Special feature by American Express

Elevating Life’s Most Important Moments

For busy entrepreneurs like Celine Tan, time spent with loved ones is of utmost importance — and made better with The Platinum Card® by American Express.

As an entrepreneur running two businesses in the fast-paced lifestyle industry, Celine Tan understands that striking a balance between work and life can be a tall order. For Tan, who is the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Partner at brand strategy, content, and communications agency, The Ate Group; and COO and co-founder of Caviar Colony, days begin with work emails and WhatsApp messages from clients and colleagues — all before she even drops off her five-year-old son at preschool. Then, she rushes from one meeting to another until the late afternoon. In her spare moments, she clears her inbox and supports her colleagues on ideation or client management matters. By the time she reaches home at night, it’s usually time to put her son to bed.

“Let’s be honest: There is no such thing as work-life balance when you own your own businesses,” she says candidly. “It’s just about prioritizing and making time for what needs to be done and who needs your attention.”

For Tan, weekends are reserved exclusively for family — even if she gets interrupted by the occasional e-mail. “I don’t get to spend my weekdays with my son much, so weekends are precious, and I want to be 100 per cent present for him,” she says. When she’s not taking her son out for playdates, birthday parties, and other activities, she and her husband make it a point to spend quality time together as a couple at their favorite restaurants in town.

Even as a veteran in the lifestyle industry who often has the inside scoop on the hottest new F&B establishments in Singapore, Tan still values familiarity and a sense of home and comfort for her choice of hangout.

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“My husband and I love Appetite for its ‘house party’ atmosphere and good drinks list. We get to listen to vinyls and know that good food is always a given,” she explains. Her other recent favourites include new Vietnamese restaurant Lô Quây; Restaurant Khiri; and Brasserie Astoria.

“Let’s be honest: There is no such thing as work-life balance when you own your own businesses,” she says candidly. “It’s just about prioritizing and making time for what needs to be done and who needs your attention.”

“When we can spare a longer evening out, we enjoy going to Odette, JAAN by Kirk Westaway and lately, Restaurant Fiz. It’s a contemporary Southeast Asian restaurant that has a beautiful space and a private dining room with a great view of the kitchen that our group of friends like. I especially enjoy the interesting cocktail pairings.”

Naturally, The Platinum Card is a must-have for Tan. The Card, which offers generous dining credits at restaurants worldwide, discounts at popular dining spots, and complimentary drinks, is a staple of any discerning foodie.

For example, The Platinum Card offers S$200 statement credits that can be used at a slew of popular local restaurants; and up to 50% off on food bills at a wide range of specially curated dining partners under Love Dining by Platinum.

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“The concierge service is also really useful to make restaurant bookings,” she adds. It’s a handy feature for time-strapped entrepreneurs like her.

Before she dines out, Tan also likes to use the Amex Experiences App to check if the Card has any ongoing partnerships with her favourite restaurants. “The concierge service is also really useful to make restaurant bookings,” she adds. It’s a handy feature for time-strapped entrepreneurs like her.

If weekends are for sacred family time, all the more so are holidays. Travelling to Europe, in particular, is a treat that Tan tries to indulge in at least twice a year. Flying long distances with a young toddler in tow, however, can be a challenge. Here, she is thankful for The Platinum Card, which grants access to over 1,400 airport lounges across 650 cities, so there is always a comfortable space for her and her family to unwind from the frenzy of air travel — especially crucial if there are flight delays.

She also recommends making full use of The Platinum Card’s extensive array of travel privileges to enjoy perks like room upgrades and late check-outs. Platinum Members, for example, enjoy complimentary upgrades to higher tiers of leading hotel loyalty programs, such as the Marriott Bonvoy™ Gold Elite and Hilton Honors Gold Status, which means even more exclusive benefits like bonus membership points and accelerated earn rates.

“It also gives me reassurance knowing that there is a concierge to assist us if we even need help for dining reservations,” she adds. At the end of the day, even in all the midst of her work and family commitments, Tan also tries to carve out some me-time.

“If the week has been especially hard, I book myself a spa appointment on a Sunday evening, so that I know I am ready to go again when the week begins,” she says.

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