Several months ago, the Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur, introduced a "techno-butler" to help guests get their E-mail, configure their laptops, and access the Internet. The idea seems to have caught on. The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago (which, despite its name, is run by the Ritz-Carlton's archrival, the Four Seasons), recently debuted a "compcierge" service. Here's how they compare.
| TECHNO-BUTLER | COMPCIERGE | |
| Name and age | Hansan Lim, 25 | Joe Tesfai, 39 |
| Hotel | Ritz-Carlton, Kuala Lumpur | Ritz-Carlton, Chicago |
| Birthplace | Johor, Malaysia | Asmara, Eritrea |
| Qualifications | Bachelor's degree from Hawaii Pacific University; a year in customer service at the Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco; assembled problem-solving manual for the Kuala Lumpur hotel. | Computer science degree from the University of the District of Columbia; designed a 160-user network at the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai; manages the 120-user network in Chicago. |
| Typical advice | "You have to push the ON button, sir." | "You need to double-click faster, sir." |
| Heroic rescue | "Many Americans have America Online, but Malaysia doesn't. This is a challenge. I've learned I can access AOL's Web site from the hotel account and give guests a special program to check their email." | "Before a big presentation, the C drive on a guest's Dell laptop died. I had the office email me the presentation, and I put it on my laptop for him to use. I had Dell FedEx me a new hard drive, which I installed the next morning." |
| Gratuities | "So far, I haven't been tipped. Malaysia's not a tipping culture. I don't mind. I don't see myself as a computer genius. I'm just helping guests with simple office appliances." | "People are quite generous. I always explain that tips are unnecessary, that the service is free. But guests can't believe it. Some try to get me to come to their houses." |
| High-tech ambition | To watch the internet industry continue its expansion in Malaysia: "When I came back after being in the States, I was so surprised to see my five-year-old cousin playing video games on the Net." | To prepare the Ritz-Carlton for the millennium bug: "We will have spent $600,000 by year's end. It will be a moot point if there's no electricity. We have an in-house generator, and we've stockpiled barrels and barrels of diesel." |
| If you could ask the competition one question, what would it be? | "If technology butlers caught on in the States, they'd get pretty good tips, right?" | "What kind of training do you need to be a technology...butler?" |
