spoke to Allan Wu, he’d just returned from a trip in Italy. It was a business trip. Actually, it was a holiday. Come to think of it, it was a little bit of both.in Tuscany, a luxury hotel and thermal resort with spa and golf club. Terme di Saturni is one of several posh hotels Allan and co-hosts Alberto Gei and Charlyn Lin got to check out on featured on the Mediacorp travelogue series.
It’s been 20 years since he was in the Tuscan countryside to shoot a commercial for diamond company De Beers, Allan tells us over Zoom. “It’s nice to return to that region and appreciate it from another vantage point.” “[The show is] not just about me going there to enjoy, it’s more about me assimilating and being part of the culture of the hotel, understanding the different facets of every department,” says Allan.
“Being part of the staff, getting involved in its operations, from housekeeping to administration to helping out with the pool. I have a finer appreciation of how these hotels work. It’s great to see that side, I won’t say the underbelly but to see the operations side, like where the staff works and rests, was [an eye-opening experience]”and that one time when he checked into a hotel and discovered a really nasty welcome gift he didn’t see coming, so to speak.
8 DAYS: After knowing what the hotel staff does behind the scene, are you now more inclined to tip the staff?Totally, totally. You become more appreciative of the work they do because it’s not always easy. You definitely want to be a more gracious and polite customer. When I was working there, there were times we encountered difficult guests.