Robb Report Singapore’s raving reporter Andrew Leci gets up close and personal with Robbert Orville Bertrand Butler a.k.a Robb Butler, an entity for whom service is a passion and no precious stone is left unturned

“Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. Some have greatness thrust open them. Others know greatness when they see it, and can teach others how to appreciate it.”
Adapted from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, with impertinent amendments.

Taking charge of the Robb Report’s Concourse Skyline Penthouse will be Robb Butler, a man who knows a thing or two about exclusive, luxury experiences and impeccable service. I had the opportunity to sit down with him over a late-afternoon Negroni (made by Mr. Butler himself), which was a delightful experience. Coming from a long line of dedicated professionals and with a fascinating family history, the 42-year-old Englishman has made Singapore his home, and is now set to revolutionise the concept of hospitality.

Is it a case of Butler by name and butler by nature?

It can’t be a coincidence, can it? I hail from a long line of wonderful people who have provided ‘service’ for some other great people, in many different guises, but the word ‘butler’ has connotations of subservience and submissiveness, and that’s inappropriate in this day and age. I see myself as a ‘curator of experiences’.

That’s catchy, but you may need to expand…

Very well. People are different. They have different wants, needs and expectations. Above all, they have different tastes. What is one man’s meat is another man’s poisson. You’ll have to go with me on that one; it’s a multilingual joke.

I think I get it. ‘Poisson’ is French for fish. Looks like ‘poison’ when written. Meat and fish. Please proceed.

Very astute. High-net-worth individuals are discerning. They want their experiences to be special, and they need to be respected as individuals with their own standards and expectations. My job is not only to meet them, but to exceed them – often in unexpected ways. I will always go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure that all the people I interact with are even happier than they would have been having had their actual dreams realised.

And how do you go about doing that?

I don’t want to get too technical, but my approach is almost Holmesian.

Oliver Wendell, or Sherlock?

The latter. I am neither a physician nor a polymath, although my CPR skills are legendary, and I would lay claim to knowing more than a little bit about most things. But no, it’s Sherlock; the master of deduction. All he did though, was work with what he knew and what he could see. Then he made connections, via deductive reasoning. I adopt the same approach when dealing with my clients. I ascertain who they are and what they want, and then work out ways in which to provide them with the experiences they’re looking for.

Is telepathy involved?

I knew you were going to ask that, and the answer is ‘no’. Not telepathy. But intuition plays a big part.

In that case, can you ‘intuit’ my next question?

Of course. You were going to suggest that I seem to be well-educated and possess an appreciation of the ‘finer things in life’. You would probably want to know how this came about?

Yes, let’s go with that.

Through experience, naturally. I have an honorary degree from Oxford University in Art History; I trained in the culinary arts at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and I dated an architectural engineer (who minored in interior design, bless her) for two years, so I have most of the bases covered. I also have an MBA, and have lived in seven countries, speaking all their languages. Cultural assimilation is second nature to me; understanding people is first nature.

How does all this relate to your role at the Concourse Skyline Penthouse?

It’s quite simple. Here, we are dealing with the best of the best; to be appreciated by the best of the best. Everything in the penthouse has evolved to the stage at which it is ready to be presented to those who have refined tastes and expect nothing but the best. If I can enhance the experience of appreciating these things, then I am doing my job properly, and that’s what makes me happy and fulfilled.

And what can we put your association with Robb Report Singapore down to?

In a word, ‘serendipity’. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time, and this is what I should be doing and where I should be doing it. Robb Report Singapore‘s readers are part of the elite, and the elite have great expectations. Everything has to be ‘out of the ordinary’. This is what I do.

What can we expect from events at the Penthouse?

I really shouldn’t say ‘the best’ again, should I? We’ll be curating wonderful, bespoke experiences, enhanced by superb products, delightful cuisine, and a magnificent aesthetic. The penthouse is going to be where everyone would want to live, given the chance, and a place that everyone will want to be a part of, given the opportunity – and an invitation, of course. We’ll be creating a world of exclusive luxury and splendour that only the very few will be able to appreciate. These are the few that I’ve dedicated my life to.