Our Story: A Journey of Chances
From West to East and Back Again
From the rice fields of the Philippines to the opulence of Saudi Arabia, and onto the bustle and bright lights of Hong Kong, Lorie’s journey is a familiar one for an Asian woman. Always smiling and never idle, she is a tireless bundle of energy with a meticulous attention to detail.
I grew up with itchy feet, always an eye on the horizon looking for the next great adventure. In November 2016, that search brought me to Hong Kong for the first time. A chance meeting with a beautiful Filipino woman in one of the city’s many bars sparked a connection that stayed with me, even after I returned to England and my work.
A Wonderful Trap
In January 2018, I headed back again. This time I had no plans and no itinerary as I was free to just travel, and Hong Kong was my first stop. After taking the wrong tube, I ended up walking miles to my hotel. The next morning, with my legs already aching, I decided to take a tram rather than walk to the main shopping centre. I did not know then that fate had laid a trap. It was a wonderful one, but a trap nonetheless.
Standing at six foot five in my socks, the Hong Kong trams are a challenge for me. I crouched as I made my way up the narrow stairs to the back where I could actually fit into the seats. I rounded the corner and there, looking out of the window, sat Lorie. She was the woman I had thought about every single day since November 2016. In a city of seven million people, fate had dealt me an ace, and I was not about to throw away a winning hand. We have been together ever since.
The Standards of Perfection
I may have travelled the world in miles, but Lorie has travelled further in the ways that matter. Life for Filipino women is rarely easy. Growing up in rural General Santos City in the 80s and 90s, electricity was a luxury and there were few fridges, let alone televisions. From the age of six, Lorie worked the farm planting and harvesting rice and corn. It was back breaking work.
To support her family, Lorie did what many women there must do and went abroad to work. In Saudi Arabia, she provided housekeeping and childcare for families where the demands were exacting and a single thing out of place was unacceptable. The regimen was strict with no phones and no leaving the house. It was there she learned exactly how the wealthy live and how to deliver a level of perfection that settles for nothing less than the best. When her contract finished, the bright lights of Hong Kong called where she performed a similar role for eleven years until she met the massive lump of an Englishman that is me.
Precision and Innovation
My story follows a more traditional Western path. I left school at sixteen and went straight into an apprenticeship designing electronics, including a project for the Hubble Telescope. From there I ran the kitchen design team for MFI before leaving design behind at twenty to run a nightclub, a pub, a restaurant, and a cinema. It was my first taste of the customer service industry.
I returned to electronics briefly before joining the Mirror Group as Head of Innovation. During my years there, I attended hundreds of black tie events, entertaining everyone from celebrities to members of the Royal Family. That technical background and high-level hospitality experience now permeate the hotel, ensuring your experience is as seamless and polished as it can possibly be.
The Newest Chapter
We waited for the right opportunity to open up, a place where we could pour in our experiences as seasoned travellers, expert housekeepers, and hi-tech innovators. The Mayfair is the result. It is our vision of the best boutique hotel in Skegness, complete with our own Bistro and Bar.
And so the chapter of The Mayfair begins. It threatens to be more interesting than the many hundreds of stories that came before it. There is room for more characters and more stories yet.
Will you be one of them?
