In the opulent presidential suite, Riaz Mahmood seats himself comfortably in a corner of the couch and sips coffee from a ceramic cup.

Gently and slowly, Mahmood, hotel manager of Raffles Beijing, said working in the hotel industry was not his first choice.

"I've been in this industry for more than 20 years now. It was not my family's first choice. I was meant to be an accountant."

Following his parents' advice, he studied accountancy in the UK. While he thought it a little boring, he says the skills he picked up are very helpful to his career now.

"Today, as a hotel manager, I am managing a property asset worth several hundred million dollars. So, having a good understanding of finance or how money works, is equally important as understanding red wine, white wine and good food."

Mahmood moved from Cambodia to China two years ago to prepare the hotel for the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The hotel was the first in the Raffles group to open on the Chinese mainland and occupies a prime position in the landmark Beijing Hotel on Chang'an Avenue.

During his first year, he helped Raffles Beijing earn the Best Luxury Hotel in Beijing award, presented by TGG China Travel. He attributes the success in part to his clearly defined work principles.

"There are about 350 people working here. My job is not to tell them about food and wine and everything else. We have specialists in those areas. My job is to provide leadership and direction."

While the hotel manager said hard work was crucial to career success, he believes working smart is also indispensable.

"Working smart does not necessarily mean working efficiently. Working all day long only for the sake of working means nothing. One can work eight hours a day and be productive as well."

It has been 10 years since Mahmood joined Raffles in 2000. His career significantly progressed during this period. And the opportunities the company offers are the main reason he has been with Raffles for so long.

"All the opportunities, recognition and training that Raffles has provided have kept me here. And now I have been given the opportunity to run probably the only landmark hotel in Beijing, the only hotel that has any sense of history. It has been great fun. And I'll probably work another 10 years here, for all my lifetime."

Content with life in Beijing, the Mahmood family has now settled down and he describes the experience as "fantastic".

"Beijing has culture, history, great social life, good schools and great food. And it's a very clean city and safe as well. What can you not like about Beijing?" said Mahmood.

Despite his great love for the city, he has, so far, shied away from investing in the city.