The Eastern & Oriental Express carries a small world through Malaysia: private cabins, dining cars, a bar and an open observation car, all traveling with their guests. The destination is part of the attraction, but so is the time spent getting there. For anyone curious about Belmond as an employer, this train is a useful introduction to the hospitality it creates.
My wife and I rode from Singapore up into Malaysia for our 20th wedding anniversary in 2024, the first year of the relaunched service. It was tremendous. An occasion like that makes you appreciate what a well-prepared journey can give its guests: time together, with the arrangements taken care of.
Belmond’s world of travel
Belmond’s story began in 1976 with the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice. Its portfolio now includes hotels, trains, river boats and safari lodges. Hotel das Cataratas beside Brazil’s Iguassu Falls, Mount Nelson in Cape Town and the Royal Scotsman in Scotland suggest the range. Their settings differ; each gives the place itself a substantial part in the experience.
Belmond has been part of LVMH since 2019. It describes its approach to travel as “slow luxury”: travel that gives guests time to engage with local culture, nature and the people around them. The Eastern & Oriental Express makes that idea tangible. A passenger can stay in the same room while the landscape changes, sit down to a meal without leaving the journey, and step off to explore before returning aboard.
For a candidate, the breadth of that portfolio matters. Working at a city hotel, a safari lodge and a touring train brings different practical demands. Understanding the particular property or journey is the beginning of understanding a Belmond role.
From Singapore into Malaysia
The train returned to service in February 2024 with two new three-night itineraries departing from Singapore’s Woodlands station. Essence of Malaysia follows the western side of the peninsula through Kuala Lumpur, with excursions to Langkawi and Penang. Wild Malaysia turns toward the eastern side and Taman Negara National Park, then includes Penang before the return to Singapore.
These are different ways of introducing the same country. One draws together cities, coastal landscapes and island visits; the other gives the rainforest a central place. Both make time aboard part of the trip. Belmond’s current journey program sets out the departures and their excursions.
The observation car is a particularly direct expression of the train’s appeal. Guests can look out from an open carriage rather than experience the country entirely through glass. The view has room to hold their attention. That is one reason I consider this train an icon: its recognizable carriages connect the pleasure of a well-appointed stay with the movement of a journey.
A hotel that moves
A train cabin has to accommodate much of a stay within a small space. Belmond’s accommodation guide describes three categories: Pullman Cabins, State Cabins and Presidential Suites. Pullman seating becomes upper and lower berths at night; State Cabins convert to two twin beds. Presidential Suites offer more space. Seating, sleeping arrangements and storage are therefore useful things to understand before discussing the categories with a guest.
For someone interested in reservations or guest service, a clear explanation of that layout can be more useful than an adjective about comfort. For someone considering housekeeping, the day-to-night change offers a concrete way to think about the room’s preparation. The space has to be ready for its next use while the journey continues.
Belmond’s guest information also covers luggage, dining and assistance requirements. Those ordinary arrangements deserve attention. A special occasion is easier to enjoy when its practical details have already been understood.
Malaysia at the table
Dining gives the destination another way into the carriage. The train’s culinary program is led by André Chiang, whose menus bring Malaysian ingredients and traditions together with contemporary techniques. The meal belongs to the country the guest is traveling through.
For culinary candidates, that is an invitation to learn about the ingredients and the reasoning behind a dish. For food and beverage service, it makes knowledge of the menu part of looking after the table. A guest may be meeting a flavor for the first time; a good explanation helps them appreciate it.
The setting also asks the kitchen and the dining room to work closely together. Space is limited, the train is moving, and the timing of a meal forms part of a larger itinerary. A calmly served dinner is an outcome of preparation and coordination.
The journey beyond the train
Excursions extend the experience into Malaysia’s landscapes and communities. Taman Negara and Penang feature in the Wild Malaysia program; their appeal depends on quite different kinds of knowledge, from the rainforest to a city’s culture and food. Local guides bring those places within reach of guests who may have arrived knowing very little about them.
For candidates interested in guest relations or travel operations, the transition between train and excursion is worth considering. Departure times, transfers, walking conditions and individual requirements all affect the day. The guest encounters one journey, even when several people are responsible for delivering its parts.
The work behind an occasion
An anniversary is a useful reminder that guests arrive with reasons of their own. Someone may have planned a trip for years; someone else may be discovering the destination for the first time. Attentive hospitality begins with understanding the person and carrying that understanding through the stay.
For a candidate researching Belmond, the train offers practical questions to explore. How would you explain a cabin choice? How would you introduce a Malaysian dish? How would you pass on a guest’s request so that the next person can act on it? Those questions make the relationship between a luxury travel experience and the daily work behind it easier to understand.
The Eastern & Oriental Express brings Belmond’s approach to travel into focus: a distinctive setting, an itinerary rooted in its destination, and hospitality that gives guests time to enjoy both. Explore Belmond’s current positions to see how that wider world translates into opportunities at its individual properties and operations.