MANILA, Philippines ? ?Home sweet home.?

These words are a luxury to travelers and expatriates plucked from the warmth and comfort of their own zip codes. To ease through the rigors of living on foreign soil, it is ideal they find a place to recreate a homey atmosphere.

Ascott and Somerset serviced residences merge the comforts of home and convenience of a hotel to help travel-weary guests adjust to their new environs.

Four of the properties in the country are Ascott Makati, Somerset Millennium, Somerset Olympia and Somerset Salcedo. These operate under Ascott International, a subsidiary of Ascott, which has a 25-year industry track record and is the world?s largest international serviced-residence owner-operator with over 18,000 units in key cities in Asia Pacific, Europe and the Gulf region.

Ascott?s top women executives in the Philippines take pride in the ?Ascott lifestyle? and the ?feminine touch? they have infused into it.

?Compared to the cramped confines of a hotel room, the residences at Ascott and Somerset are much bigger. There?s flexibility for guests to create and spruce up their own personal space,? said Joanne Golong-Gomez, Somerset Millennium residence manager and director of sales and marketing for Ascott International Management Philippines.

Units available range from the 26- to 37-square meter Studio Executive to the 193-sq m Three-Bedroom Deluxe in any of the Somerset residences. Ascott Makati units include the 53-sq m Studio; one to three-bedroom units at 79-224 sq m; and the 263-292 sq m Penthouse.

Each unit features a kitchen equipped with fridge, cooker hob and hood, microwave oven, toaster, electric kettle, rice cooker, glassware, crockery, cutlery and utensils.

Those less inclined to don an apron can request room service from the property?s restaurants. In fact, during a tour of the residences, members of the media had a taste of what a sumptuous ?home-cooked? gourmet meal is like, courtesy of chefs from Ascott Makati.

But guests are not limited to in-house food and beverage. They can order in from any restaurant they prefer?an option not available in a typical hotel.

For short stays, units are rented out for various purposes such as birthday parties, wedding showers and family or ?barkada? get-togethers. Guests are allowed to bring in as many visitors as they want, which is a bonus for the ?balikbayan? who look forward to spending quality time with friends and relatives.

Host program

Long-staying guests on project assignment, relocation or leisure travel can look forward to the Somerset Host Program, which facilitates orientation city tours, security briefing, quarterly get-together activities, and monthly distribution of gifts or tokens with a local touch.

Ascott Unwind, the counterpart of the Host Program, features monthly events that give guests a chance to mingle with each other, thus infusing a sense of neighborhood and community. Recent events included wine-tasting, barbecue at the poolside area and complimentary 10-minute massage each Friday for a month.

Susan Salcedo, Ascott Makati lifestyle manager, sees to the lifestyle, business and leisure activities of the property.

Her work, a concept unique to Ascott, entails handling food and beverage operations, Ascott Fitness Center, and Ascott Business Solutions, a facility of office suites and function rooms where executives can set up business headquarters or hold training, meetings and seminars in an exclusive environment.

Ascott Makati general manager Lew Yen Ping couldn?t emphasize enough how important tailor-made living (what she otherwise refers to as the ?as you like it? type of service) is to the Ascott lifestyle. She said attention to detail, meticulousness and a compassionate approach in attending to the guests? needs are add-ons to the properties? serviced-residence package.

?We like to treat and pamper our residents...and try to make everything very personalized to cater to our guests? individual tastes and preferences. For example, should they prefer goose-down pillows, a different cushion color, or even their own set of paintings hanging on the walls, we are more than happy to provide these for them,? Ping explained.

?The Ascott lifestyle is luxurious, comfortable, convenient; it allows freedom and fosters a sense of community,? said Ping. Home couldn?t be too far, after all.