Meet The Lobby Boys
Terence Ronson recounts the early careers of three hotel lobby managers in Hong Kong, none of whom had traditional front office backgrounds when they started.
Niale McLoughlin (left), Terence Ronson (top right) and Rajeev Ratti (bottom right) — Photo by Pertlink Limited
Cast: Rajeev Ratti, Niale McLoughlin, and me — Terence Ronson. Mission: fill the hotel, keep the guests happy, and — most days — stay sane.
When we first arrived, we were not exactly overqualified for the role. None of us spoke a word of Cantonese. Niale had no previous Front Office experience, having mostly worked in restaurants. My own background was as a trained chef, though I'd been fortunate enough to pick up a couple of years of Front of House experience before wading into this enormous bed factory.
My own background was as a trained chef, though I'd been fortunate enough to pick up a couple of years of Front of House experience before wading into this enormous bed factory.
Terence Ronson
RAJEEV: I'd just graduated from the Institute of Hotel Management in New Delhi when Hong Kong came calling. A few months later, I joined Terence and Niale as a fellow Lobby Boy — officially, Assistant Manager — and never looked back. Terence and I share a birthday, a year apart, which we always felt made the arrangement official — the Three Musketeers, one for all and all for one, minus the swords.
Read the full story ofThe Lobby Boys. Available now.
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
Founder and Managing Director [email protected]