Living the full expat life from Regency House

 

Paul Charlton is about to complete what he describes as “the perfect assignment to end a career on”.

After 40 years of working life, much of it in senior insurance industry roles around the UK, the South England-based business development leader was asked to help his employer set up a new division in Singapore in 2018. He and wife Emma jumped at the chance to add a little adventure to his last year before retirement.

“It was a really attractive proposition,” he says. “I came here to advise and set the whole business up. You don’t get many opportunities like that in a big corporate.”

The timing was also ideal. Emma had just taken early retirement herself, and their two daughters had “flown the coop” to leave nothing to stop the intrepid couple from taking full advantage of this “swan-song” assignment.

Paul says he had done very little international travel with the insurer – whom he has been with for the last 30 years. But Singapore proved to be an excellent locale for the first and last global assignment.

“I love the atmosphere of the place,” he says. “The city just works so well. It’s safe. It’s efficient, and the transport system is fantastic.

“I’ve also never been in a city where there is so much green, and it’s all kept so well.”

But both Paul and Emma save their biggest praise for their home away from home these past nine months, at Regency House.

Name: Paul Charlton (pictured above, left, with wife Emma, right) Employer: UK-based insurer Industry: Financial Services Family size: 2 Time in Singapore: Nine months Accommodation: 2-bedroom suite Property: Regency House, located in Orchard Operator: Far East Hospitality What do you most appreciate about your residence? “Without a doubt, the staff. They go out of their way to assist, and out of their way to get to know you.”

Far East Hospitality Tel: +65 6428 8600 Email: [email protected] Website: www.StayFarEast.com/serviced-residences

“The staff here are simply amazing,” Emma says. “That is what makes the place, without a doubt and without exception. They are so friendly and helpful – they go out of their way to get to know you; go out of their way to assist.”

The couple chose the apartment using only the brochures as research, appreciating the spaciousness of the apartments (two bedrooms, one for visiting guests and family, was a must), the recent refurbishment, and the location at the heart of Orchard Road.

“That was the best decision that we made in the relocation,” Paul says. “From Day One, we have felt at home, like we were part of the family.”

Emma says she had been keen to rearrange the furniture and fittings in the apartment early into their residency. That sort of thing can be discouraged in many residences, but the team at Regency House took the opposite tact – they actually helped.

“I’d wanted to get more light into the living room, and so some of the team came in and reworked the layout. It wasn’t just moving furniture around, they also ensured the cables and electrics were all safely stowed,” Emma says.

That warm, personal touch has been evident throughout their stay – with cards for birthdays, Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day (both for Paul and a visiting guest on the day), and even a fruit basket delivered after a short hospital stay.

“The team at Regency House really have made our stay an absolute pleasure,” Paul says. “We’re sad to be going back, but our time has come!”

Paul and Emma are set to return to a joint retirement in the UK in December.