Hotel staff intervene to prevent guest's suicide after finding flesh and shaved skin in his towel

Jan Lee
The New Paper
26 October 2017

He noticed the bloody hands when the guest collected the bottle of liquor at the door of his hotel room, and Mr Jason Ong immediately sensed something amiss.

The 39-year-old restaurant supervisor at Furama Riverfront Singapore checked with the guest, who claimed he had spilled make-up on his hands and closed the door.

Mr Ong did not buy it and told his colleagues, who quickly devised a plan to investigate. In the end, they saved the guest's life.

On Tuesday, the annual Hotel Security Awards was held at the Furama Riverfront Singapore.

Organised by the Singapore Hotel Association, 22 hotel workers received awards for vigilance, bravery and acts of honesty.

Mr Ong and Furama's security manager, Mr Moses Sanmugam, 50, were two of those honoured.

Recalling the Jan 10 incident, Mr Ong told TNP he thought someone in the room might have been hurt and informed his housekeeping colleagues, who then called Mr Sanmugam for help.

Under the guise of housekeeping, they collected the guest's laundry and towels.

Said Mr Sanmugam: "We found bits of flesh, shaved skin and even part of his earlobe in the towel."

The police were called and the guest later revealed he had planned to take his own life.

Mr Ong and Mr Sanmugam received the Special Mention Award for vigilance.

This year, 90 hotels were recognised for their security capabilities. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Manpower and Home Affairs Josephine Teo presented the awards.

Mr Pellvensen Stevens, 28, a security officer at One°15 Marina Sentosa Cove, was also recognised for an act of bravery.

On May 29 last year, he was on the hotel's shuttle bus with a guest when a speeding car almost collided with the bus.

The intoxicated car driver and one of his six passengers then allegedly attacked the bus driver.

PROTECT

Mr Stevens rushed to help and was hit on the head with a metal rod, suffering a gash on his head and an abrasion on his cheek. He continued to protect the bus driver and the guest.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A special security conference and a mini exhibition showcasing hotel security technologies was also part of the event.