In the competitive Asia-Pacific hospitality market, stepping into a first-time general manager role is a major milestone. For Angelina Koay, it's historic: she is opening the first Novotel Living property in Asia, a 85-room extended-stay residence in Singapore's Orchard Road district. In an exclusive interview with Inspiring Women in Travel Asia, Koay shared the operational blueprint from her 20-year career, from starting as an 18-year-old novice to becoming a sales leader and brand pioneer.
From Transient to Long-Stay: A Paradigm Shift
Koay's transition from traditional mid-scale and luxury hotels to serviced residences required a fundamental operational rethink. Managing an extended-stay property means catering to residents who may stay up to a year, introducing distinct licensing, community compliance, and relationship-management dynamics. "I had to unlearn what I've learned in the mid-scale, which was consistency, reliability, and giving the best value, and move into guests paying for experiences and stories," she explained. "We should unlearn, take a step back, and look at it from a different point of view."
This philosophy of "unlearning" is central to Koay's approach. She previously orchestrated the pre-opening of Accor's first luxury MGallery property in Singapore, which taught her the importance of adapting to different guest expectations. At Novotel Living, the focus shifts from high-volume, short-stay turnover to building a localized community and delivering personalized experiences.
Servant Leadership in Action
Managing a lean team of 40 requires exceptional emotional intelligence. Rather than staying behind an executive desk, Koay practices visible leadership. On any given day, she can be found clearing tables during breakfast rush or assisting housekeeping in reviewing rooms. "To lead the team, I have to know what they go through," she says. This ground-level approach builds empathy and a cohesive culture that can resolve service bottlenecks quickly.
When strategic hurdles emerge, Koay advises executives to step away from the office—even briefly—to reset and pivot from analyzing mistakes to designing active solutions. This tactic has helped her navigate the complexities of launching a new brand in a competitive market.
Advice for the Next Generation
As an executive balancing a high-stakes commercial role with family life, Koay encourages more women to enter traditionally male-dominated sectors, such as hotel engineering. Her leadership roadmap includes three tenets: embrace ambiguity, cultivate open communication, and fail forward. "Operational mistakes are unavoidable data points that ultimately refine commercial acumen and personal resilience," she notes.
Koay's appointment is part of a broader trend of female leadership in hospitality. For more on this, see our interview with Naureen Ahmed on gender balance. The industry is also seeing a shift toward personal, place-based experiences in design, which aligns with Novotel Living's community-focused model.
By blending sharp asset-management expertise with a deeply empathetic, hands-on leadership style, Koay is setting a new benchmark for operational excellence and female executive representation across Southeast Asian hospitality. Her story is a testament to the power of adaptability and emotional intelligence in a rapidly evolving industry.
