job.
05:58I'll be quite sad.
05:59You know, like you already come here, you know everything, everybody knows you and you're just doing every day the same.
06:03And in a new place, no matter how new it is, you still have to learn everything from the beginning.
06:07Yeah, it kind of feels like home in here.
06:13The hotel is situated in the exclusive neighbourhood of Knightsbridge, renowned for its wealthy Middle Eastern visitors.
06:21Good morning.
06:23Every summer, to escape the gulf heat, many come to do their London season, creating big business for the surrounding luxury hotels.
06:37On the second floor, guests have just left the two-bedroom, two-bathroom imperial suite, which costs up to £7,000 a night.
06:47Make sure this is right, yeah?
06:50This one, guests will go here in the corner.
06:54Housekeeping has just a few hours to get it ready for the arrival of a VVIP, a princess from the Middle East.
07:02Roman Tech, can we have a look at the pillows? Some of them have little...
07:08..that we can take scissors and take it off.
07:11Overseeing every detail is Roman, the front office manager.
07:16Today, we're preparing the arrival of a princess from the Middle East.
07:20She's one of our regular guests.
07:22She's coming with her children.
07:24There's a whole entourage, so they have a large suite and then rooms opposite for the maids and their butlers.
07:30The princess's requirements include transforming one of her bedrooms into a nursery,
07:38safety-proofing a suite for the children's playroom,
07:42and blacking out the master bedroom.
07:45Put it on the side and put it in line with a coffee cup. It's just all in line and it all looks good.
07:57Does it really matter?
07:58In the big measure of things, no, because I think it's quite honestly saying it's a first-world problem. I can honestly say that.
08:07When you talk about five-star hotels, it's about luxury. You selling a luxury product and a luxury service.
08:14And luxury products or services come with great attention to detail.
08:21And the thoughtfulness of somebody who makes the product or the service just better what others don't do.
08:27Or can we have that coming out more, nicer, fluffy.
08:34This particular princess is our top ten guests in terms of the overall revenue that she is generating with us.
08:42We're probably talking about £20,000 a night.
08:45The big Middle East groups, they're the big spenders for us.
08:49When you put it into perspective, this is a receptionist salary that they're going to spend in one night.
08:59I'll send Tony out.
09:01Also preparing for this evening's royal arrival is Steve, the luggage master.
09:07Right, quick briefing, guys.
09:0925 departures, 50 arrivals.
09:12And as you know tonight, we've got a major VIP coming in, the royalty.
09:15It's going to be like 150 to 200 suitcases.
09:19Bags will be arriving outside the ballroom.
09:21And we'll just be loading everything into the ballroom.
09:23We keep everything in the ballroom.
09:24We'll tag the bags up and we'll send them straight upstairs.
09:28Yeah, they've changed in the room.
09:29They're going to 203 now, is that correct, yeah?
09:32OK, 203, yeah.
09:34Steve has worked on the bell desk for five years.
09:36OK, thank you.
09:39He's become an expert at keeping his guests happy.
09:42You're welcome.
09:43Oh, thank you very much.
09:45Koreans are not that good in sitting there.
09:47I think they gave me three quid or something.
09:49When they give you coins, it's a bad sign.
09:52We get Arabs who give us...
09:53All they do is give you 50s.
09:5420 minimum.
09:56All day long, though.
09:58Sometimes you just smile at them and...
10:00..for your money.
10:02They like to be recognised.
10:03They like us to call them by their name.
10:04They don't want any mistakes happening.
10:06They want their bags there pronto.
10:08Everything done like that, boom, boom, boom.
10:10But after all, they reward you.
10:11What about the British guests?
10:14Five are here, five are there.
10:19Sometimes you're going to a hotel and the staff just makes you so unwelcome.
10:24So the first thing is really the kindness of the staff.
10:26You don't want to think.
10:29You want to arrive.
10:30You want champagne in your hand without having to ask for it.
10:33Knowing you can get anything you want.
10:36And there's no judgement.
10:38And the staff is there to cater to you whatever you want.
10:41It's 10.30pm.
10:54And with the princess's arrival imminent, Roman and his team are poised to welcome her.
10:59Yes, it's very late and yes, we all had a long day.
11:03But welcoming somebody in person is much more important than bang on all of the TVs or the great room.
11:09Because I think every hotel has, or many hotels have fantastic rooms.
11:14And the product alone isn't what it's all about.
11:16It's about the personal relationship with somebody.
11:19Eventually, the princess and her entourage arrive.
11:25Closely followed by her luggage truck.
11:29Steve, they have a truck here.
11:30Yeah? Yeah.
11:31OK, tell the boys on the radio.
11:35Cars.
11:36Pink seekers.
11:49All right, let's go.
11:55Some guests are millionaires and billionaires.
11:58But how can you appreciate anything if you can have anything?
12:02How can you ever get a thrill when you know that you can have a helicopter ride?
12:07I want to go to Caribbean.
12:08I want to spend money on this, on a Bentley.
12:11It's just, it's too easy.
12:16Oh, knackered.
12:17Good.
12:18Done well, though.
12:19It's 11.30.
12:20Hopefully, it'll be done by midnight.
12:30Thank you, boss.
12:32See you.
12:39We're just placing them outside the doors.
12:41And after their staff will load them into the rooms.
12:48It was actually quite a quick arrival.
12:52Now comes a big unpacking, which the mates will do.
12:55Very good day.
12:56Very good day.
12:57Full house.
12:58So far, everybody happy.
12:59Nobody complained, really, to me personally, so...
13:02Seems, seems fine.
13:06With the hotel now full, this is when the hard work starts.
13:10It's the early hours of the morning at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel.
13:27With the recent arrival of a Middle Eastern princess and her sizeable entourage, the hotel is at full capacity.
13:34The 600 international staff have their work cut out, catering to all of their needs.
13:42Good morning, in room dining. Jocelyn speaking. I'm going to see you.
13:46See you.
13:48See you.
13:50Anything else?
13:52With the head of the box.
13:55Do it take 40 minutes? 45 minutes? How many? 40 minutes?
14:0035.
14:0135, thank you.
14:03This is the order.
14:04One thousand something for one person eating.
14:07Is she hungry?
14:09I think they just want to see all food there.
14:12They don't eat that much.
14:14And then where does it go?
14:15Bean.
14:16Also feeling the pressure is the valet.
14:26Come, see you later.
14:29We are so busy.
14:31We are so busy.
14:33It is not just that we are short of staff, because I'm already helping.
14:38It's just too many things to do.
14:41We'll go again.
14:42As well as washing, pressing and processing hundreds of items of clothing,
14:52Max runs up and down the 11 floors 30 to 40 times a day,
14:58collecting and delivering the orders.
15:01Anything else? No.
15:03Have a good day.
15:07He's returned to the laundry with a new demand from a Middle Eastern group.
15:12From 421 room to 427, only women to deliver.
15:16No reason, just I want only women.
15:19The reason is that there are ladies inside,
15:21and I think in Arabic culture, the ladies can really be seen by a male.
15:26That is the reason.
15:28A lady needs to serve the room.
15:30Yeah.
15:32Have fun. I'm going to deliver.
15:35Room 421 to room 427, he asks only women.
15:39Why?
15:40Because there's a lot of naked ladies running around,
15:43and that's why he wants only women there.
15:44Yeah, he told me like that.
15:46Say, okay.
15:47Max knows everything.
15:49Just need to put cello safe on his mouth.
15:51Valet assistants at the Mandarin earn £7.20 per hour plus tips,
15:59but Max stands to lose even this if his contract isn't renewed.
16:04Some of these prices are astronomical.
16:07I would never wash my stuff here.
16:09With my salaries, I can just wash it myself.
16:13It's more expensive to wash it here than just to buy new five-star hotel.
16:18And if it's express, the price is double.
16:20So one pair of socks is going to be £6.50 one pair,
16:23so double is going to be £13.
16:25You can just buy cheaper ones.
16:26Once we get, like, he brought his two suitcases, asked us,
16:30open it, remove from plastic, iron it, and put it back in plastic.
16:34It was £1,500 just for pricing.
16:39Because I can.
16:40Because I opened my bank account, and I have 16 zeros in there,
16:43and I don't care about money, I just want.
16:45Some people are rich, some people are poor.
16:48So what can you do?
16:50Unless you win a lottery.
16:53Do you play the lottery?
16:54Nah.
16:55It's a tax on hope.
17:05Knowing what they will do for you becomes kind of intoxicating
17:09because you know that they're going to do it.
17:11They're going to do it.
17:12It's horrible to say, but I just love leaving my towels on the bathroom floor.
17:16Someone else will pick them up.
17:17You know it's part of the act, and you know they're trying to be nice and all that,
17:21but it still makes you feel good.
17:31In the main dining room, the breakfast team are preparing for a busy service.
17:36So let's go, Alex.
17:38Let's go, hon.
17:39You can wear your gloves.
17:40We do like three minutes briefing.
17:43Agnieszka, or Aga as she's known from Poland, is the hotel's breakfast manager.
17:50Come on, let's go, let's go, let's go.
17:53Good morning, how are we?
17:56Yes, Wednesday.
17:58Today, Taras will be in the full swing, so we need to set up fully.
18:03The weather will be hot.
18:06Where are your fans?
18:07Jerry.
18:09And Daniel, you need to change your waistcoat, yeah?
18:13And a fan, please.
18:15Okay, let's do it.
18:16We should all look immaculate, sharp and ready to go.
18:21Because if we look sleepy, how guests feel?
18:25Greasy, uniform, not pressed shirt and dirty shoes.
18:29Doesn't give a good image of the person and of the hotel.
18:31That's very close, so you can, that's ten minutes.
18:37Apparently it's very good, this is what my friend says.
18:40Are you French?
18:41No, I'm Polish.
18:43Over the years, Aga has honed her repertoire of appropriate small talk.
18:48I have few topics.
18:50The most popular is the weather, second is the shopping,
18:52and the third is exhibitions and what they are doing.
18:56Shows, or shows, that's the most important.
18:59Sorry.
19:03Mr. and Mr. Franks, how is everything here?
19:06Are you enjoying?
19:08Are you having the same again?
19:09Yes, so good.
19:11Shall I get you some more juice?
19:13I grew up in this small village in Poland,
19:15with I think it was like 300 people living there.
19:18Coffee and a tea.
19:19Coffee, the most important thing in the morning.
19:23I remember always my grandma,
19:24she was always like,
19:25you cannot stay here,
19:26you need to do something different,
19:27you need to go.
19:28Would you like me to bring you anything else?
19:30No.
19:32I came to Mandarin and was like,
19:33wow, wow, this and like the building,
19:37and the inside interiors,
19:39and like, oh my God, this is great.
19:44I've never even stayed in a hotel before,
19:46probably, at that time.
19:48No, no, do it now.
19:50Having reached the position of breakfast manager,
19:53Aga's starting to plan her next step
19:55on the Mandarin career ladder.
19:57I thought I taught you, no?
19:59I didn't.
20:01I'm not sure if it's good or not good.
20:03I love what I do,
20:05but in Poland, I did a makeup and studying course.
20:08This is what I have a passion for.
20:10I would love to get into grooming for Mandarin,
20:13that for sure.
20:14That's for sure,
20:15and this will be great.
20:16Maybe it happened, you never know.
20:18Good afternoon, concierge.
20:28This is François-Xavier speaking.
20:30Hello?
20:32Hello?
20:33Hello?
20:34I cannot hear anything.
20:35Are you in the loo?
20:36Hello?
20:39Oh dear.
20:41You have to be firm.
20:42Don't you agree?
20:44You have to be firm with everything.
20:47Firm, but gentle.
20:49A bit like Margaret Thatcher, you know?
20:52A hand of steel in a big leather.
21:02Do not try and engage a woman in conversation
21:04as you have been formally introduced.
21:07Do not stare at woman or maintain eye contact.
21:12With both guests and staff coming from all over the world,
21:16management are running classes to ensure the team
21:18deliver constant cultural harmony.
21:21Middle East guests normally sleep late,
21:23as housekeeping knows,
21:25and probably front office.
21:27And they sleep late,
21:29because they stay up late.
21:31Today, Patricia,
21:32Director of Sales Middle East,
21:34will be advising on Middle Eastern culture.
21:37People might say,
21:38Oh, I've got to pray.
21:39Where do I find the direction?
21:41I knew the direction of Mecca.
21:43It's a good idea to know.
21:44From this hotel,
21:45it's the easiest, I'd say, towards Buckingham Palace.
21:48But I think with Middle East guests,
21:51they have a lot of choice.
21:53And I think that if we, as a hotel, get it right,
21:58they will come back.
21:59And they'll come back year after year.
22:02Time and timing.
22:04You'd have an appointment, say, at 11 o'clock.
22:06You go there.
22:07They're not there.
22:08They come an hour later.
22:09So then it's not a problem.
22:11I think the most difficult thing for us
22:13is the time of check-out.
22:16Time to check-out.
22:17You're right, actually.
22:18You're right.
22:19You know, we're very lucky to have them
22:20in this part of the world,
22:21visiting our hotels in our country, to be honest.
22:24And once you get to know them,
22:25and once you learn about all this,
22:28you'll find that they're fantastic people.
22:30If you didn't have them coming to London,
22:32who would be taking our big suites?
22:33Who would be taking all these big parties, long stays?
22:36Won't be anyone from New Zealand, Australia or England.
22:41It's actually these very, very special people.
22:44Any questions?
22:48Since the arrival of the hotel's royal guests
22:51from the Middle East,
22:52front office manager Roman is concerned
22:54about the payment of what could be a very large bill.
22:58One of the main things that I learned
23:00from dealing with royal family is that at the end
23:04when they leave the hotel,
23:06they're most likely not paying their bills straight away.
23:11It can become very easily a problem
23:12from a business point of view.
23:14Last year, when they were with us,
23:16it took them nine months to pay the bills,
23:18so this is obviously quite a long time.
23:21But I don't want to pay.
23:22Why do I have to?
23:23Back and forwards.
23:24And you know the numbers are rising and rising and rising.
23:28This time, he has a plan to try and prevent that happening again.
23:34First of all, you need to find out who is in charge,
23:37who is at the end holding the money,
23:39and you need to have coffees with them, you know,
23:42you need to get introduced, you need to build a relationship.
23:46I would like to move things on a little bit and saying,
23:51look, we are equal business partners.
23:53This is the way we like to do business.
23:55You understand that as well.
23:57I need to look after the business
23:59and make sure we are not losing out.
24:01At the entrance of the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park Hotel,
24:11the first members of staff to greet the guests are the doorman.
24:18There we go.
24:20Big ones first.
24:22Including Darwin from St. Lucia.
24:25Last gym for me finished for today.
24:28I like to be on a stage like this
24:33with all these glamorous people.
24:35Wealthy and glamorous.
24:37Welcome back.
24:39Thought she was taking the shopping.
24:40But it isn't just meeting and greeting guests for the doorman.
24:43They are also responsible for parking their cars.
24:47With only four parking bays,
24:49the front of the hotel is frequently congested.
24:52If you reverse a little bit, we have enough space.
24:58And stop.
25:01The main culprits are chauffeurs
25:03who outstay their 20-minute drop-off time.
25:06It's a constant headache for Darwin's boss, head concierge, Nigel.
25:11They are in the loading bay and have been for several hours now.
25:15They sometimes go all the way back to the taxi rank,
25:18which then makes it very difficult for our black cabs
25:21to get in and out of their rank.
25:23You see, what happens is the drivers believe that their guests
25:27are the most important people in the whole wide world.
25:30And there is no other people more important than them.
25:33Some of them park in the middle of the street.
25:35They don't care.
25:38It's not always chauffeurs.
25:40Another nuisance is the guests' supercars.
25:43Here, this mirrored Lamborghini Aventador
25:46that's been there for an hour and a half,
25:48making our life incredibly difficult.
25:50Some people are quite arrogant and rude,
25:52and they'll just say,
25:53I don't care if I'm fine.
25:54I'm above the law.
25:56And unfortunately, when that happens,
25:58there's not much the doorman can do.
26:01You have to get him moving.
26:04For the time being,
26:06Darwin will have to use all his powers of persuasion
26:09to keep the parking bay free.
26:11Traffic looks like it's going to build, buddy.
26:13I cannot control this area, you know.
26:15It's just a public road.
26:17One more minute.
26:19If he knows the rules and he drives,
26:21he walks off, I can't do anything.
26:23If the traffic builds up, just move it.
26:25I have to stress now because I have to worry.
26:34That's it.
26:52Let me know if you want me to start again.
26:57Nine times out of ten,
26:59you're being asked where Harrod is located.
27:02Well, technically Harrod is the main attraction in Knightsbridge.
27:06Then you have a small top shop as well.
27:09You can go to H&M for quality shopping.
27:15We still haven't got a Primark around,
27:18but maybe it will come soon, you know.
27:26The international profile of the Mandarin's guests
27:29is mirrored in its staff, top to bottom.
27:33Like Francois Xavier, the general manager, Mr Sintez,
27:36is a Frenchman.
27:38The Entente Cordiale works very well
27:42between the French general manager
27:44and the British institution.
27:46My wife is British, so that perhaps helps.
27:49How are you?
27:52At 8am, Mr Sintez performs his daily inspection
27:57to ensure the staff are meeting his exacting five-star standards.
28:01I think we've got some flowers missing here.
28:04Yeah?
28:05We have the white one at the bottom,
28:07but they seem to have disappeared there, so...
28:10Immediately call the florist.
28:12If you call the florist, so they can patch it up, yeah?
28:15All right? Thank you.
28:18Am I always delighted and satisfied?
28:23Sometimes I am.
28:24And here we go.
28:25Now we have beautiful flowers.
28:27Thank you, Nicole.
28:29These are the kind of things which annoy me.
28:31I mean, you say, oh, my God, you know, so picky,
28:34and it's a bit exaggerated, but not really.
28:37I mean, you know, if I don't...
28:40I take the principle that if I don't do it,
28:42no one else will do it either.
28:52You can't leave the car there, man.
28:53What?
28:54You can't leave the car there.
28:55It's in the middle of the road.
28:56There's a space, a space in the front.
28:58OK.
28:59So we can't take the car.
29:01We have to take it to the garage if we take the key.
29:03In front of the hotel,
29:05the parking problems are going from bad to worse.
29:08I don't understand why it's up in front of the middle of the entrance.
29:11I mean, it's not rocket science, no?
29:14If you can, you can.
29:17Yeah, after you call the doorman, it takes ten minutes to bring...
29:20Nigel's had enough.
29:22My doorman, they are not the law.
29:24That's when we need the likes of TfL,
29:27the Metropolitan Police, to come to the party.
29:30He's called a meeting with Transport for London.
29:33It's fair to say, gentlemen, that we're making some ground.
29:47Transport for London have been in,
29:49and they'll be sending three to four times a day,
29:52community police officers who patrol this area.
29:57And I want you to welcome these officers as you would our guests.
30:02Make sure that they're looked after,
30:05because they'll be looking after you in return.
30:08If this was the Ritz, I wouldn't have done it.
30:11It's only because it's the Mandarin,
30:12and you're my friends, I'll do it.
30:18We need that space open.
30:21In the meantime, Darwin's best weapon against congestion
30:25is to promote the valet parking service.
30:28It's nice, isn't it?
30:33You can recline your seat as well.
30:36It's like an aeroplane.
30:38This car suits you, Darwin.
30:40No, it doesn't.
30:42You know what suits me?
30:43What I can afford.
30:47I'm just driving it,
30:48feeling like I've got a little bit of money like human power
30:51for 15 seconds.
30:58Some guys would feel jealous or envious of this little car.
31:05I wouldn't.
31:06Do you not?
31:07No.
31:08No.
31:09Why not?
31:10Because I get to drive it anyways,
31:12and this is no different from any other car.
31:14Cars are used for one purpose,
31:16take you from A to B.
31:18It's just make you spend money,
31:20and we're here.
31:22I think I pack wonky, but that's fine.
31:26There we go.
31:28It's McLaurin.
31:29Yuck.
31:32So uncomfortable.
31:33You will enjoy sitting in it.
31:34You can probably sit in it for 15 minutes,
31:37and then your back starts to hurt.
31:39But this?
31:40This is lovely.
31:41Rolls-Royce, Bentley.
31:44This one is the most expensive car, I think, in the world.
31:47Bugatti.
31:49First supercar to cost over a million pounds.
31:53No one has even driven them for...
31:55from the time I started working at, which is a year ago.
31:58They just sit there.
32:02Darwin has been working in five-star hotels for just a year.
32:06My ultimate ambition is to become a manager.
32:08I would like to have a team of people working with.
32:12I think I can be a brilliant manager,
32:14because I think I can be tough, but very friendly and fair.
32:17From St Lucia, this fellow, their record holder.
32:23Darwin was a top athlete,
32:25competing at the World Championships and London Olympics.
32:29He came to the Mandarin after his career was cut short by injury.
32:33I'm coming from an environment which is constantly achieving.
32:38If someone thinks that,
32:39oh, I'm not very serious enough, then they're mistaken.
32:43If there is no obstacle, you haven't achieved anything.
32:47For me, I would love the obstacles.
32:49Every obstacle should come, come.
32:51Darwin will love you, because I'll learn from it.
32:53Darwin's not the only one hoping to move up the ladder.
33:05It's another early start for breakfast manager Aga.
33:09Are you a morning person?
33:11What time is it?
33:154.30.
33:17Of course I'm a morning person.
33:18Who wakes up at 4.30?
33:21No-one.
33:24I'm like Margaret Thatcher.
33:25I sit for hours and I'm ready to go.
33:35Of course, like everyone else,
33:36you have those days that you don't want to come to work.
33:42You're tired, you are working five days already.
33:49Another day, another time.
33:53You have to always put your game face with a big smile,
34:02leave your private light behind the doors of mandarin,
34:06and that's it.
34:09Really, the business look, it should look professional,
34:13not too much.
34:16Just a very natural look.
34:17A little bit of lipstick and I'm ready.
34:18That's it.
34:19New person.
34:20Yay!
34:34Hello.
34:36Today, Aga has a meeting with Mr. Sintas.
34:40Hi, Aga, how are you?
34:41I'm very well, how are you?
34:43Fine.
34:45She's hoping to impress him with her ideas on staff grooming standards.
34:49Are you happy with the way things are going?
34:51Yeah, I'm very happy.
34:52Breakfast is very busy lately.
34:54Yeah.
34:55But still we need to work on the consistency.
34:58I love doing breakfast and I'm so passionate about it.
35:01But I want to change something in my life.
35:04Move in the different direction.
35:07How do you feel about this staff and her appearance and so on?
35:10For the girls, it's the lipstick and it's just, they always forget to put on.
35:16The guys' shoes and sometimes they're coming not shaved, so I have to remind them to go downstairs and shave.
35:23I think that this is about confidence.
35:25They don't even realize how important is the first impression.
35:29How do they look and how guests see them.
35:32I used to be a very shy person, not very confident in myself.
35:38But I think London changed me a lot.
35:49It's not only Aga who is thinking about her career.
35:53On his day off, Maxim, the valet assistant, is job hunting.
35:58So, Hilton Park Lane.
36:00Careers.
36:03Hostess, guest attendant, steward, director.
36:06The only job similar they have is house porter but not really laundry.
36:14I want to continue working in laundry because I already know what I'm doing.
36:19So, there's still room to improvement, room to improve.
36:22Room for improvement. Yeah, room for improvement.
36:24But if I'm out of work for too long, I won't be able to first of all pay my bills.
36:28And I send sometimes some money to my dad because he's living in Lithuania.
36:33He's a disabled guy.
36:35So, he works as a cleaner, as a part-time job.
36:38So, sometimes I just send him extra cash because, hey, he's my dad and why not.
36:43Master plan for the future is to save a lot of money.
36:47In the future, I plan to have, obviously, get married and have a flood.
36:51Eventually, hopefully, get a brief English citizenship.
36:54That'll be actually great.
36:58Do you have any plans to move back to Lithuania?
37:01Definitely not.
37:03Unless Brexit kicks in and we just say, everyone, go away.
37:13If we need to leave, who is going to run the business here?
37:17Who is going to do it?
37:19I never had anyone on interview for any of the positions who was British.
37:29No.
37:32Hospitality is not really seen in Britain as a great career to have.
37:38The status of the job is quite low.
37:43Britain has a long history of service, you know, when you think of all the aristocracy.
37:50And they all had their butlers, they had the valet at the end.
37:53The opportunities are more these days.
37:58Where is home for you now?
37:59My flat, my little flat here in London.
38:03That is my home.
38:13Out on the street, it's eerily quiet in the parking bays.
38:17Good afternoon, sir.
38:21Quick question.
38:22I'm the doorman there.
38:23I just wanted to find out what's...
38:25This is the TFL thing, to come down here and make sure people don't overstay these boxes.
38:30Just your presence is magical, you know that.
38:33Because you got rid of the whole line of those ones that was wasting talks.
38:36No.
38:37No.
38:38Really appreciate that.
38:40You're going to wait for him.
38:44If someone pulls up now, look, we have plenty of space.
38:47I can have a car pull up, we can park.
38:49I can have a taxi pull up, we can take the bags out.
38:52We have so many things that can happen when there is space.
38:54I like this police officer.
38:59For Nigel, it's mission accomplished.
39:02You can push me to a certain point, but then I just...
39:07I don't get mad, I just get even.
39:11Hello, good afternoon.
39:12How are you?
39:13Very good on you, sir.
39:14As the summer draws to a close, the hotel's Middle Eastern guests start heading home.
39:33Today, the luggage trucks are back in readiness for a major checkout.
39:38Gentlemen, gentlemen, please, 222 is ready to begin.
39:41222, ready to start.
39:44I'm going to go to these floors.
39:46You go down with this, I'm going to go to two more floors.
39:54It should be between 200 and 250 pieces of luggage.
39:58We've got to get the bags loaded into vans for those vans to depart at 12 noon.
40:03They then have a private jet that needs to leave at 1.30.
40:07It'll be all hands on deck, as it is in these situations.
40:09What is it?
40:13While Nigel and Steve coordinate the luggage, Roman is on the case to make sure an outstanding bill is settled in good order.
40:21My to-do list today is actually to speak to an accountant of the royal family who were here for the past month,
40:27and to arrange payment.
40:31DDB will want 50% payment of the whole group today.
40:36Why don't you just say you can't leave without paying?
40:37You can't really just say you can't leave the hotel.
40:41That would be a little bit of an issue.
40:44Not just a lot of women.
40:53The black ones can go to the bank, right?
40:55Yep, everything except the silver.
40:56The silver can go last.
40:58How about these?
40:59They go in.
41:00Only the silver Samsonite.
41:01The nice ones.
41:02She doesn't want them scratched.
41:10Thanks.
41:11Cheers, man.
41:13Thank you, thank you, thank you.
41:14We know that this is the last big Middle Eastern group for the summer.
41:20I think we'll all feel a little bit lighter in about an hour or so.
41:25And regrouped and all back business as usual, really.
41:29The Middle Eastern entourage's bill is several hundred thousand pounds,
41:48but Roman's efforts to get it paid aren't going entirely according to plan.
41:53So we have been chasing us throughout those days.
41:55I really was so close.
41:56I was, I think I was quite close.
41:59But we didn't get any.
42:01So, um, yeah.
42:02Slightly disappointed with that.
42:04Let's see.
42:05I have a payment from us by next week.
42:08And I have a telephone number to call.
42:13Would you let a regular guest leave?
42:15No, we wouldn't.
42:26$30,000 of $250,000 in the year.
42:29Following her meeting with Mr. Sintez, hashtag,
42:31a career is taking off in a new direction.
42:34direction I couldn't sleep the whole night and that was my question going
42:40from my head why I'm doing this why on earth I find it she's been made the
42:46grooming ambassador for the whole hotel so a good afternoon welcome to the
42:53lighting style workshop my name is Agnieszka the workshop styling and
42:58grooming and also makeup is my passion it's great I'm very proud that mr.
43:05stint has asked me to do those classes as a personal achievement is it's really
43:12really big okay now a tights and socks what the length of the socks this is
43:21wrong because when you're sitting you can see the skin so when you're sitting
43:28or when you're bending your skin shouldn't be visible people who are coming
43:35from Eastern Europe they want to show their best and they are very ambitious
43:40they have a family back home so they're really pushing themselves and what do
43:48you think is it too much can she go and serve guests
43:58my parents are very proud of me and where I what where am I now this is for
44:07them is different words
44:08when I came here I didn't know absolutely anything and I learned because I was given
44:19some opportunities I think it's wonderful to give a chance to somebody and I think
44:24London and England in general it's very much in the English culture to give a
44:30chance to people if you think they are good at doing something
44:33yeah that is for you from HR please open it and I believe yes and please open it and I believe you need to sign it
44:49I don't know what exactly is inside exactly so I can read it alone
45:03dear Maxim I am pleased to confirm what you have extended your fixed the term
45:06contract up to 16 April 2017 we look forward to your continued enthusiasm and
45:11commitment dear sincerely Marian Ragh human resources manager well it's great don't
45:16have to worry about looking for a job to you six months great congratulations thank
45:22you it's quite nice
45:24you sure look to April yeah
45:33Maxim is very very good he's talking still a lot but he knows what he is doing and he's weak he's weak
45:42so yeah he's still available welcome back to team yeah I never left this requires the beer o'clock to
45:51celebrate it and probably tomorrow Friday so we're just gonna celebrate it slightly and by slightly I mean a lot
45:57next time at the Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park why else would one send breast milk abroad
46:13it's here
46:19chef we've got nine tables yeah but he's only got eight fish you don't come to a five-star hotel for something to go wrong
46:26a gentle tapping at my chamber door
46:35nine men retracing one of the greatest maritime feats in British history mutiny the treacherous real-life journey starts Monday at 9 channel 4
46:43new series next tonight's what is it like to be a Muslim in Britain right now
46:48extremely British Muslims has the answer
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