The Bosses Who Shaped Us
Terence Ronson reflects on formative early-career experiences at a Hilton International property, recalling the leadership styles and personal moments that shaped his hospitality values.
Philip Mermod, Hotel Manager (left) and Ken Moss (right) — HKHA
Two chairs sat in front of our desk for guests to settle in for a chat, and on some evenings, Ken Moss, the Regional VP who lived on-site, would wander by and join us. One night stands out clearly: Mr. Moss mentioned he was expecting a call at our desk from Curt Strand, President and CEO of Hilton International. The phone rang; I picked it up. The caller announced himself as Mr. Strand — and I stood bolt upright out of pure reflexive respect, despite the man being thousands of miles away and entirely unable to see me do it. Fifty years on, that memory still makes me laugh out loud.
VIPs got the full theatre — met at the ground-floor entrance, whisked into a standby lift, and delivered straight to their suite. The truly important guests were personally received by our Hotel Manager, Philip Mermod, either at the entrance as their Rolls-Royce pulled up and turbaned doorkeepers in red coats swung the doors open, or in the room itself. Warmth was simply the house culture.
Philip Mermod and I, as it turns out, did not live far apart, and on occasion we both found ourselves leaving the hotel at the same time — he would get a chauffeur-driven limo, and I took the unairconditioned blue bus. One day he asked where I lived, and since it was close to his own route, offered me a lift. I said yes before he'd finished the sentence. One night, he even asked me to babysit his kids in one of the hotel suites while he and his family attended a function downstairs. Maybe those car rides gave him confidence I could be trusted. Or there was no one else available. To this day, I still ask myself which it was.
I stood bolt upright out of pure reflexive respect, despite the man being thousands of miles away and entirely unable to see me do it.
Terence Ronson
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By Terence Ronson, on behalf of The Lobby Boys — Niale, Rajeev, and Terence
About Pertlink Limited
Pertlink Limited is a boutique hospitality technology and AI advisory consultancy. It was founded in Hong Kong on 23 October 2000 and now operates across the Philippines and the wider Asia-Pacific. Founder and Managing Director Terence Ronson leads the firm and is an inductee of both the HFTP International Hospitality Technology Hall of Fame and the CHTA Hall of Fame.
Pertlink helps hotel owners, operators, developers and tourism bodies make sound decisions about technology and AI, from pre-opening systems design to AI strategy, governance and adoption. Its work is built on its own frameworks, including TCPG (Token Cost Per Guest), HXO (Human Experience Orchestrator) and the Hybrid Hospitality Framework. Through its Pertlink Viewpoint series, the firm turns global AI and technology developments into practical guidance for boards, C-suites and operators.
The goal hasn't changed since 2000: technology that genuinely improves the guest experience, now with AI in the mix.
Media Contact
Terence Ronson
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