HER red cheongsam stands out distinctively at the hotel lobby.

As you turn your gaze upon it, you realise that the woman wearing it is Caucasian - and she is conversing fluently in Mandarin with hotel guests from China and Taiwan.

Ms Tatiana Beidar, 18, who was born in Russia and grew up in Taiwan, is a translator.

She is one of the 11 Mandarin Girls or Meritus Ambassadors, an icon of the Meritus Mandarin Singapore.

She knows the city like the back of her hand - all learnt in five months.

'I can tell you where are the best hawker centres or food courts, and where you can buy Haagen-Dazs ice cream and Chinese pao mian,' she said, with a laugh.

Apart from Russia and Singapore, the rest of the Mandarin Girls come from Finland, China, New Zealand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.

While it is a common practice for hotels to hire foreigners as front office or guest relations officers, the concept of the Mandarin Girls is unique.

Over the years, their role has also evolved from front office duties to providing a mini-concierge service.

The original idea was conceptualised 35 years ago by the then-general manager Sonnie TW Lien, son of the late Dr Lien Ying Chow, who opened the hotel in 1972.

SINGAPORE GIRL

It was the same year Singapore Airlines' iconic Singapore Girl made her first appearance.

With the growing tourism arrivals, hotels say there is also a demand for foreign talent like Ms Beidar.

Last year, Singapore saw 9.7million visitors - a 9 per cent growth over 2005.The top five visitors came from Indonesia, China, India, Australia and Malaysia.

But Ms Beidar's duties go beyond welcoming VIP guests at the airport.

The Mandarin Girls are ground 'stewardesses' of sorts.

They organise birthday parties, decorate the suites for honeymoon couples, ensure the rooms are ready before check-in, plan the guests' itinerary or surprise parties, arrange dinner bookings and even sing in the hotel's Christmas choir, among others.

But it takes more than just looks and academic qualifications to be a Mandarin Girl.

Ms Elaine Toh, director of human resource of Meritus Mandarin Singapore, said: 'We look for those with a flair and passion for service, someone who is spontaneous and self-driven.'

Ms Joan Yao, the ambassador manager, said: 'The newcomers are given an orientation of the hotel. Then, they are attached to a senior staff member. The entire training process is between three and four weeks, depending on their competency level.

'We also have a monthly training calendar, plus grooming lessons conducted by external trainers.'

Not everyone is suited for the job.

ON THEIR FEET

Mandarin Girl Crystal Wei, 23, a Shanghainese who has lived in Singapore for four years, said in fluent English: 'Some may not like standing at the lobby for long hours. You must also be humble, patient and friendly at all times.

'I applied for the job as I have a keen interest in hospitality.'

Ms Wei holds a diploma in mass communications.

Pointing to her 5cm heels, she said: 'I wasn't used to standing on high heels for the first two days, much less maintain a good posture. I almost gave up.

'But you forget the hard work when the guests compliment your efforts in helping them.'

Occasionally, the girls also play cupid.

Ms Wei said: 'I had a guest from Australia who wanted to propose to his wife-to-be during his three-day stay here. He asked me to organise something romantic.

'I decorated the room with flowers and prepared a bubble bath. I also made a dinner reservation at the Top of theM restaurant. I had to follow through everything to make sure all was taken care of.'

Ms Yao recalled another occasion where the ambassadors helped a guest mend things with his girlfriend after they had a tiff.

Ms Yao said: 'The girls delivered some flowers to his girlfriend together with a note. They told him that he was really sorry.

'She was moved by the gesture.'

Other Meritus hotels also hire similar ambassadors.

Fluent in Swedish and English, MsMiia Marika Luoto, 24, who is from Finland, got the job through an exchange programme.

On her seven-month stint in Meritus Mandarin Singapore, the diploma-holder said: 'Before I arrived in Singapore, I read about the city on the Internet.

'When I got here, I had to find out where were the nearby ATMs as it is common for hotel guests to ask to locate one.'

So have the girls encountered any bad experiences on the job?

'Oh, no,' Ms Luoto said with a wave of her hand. 'Some guests have higher expectations than others.

'You just have to be instinctive to what they need.'