Living in Harmony

KĒSA HOUSE

Back in the day when Keong Saik Road was still a residential zone, it was home to working ladies, and mistresses of rich merchants.

In the early 1990s, it underwent a transformation when the Urban Redevelopment Authority put up several old shophouses for sale, so that they could be conserved and modified for commercial use.

The public can once again live on Keong Saik Road, thanks to Ashish Manchharam, founder and managing director of 8M Real Estate. His firm's hospitality management and operations arm, 8M Collective, owns and manages KēSa House, a 60-room flexible-living concept which also includes a row of six F&B outlets. Its name is a contraction of the words 'Keong' and 'Saik'.

Guests at KēSa House have the option to stay a night, for a week, or a month if they so wish. There are no contracts to be tied down to. "The longer guests stay, the more affordable it will be," says Charmaine Wee, director of accommodation at 8M Collective. "If they want to stay forever, they could do so too.…