IT was a bittersweet end for these employees of Hotel Phoenix, which closed its doors yesterday.
Madam Low Chui Peh (left), a kitchen helper, shares her sorrow with colleagues at Hotel Phoenix.
The area on which it stands is being redeveloped.
Madam Susan Seah, Mr George Chia and Madam Chua Swee Jee have all been working at the Orchard Road hotel since it opened in 1972.
It felt like a long marriage to the hotel - all 35 years of it - and now, they have to break off ties.
The bitter part is, they have done nothing to jeopardise the relationship but they have to leave.
No more sharing of jokes and gossip with their colleagues, no more familiar support when they have problems to solve.
Madam Seah, for example, was just 25 when she joined the hotel. She started work as a maid.
Now, she is 60 and leaving the hotel as its former floor supervisor.
She said: 'I feel very sad because it was like a family to me. But can't be helped - all good things must come to an end.'
The General Manager of Hotel Phoenix closes the front doors.
The good things, of course, were not just the camaraderie and memories.
There was also the money.
Mr Chia, 55, a bell captain, revealed why they were such loyal employees with an understated 'the working conditions were good, and bosses took care of you'.
The good bonuses and pay didn't hurt either, it seems.
And in line with that tradition, he and his two other long-serving colleagues are getting a huge payout.
That is the sweet bit.
The retrenchment package they received: 35 months' of pay (for every year they have worked), and two more months in-lieu of notice.
The three of them did not want to reveal how much they earn, and would not say how they intend to spend the money.
But one thing is for sure, they are also quite happy to be getting a break from work.
Madam Seah said she will now 'take a breather' before deciding on future plans.
Madam Chua, 63, is definitely not putting on her apron for a while now. She is the cook behind the delicious nasi lemak served up daily at the hotel's famous Phoenix Garden Cafe.
Her husband is retired, her daughter is an army officer, and her son is a PhD student at the National University of Singapore.
She said: 'I'm looking forward to retirement, and spending time with my husband and two children.'
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