Macau’s Events Attendance Reaches 96% of 2019 Levels

Macau’s Statistics and Census Service said the gaming tourism area hosted more than 245 MICE events in 3Q23, up 231% compared to the same period last year, which was a very easy comp. The number of participants and attendees totaled 545,000. There were 221 events held in 3Q23 for meetings and conferences with the number of participants at 48,000, while exhibitions in 3Q23 attracted 2,549 exhibitors and 21,000 professional visitors. In the first three quarters of 2023, a total of 757 MICE events were held with a total of participants and attendees at 1,220,000. The two indicators recovered to 70% and 96% of the levels in the same period in 2019, respectively.

The all-new Four Seasons Hotel Suzhou is now accepting reservations ahead of its anticipated opening in the coming weeks. The hotel is set on a private garden island on Jinji Lake, accessible via a private bridge. The upcoming opening marks another collaboration for Four Seasons with Sun Hung Kai Properties who is also their partner in the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong. Amenities include an outdoor infinity pool that appears to spill into Jinji Lake, an indoor pool with soaring ceilings, adjacent fitness facilities such as a gym and yoga studio and Wellness & Spa with a special focus on treatments that support restful sleep, stress relief, and spiritual connection. Restaurants include Jin Jing Ge, Yun He, Lounge and Bar, and ISOLA poolside bar and grill. The hotel features 199 guest rooms and suites, and 11 freestanding villas dotted amid the gardens surrounding the main buildings of the hotel. More than 1,000 square meters of versatile event spaces will be offered, including abundant outdoor spaces.

Accor announced the signing of the first TRIBE NATION hotel in China, bringing a new urban lifestyle hospitality experience to modern and Gen Z Chinese travelers. TRIBE NATION Guiyang South will open in January 2025 through a partnership between Accor and Guiyang Chengnan Investment and Development Company Ltd. The hotel will have 136 rooms, located in Huaxi District, a National All-For-One Tourism Zone in the southern part of Guiyang, about 30 kilometers from the Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport. Accor said TRIBE NATION is designed to surprise travelers with an original and creative type of hospitality that redefines the hotel experience and amplifies style. TRIBE NATION Guiyang South will be designed as a vibrant creative hub where guests can relax among a like-minded community of locals and travelers. The Social Hub at the heart of the hotel will include a lobby lounge area offering barista drinks and light refreshments, along with flexible spaces for work or social interaction. The hotel will offer an all-day dining restaurant and a Chinese restaurant. Other amenities include a gym, swimming pool, along with meetings and function spaces.

The ibis PJCC Petaling Jaya, located in the Klang Valley region of Malaysia, has opened its doors, located in the urban landscape of Petaling Jaya Commercial Centre. The hotel features 161 rooms, a gym, swimming pool overlooking Petaling Jaya’s skyline, and a children’s playroom. The hotel’s all-day dining restaurant is ibis Kitchen. The hotel also offers four meeting rooms.

Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes welcomes Villa Mayavee, a tropical mountainside retreat in Phuket. The four-bedroom villa is the first property in Thailand to join the Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Home branded collection of private vacation homes, chalets, and mansions. The properties are operated in collaboration with luxury home rental platform StayOne. The rental includes a private chef.

Hilton announced the opening of Umana Bali, LXR Hotels & Resorts, marking the brand’s first resort in South East Asia. Umana Bali is owned by PT Surya Semesta Internusa Tbk and is managed by Hilton. The resort has 72 villas, laid out in cascading terraces atop limestone cliffs. The villas start at 403 square meters, each featuring its own private infinity-edge pool and outdoor hot tub. The three-bedroom Umana Pool Villa sprawls across an impressive 1,200 square meters. Amenities include a chapel for clifftop weddings, event spaces, fitness center, and a Kids’ Club. The Lohma Spa offers an extensive selection of treatments to be conducted individually or collectively. Various restaurants and bars are available, including Commune, Pad Pool Bar, and clifftop restaurant Oliverra.

SJM Holdings said they officially opened Palazzo Versace Macau. The world’s first fashion-branded hotel now includes two locations, the one in Macau on Cotai and the first, which was in Dubai. The Palazzo Versace at the Grand Lisboa Palace Resort Macau features 271 rooms and suites, two Italian restaurants, spa facilities, a Versace rendition of the Turkish Hammam, and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. During the first half of 2023, certain rooms at this hotel were made available to the public.

Mohegan Inspire Entertainment in Incheon, South Korea is having a soft opening on November 30th, opening up some of the non-casino areas of the resort. The first phase includes the opening of three hotel towers with 1,275 rooms, a multi-purpose arena, MICE facilities including the largest ballroom in Korea, its signature restaurants, and Aurora, a state-of-the-art digital entertainment street. The entire resort will open in phases by the first half of 2024. The three hotel towers each have a distinct concept – Forest Tower, Sun Tower, and Ocean Tower. The Inspire Arena has a total capacity of 15,000 seats. Splash Bay is a glass-domed indoor water park with the pool available only to hotel guests initially. There are 10 Inspire-owned restaurants. Inspire Mall and the foreigner-exclusive casino are expected to open in the first quarter of 2024 while Discovery Park, an outdoor entertainment facility covering 100,000 square meters, along with an international food court and Korea’s largest digital immersive content exhibition center and indoor children’s playground, are expected to open in the second quarter of 2024.

Indian Hotels Company announced the signing of its sixth hotel under the Ginger brand in Kerala, India. The Greenfield project is expected to open in 2027 with 150 rooms, Qmin – the all-day diner, banquet hall with additional meeting rooms, swimming pool, fitness center, and kids play area. This is not only the third hotel between IHCL and Hotel Pearl Dunes Pvt Ltd., Ginger Bekal gives IHCL three grands in the destination.

Personnel Move

Sanjay Kumar Gautam, the Associate Vice President of Finance for the Oberoi Group, has been appointed CFO of Onora Hospitality Pvt Ltd. Onora Hospitality has three brands – juSTa Hotels & Resorts, Bookmark Resorts, and NUO.